Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
What does this x-ray say about the need for surgery… the answer could be very important
to you!
Early X-Ray Changes Signal Later Joint Surgery
Nancy Walsh writing for Medpage Today reported on a study which showed that rapid x-ray progression
during the first year of rheumatoid arthritis strongly predicts the need for orthopedic
surgery later in the course of disease, a researcher said here.
A clinically significant change in Larsen radiographic score of 4 units during the first
12 months of disease was associated with an 80% increased risk of subsequently having
surgery on the small joints of the hands and feet and a 50% greater chance of needing major
surgery on the knee or hip, reported Lewis Carpenter BsC of the University of Hertfordshire
in Hatfield. "This helps build the case for early treatment
in rheumatoid arthritis and adds to the argument for a therapeutic window of opportunity,"
he said at the annual meeting of the British Society for Rheumatology.
Comment: Sobering news and a clarion call for aggressive management.