Should oligoarthritis be reclassified? Ultrasound reveals a high prevalence of subclinical disease
If I have a dime for every time I heard someone say (in my office or otherwise) that they have arthritis I would be writing this from a small island in the Bahamas. I know that in my office it is rare that someone with arthritis does not get complete relief under my care. Did I get rid of the arthritis? Of course not. It’s just that the arthritis was not causing their pain. Remember that arthritis is just something we find on xray–just because it’s there does not mean it’s the pain generator.
This article confirms this–using ultrasound these authors found “subclinical” arthritits in high numbers. Of course–if these patients had no arthritis they should be in a lab somewhere trying to find out why.
Ann Rheum Dis — Abstracts: Wakefield et al. 63 (4): 382 –