To determine the prevalence of palindromic rheumatism (PR) compared to new-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
We reviewed 145 patients that had been newly diagnosed by a rheumatologist with either RA or PR between May 2004 and May 2006.
Of these 145 patients, 51 were diagnosed with PR and 94 with RA. There was a similar female predominance with both conditions. The average age at diagnosis of PR was 49 years as compared to 56 years for RA.
Palindromic rheumatism occurs more frequently than previously recognized.