Loading...
The rheumatology literature describes a clinical syndrome called "palindromic rheumatism." It refers to recurrent attacks of painful swollen joints (usually one or few), with complete remission between episodes and exclusion of other specific disorders. This Canadian study describes 127 patients (65 percent women) with palindromic rheumatism who presented to rheumatologists after an average of six symptomatic years.
The average age at onset was 40 years; attacks involved one to four joints (most commonly wrist, knee, and metacarpophalangeal). At the time of presentation, 39 percent had a positive rheumatoid factor. During an average follow-up of 40 months, 28 percent fulfilled formal criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 5 percent for a…