To assess the radiographic criterion in the 1987 revised criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in patients with early RA.
The diagnostic value of radiologic changes in the hands was compared with that of radiologic changes in the feet, in a prospective study of 78 patients with early definite or classic RA (symptoms for less than or equal to 12 months) according to the 1958 criteria.
At entry, 23% of the patients had erosions only in metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints, 6% only in hands, and 5% both in hands and in feet. After 2 years of followup, 29% of the patients had only MTP joint erosions and 3% had only hand erosions. At study entry, the level of clinical activity in patients with erosions in the feet only was lower than that in other patients, and 44% of these patients would not have been diagnosed as having RA by the 1987 criteria.
In early RA, radiographic changes in the feet seem to be a more sensitive criterion than radiographic changes in the hands. Therefore, addition of radiographic evaluation of the feet to the revised criteria may improve the classification of recent-onset RA.