Rheumatology: Current Research
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-1149 (Printed)
+44-20-4587-4809
ISSN: 2161-1149 (Printed)
+44-20-4587-4809
Iraj Salehi
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Rheumatology & Orthopedics
M ore than 14 years of clinical practice in rheumatology led the author to discover the prognostic role of anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) as well as the erosions found by MRI, in detecting the RA patients resulting in establishing a new set of criteria by revising the 1987 ACR classification�Iran Criteria for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Medical records of 243 patients at the outpatient Rheumatology Clinic of the author (private sector) were reviewed for the data on the criteria of the 1987 ACR, 2010 ACR/European League against Rheumatism (EULAR), and Iran Criteria for RA. In addition to modifying the 1987 ACR classification, Iran Criteria for RA adds some additional information to the ACR criteria (including ACPA and bony erosions detected by MRI), and any patient who satisfies 6 out of 12 points is considered as a definite RA patient. Sensitivity of the three classifications was calculated considering the clinical diagnosis by a single rheumatologist as the gold standard. A total of 63 male and 180 female patients with a mean follow-up duration of 28.24 � 50.19 months were considered. Mean age at diagnosis and mean disease duration were 49.16 � 15.38 years and 7.04 � 6.87 months, respectively. The sensitivity for Iran Criteria for RA, 1987 ACR classification, and 2010 ACR/ EULAR criteria were calculated as 98.4, 59.7, and 66.3%, respectively. Comparing Iran Criteria for RA with ACR and ACR/EULAR criteria, it was concluded that our newly introduced criteria is a more sensitive instrument in determining RA patients in the early stages of the disease
Iraj Salehi-Abari has completed his MD followed by Specialty of Internal Medicine at the age of 28 years from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. He successfully graduated from Subspecialty of Rheumatology at the age of 32 years from Tehran University of Medical Sciences. He is ?Associate Professor? of Rheumatology Research Center, Amir-Alam Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. More than 14 years of clinical practice led the author to recommend expert-opinion based criteria for early diagnosis of ?Rheumatoid Arthritis? (published), ?Ankylosing Spondylitis? (submitted), and ?Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis? (submitted).