Joint tenderness and ultrasound inflammation in DMARD-naïve patients with early rheumatoid arthritis

Tender joint count is part of most composite disease activity scores and treatment targets in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).1 Joint tenderness could represent not only synovial inflammation in the absence of clinical swelling but also factors such as erosive damage and pain sensitisation.2 Ultrasound examination can add information to the clinical evaluation of inflammation. Joint tenderness did not reflect inflammatory activity when assessed by...