406459

Frequency of elbow joint affection in Rheumatoid Arthritis patients by Ultrasound

Article

Last updated: 09 Apr 2025

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Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease affecting the synovial joints, including the elbows, leading to significant joint damage and decreased quality of life. Objectives: This study evaluates the frequency of elbow joint involvement in RA patients and its impact on disease activity and quality of life. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 35 RA patients and 35 healthy controls recruited from Benha University Hospitals. Patients were classified as having RA according to the ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria RA was diagnosed using the ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria. All patients underwent clinical evaluation, ultrasound examination, and assessment of disease activity (DAS28) and quality of life (SF-36). Results: Right elbow involvement was observed in 63% of patients, with tenderness (97%) and flexion deformity (46%) being the most common clinical signs. Inflammatory markers, including ESR (mean 48.69 ± 25.61 mm/hr) and CRP (mean 18.5 ± 18.8 mg/dL), were elevated, and hemoglobin was reduced (mean 10.6 ± 1.6 g/dL). Ultrasound revealed synovitis in 63%, effusion in 80%, and Doppler signal in 66% of patients. DAS28 scores were higher in RA patients (4.61 ± 0.72, p < 0.001) compared to controls. All SF-36 domain scores, including physical functioning (p < 0.001) and mental health (p < 0.001), were lower in RA patients. Conclusions: RA frequently affects the elbow joints, with associated high disease activity and reduced quality of life. Ultrasound is a valuable tool for detecting elbow involvement in RA, and elevated inflammatory markers correlate with greater disease severity and poorer quality of life.

DOI

10.21608/bmfj.2025.328885.2231

Keywords

Rheumatoid Arthritis, synovitis, chronic inflammatory disorder, elbow, and an ultrasound

Authors

First Name

Mona

Last Name

Ganash

MiddleName

Abdullah

Affiliation

MB.B.CH Faculty of Medicine Benha University

Email

monaabdullah044@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Mohammed

Last Name

Eraky

MiddleName

Zakaria

Affiliation

Professor of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Faculty of Medicine-Benha University

Email

doczakaria49@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Nashwa

Last Name

Hashaad

MiddleName

Ismaiel

Affiliation

Assistant Professor of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Faculty of Medicine &ndash; Benha University

Email

zeinahashaad@yahoo.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Doaa

Last Name

Lasheen

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Lecturer of Rheumatology, rehabilitation and physical medicine Faculty of Medicine &ndash; Benha University

Email

doaa.reyad@fmed.bu.edu.eg

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

42

Article Issue

4

Related Issue

54800

Issue Date

2025-04-01

Receive Date

2024-10-16

Publish Date

2025-04-01

Page Start

570

Page End

578

Print ISSN

1110-208X

Online ISSN

2357-0016

Link

https://bmfj.journals.ekb.eg/article_406459.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=406459

Order

784

Type

Original Article

Type Code

787

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Benha Medical Journal

Publication Link

https://bmfj.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Frequency of elbow joint affection in Rheumatoid Arthritis patients by Ultrasound

Details

Type

Article

Created At

09 Apr 2025