Key result
Gene expression analysis shows promise over limited traditional tools for evaluating early rheumatoid arthritis.
This review highlights the limitations of current diagnostic tools for early rheumatoid arthritis and discusses gene expression analysis as a promising future approach.
Current tools have limited utility in early RA; gene expression analysis remains hypothesis-generating pending prospective validation.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis that affects the adult population. Early diagnosis and treatment are the cornerstones to prevent joint damage and avoid long-term costs and disability. This article reviews the limitations of the currently available tools for the evaluation of patients with early arthritis, including clinical assessment, serologic markers and imaging modalities. It also discusses gene expression analysis, a newer and potentially promising approach to the early diagnosis of RA.
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Orozco et al. (2006) conducted a review in Rheumatoid arthritis. Evaluation tools for early arthritis (clinical assessment, serologic markers, imaging, gene expression analysis) was evaluated. This review discusses the limitations of current clinical, serologic, and imaging tools for evaluating early rheumatoid arthritis and highlights gene expression analysis as a promising new approach.
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