The Assessment of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A STUDY BASED ON MEASUREMENTS OF THE SERUM ACUTE-PHASE REACTANTS

We have studied 187 patients with rheumatoid arthritis for periodsranging from three months to six years; 55 of them were observedfor more than three years. The aim of the study was to comparechanges in clinical state with changes in measurements of theblood levels of two acutephase reactants (C-reactive proteinand haptoglobin). The results showed that measurements of the serum acute-phasereactants reflected exacerbation or remission of arthritis whensuch changes occurred over short periods of time—for examplea few months. The serum acute-phase reactants also reflectedthe course of rheumatoid arthritis over longer periods of time;in patients studied for more than three years there was a closecorrelation between the course of the disease and the levelsof the acute-phase reactants. We suggest that measurements of the serum acute-phase reactantsprovide an accurate and objective way of assessing the progressof rheumatoid arthritis and of its response to treatment.