Læknablaðið : fylgirit - 01.05.1978, Page 25

Paper on XVI. Nordiske Bheumatologkongress
21-23. June 1976.
N. Sigfusson, O.J. Björnsson, 6. Ólafsson,
E. Allander & J. Thorsteinsson.
The symptom of joint pain and a test for
rheumatoid factor are both used in the diagnosis
of rheumatoid arthritis.
It is therefore of interest to know if there is
any association between joint pain on one hand
and rheumatoid factor on the other.
To answer this question I would like to pre-
sent results from the health survey which was
described in some detail by the previous speaker
dr. Kolbeinsson. Also here only women will
be considered.
The second stage of this survey was conducted
in 197J - '72 and comprised approx. 4.000
women aged 37-64 years.
A health questionnaire was used to find out
about symptoms from the joints. There were 4
questions on this:
1. Have you had pain in the joints?
2. Have you had swelling of the joints?
3. Have you had morning stiffness of the joints?
4. Have you had pain in at least 3 limb joints
simultainously ?
The tests for rheumatoid factor were the Rose-
Waaler test and the acryl fixation test. These
have already been described by dr. Kolbeinsson.
Before I go further I would like to point out
that the results here presented are preliminary.
Slide 1 . The first table shows the relationship
between the RW-test and the question: Have
you had pain in the joints ?
There were approx. 1100 women or 29% of
the population who had joint pain. The
prevalence of pos. RW in the joint pain group
is 3.2% or more than two times higher than
in the no joint pain group. This is a higly
significant difference.
Slide 2. This table shows the relationship
between the RW-test and the question: Have
you had any swelling of the joints?
There were 564 women that registered
RHEUMATOID FACTOR
AND JOINT PAIN
this symptom or 14% of the total population.
In this joint swelling group 287o of the RW-
positives were found. The prevalence ofpos.
RW in the joint swelling group is 3.9% or
2 1/2 times higher than in the no swelling
group. The difference is highly significant.
SI i d e 3 . This table shows the relation
between the RW-test and the question: Have
you had morning stiffness of the joints?
The prevalence of pos. RW in the stiffness
group was 2.6% or 1 1/2 times higher than
in the no stiffness group. The differenee in
this case is not significant.
Slide 4. This table shows the relationship
between the RW-test and the question: Have
you had pain in at least 3 limb joints
simultainously ?
Approx. 1 í>/o of the women had this symptom.
The prevalence of pos.RW in the pain group
was 3.C% and in the no pain group 1.87o.
The difference is almost significant.
Siide 5. This table shows the relationship
between the RW-test and at least three of
the previous 4 questions. Those who answered
at least 3 questions with a yes were 590 or
approx. 1 37o of the total.
The prevalence of pos. RW in the yes
group was 3.7% or more than 2 times higher
than in the other group. The difference is
highly significant.
The AFT has been investigated in the same
way as the RW-test and the results were much
the same.
To sum up it can be stated what in women each
of the symptoms of joint pain, joint sweiling, and
pain in 3 or more limb joints is associated with
rheumatoid factor in such a way that a positive
rheumatoid factor is approx. twice as common in
women with these symptoms than those who are
symptom free.
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