To determine the significance of bone edema, detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in early-stage rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
We simultaneously examined serologic variables, MRI of wrist sites and finger joints of both hands, clinical disease activity score (DAS), and HLA-DR typing at entry in 80 patients with early-stage RA.
The number of bones scored as positive for bone edema correlated with the number of sites scored as positive for MRI synovitis and MRI bone erosion, rate of enhancement (E-rate), and serum C-reactive protein (CRP), matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3), and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Findings for MRI synovitis and MRI bone erosion, E-rate, CRP, MMP-3, IL-6, seropositivity, and titer of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (anti-CCP antibody), DAS28-CRP and HLA-DRB1*0405 allele carriership, were significantly higher in the positive versus the negative bone edema group.
Bone edema based on our scoring system may reflect severe disease status in patients with early-stage RA. However, its clinical value at entry in prognostication of RA should be examined through prospective clinical followup studies.