RHEUMATOID HAND: CLINICAL, RADIOLOGICAL AND GRIPSTRENGTH ASSESSMENT

Background:Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disorder of unknown etiology.Grip force and strength are a common measurement used in the assessment of the hand function Methodology:Patients of at least two years duration history of rheumatoid arthritis, attending rheumatology unit in the period from October 1995 to April 1996, were included in this descriptive study.Patients with a history of trauma or operation in the hand or wrist joint were excluded. Results:Female were 83patients (83%) and males were 17 patients (17%). Deformities in 200 hands were reported which showed. Flexor tenosynovitis was more in the middle (56) and index (53) fingers than in other fingers, and more in the right (103) than the left (75) hand.The grip strength was impaired in all patients.Mild impairment reported in 14%, moderate impairment in 27% and severely impaired hand grip was seen in 59% of patients. Conclusion: Flexor tenosynovitis and subluxation of metacarpo-phalangeal joints were seen more in the right than the left hand and more in the index and middle fingers than in other fingers.Grip strength assessment is frequently used inclinical trials and is a sensitiveindicator of disease activity.