Very low prevalence of ultrasound-detected tenosynovial abnormalities in healthy subjects throughout the age range: OMERACT ultrasound minimal disease study

• Published in: Annals of the rheumatic diseases Vol. 81; no. 2; pp. 232 - 236
• Main Authors: Trickey, Jeanette, Sahbudin, Ilfita, Ammitzbøll-Danielsen, Mads, Azzolin, Irene, Borst, Carina, Bortoluzzi, Alessandra, Bruyn, George AW, Carron, Philippe, Ciurtin, Coziana, Filippou, Georgios, Fliciński, Jacek, Fodor, Daniela, Gouze, Hélène, Gutierrez, Marwin, Hammer, Hilde Berner, Hauge, Ellen-Margrethe, Iagnocco, Annamaria, Ikeda, Kei, Karalilova, Rositsa, Keen, Helen Isobel, Kortekaas, Marion, La Paglia, Giuliana, Leon, Gustavo, Mandl, Peter, Maruseac, Mihaela, Milchert, Marcin, Mortada, Mohamed Atia, Naredo, Esperanza, Ohrndorf, Sarah, Pineda, Carlos, Rasch, Mads Nyhuus Bendix, Reátegui-Sokolova, Cristina, Sakellariou, Garifallia, Serban, Teodora, Sifuentes-Cantú, Cesar A, Stoenoiu, Maria S, Suzuki, Takeshi, Terslev, Lene, Tinazzi, Ilaria, Vreju, Florentin Ananu, Wittoek, Ruth, D'Agostino, Maria-Antonietta, Filer, Andrew
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and European League Against Rheumatism 01.02.2022; Elsevier Limited; HighWire Press; BMJ Publishing Group
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Body mass index; Cohort Studies; Ecology, environment; Effusion; Female; Health; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Hypertrophy; Hypertrophy - diagnostic imaging; Hypertrophy - epidemiology; Imaging; Inflammation; Inflammatory diseases; Life Sciences; Male; Middle Aged; Osteoarthritis; Prevalence; Rheumatoid arthritis; Rheumatology; Statistical analysis; tendinopathy; Tendons; Tendons - diagnostic imaging; Tendons - pathology; Tenosynovitis - diagnostic imaging; Tenosynovitis - epidemiology; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonography; Ultrasound; Young Adult; United Kingdom > UK; ultrasonography; rheumatoid arthritis; tendinopathy
• ISSN: 0003-4967; 1468-2060; 1468-2060
• DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-219931

ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine the prevalence of ultrasound-detected tendon abnormalities in healthy subjects (HS) across the age range.MethodsAdult HS (age 18–80 years) were recruited in 23 international Outcome Measures in Rheumatology ultrasound centres and were clinically assessed to exclude inflammatory diseases or overt osteoarthritis before undergoing a bilateral ultrasound examination of digit flexors (DFs) 1–5 and extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendons to detect the presence of tenosynovial hypertrophy (TSH), tenosynovial power Doppler (TPD) and tenosynovial effusion (TEF), usually considered ultrasound signs of inflammatory diseases. A comparison cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was taken from the Birmingham Early Arthritis early arthritis inception cohort.Results939 HS and 144 patients with RA were included. The majority of HS (85%) had grade 0 for TSH, TPD and TEF in all DF and ECU tendons examined. There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of TSH and TPD involvement between HS and subjects with RA (HS vs RA p<0.001). In HS, there was no difference in the presence of ultrasound abnormalities between age groups.ConclusionsUltrasound-detected TSH and TPD abnormalities are rare in HS and can be regarded as markers of active inflammatory disease, especially in newly presenting RA.