To determine the effect of inflammatory arthritis on lymphatic function in the upper limb.
Lymphoscintigraphy was used to measure lymphatic drainage in the upper limbs of 3 groups of patients: Group 1, inflammatory arthritis and edema (N = 10); Group 2, inflammatory arthritis and no edema (N = 18); and Group 3, healthy controls (N = 11).
Lymphatic drainage was reduced significantly in Group 1 but was the same in Groups 2 and 3. Multiple regression analysis failed to show any effect of arthritis on lymphatic drainage.
Inflammatory arthritis alone does not impair lymphatic drainage in the upper limbs. The results suggest that the presence of edema is primarily attributable to an unrelated abnormality influencing lymphatic function.