Chronic Lyme arthritis. Clinical and immunogenetic differentiation from rheumatoid arthritis. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Ten patients with Lyme arthritis have developed chronic involvement of one or both knees. Lyme arthritis was diagnosed by onset with erythema chronicum migrans (six patients); residence in Lyme, Connecticut (eight); seasonal onset in summer and early fall (nine); early periods of short recurrent attacks (nine); absence of rheumatoid factor (nine); and absence of symmetrical polyarthritis, morning stiffness, subcutaneous nodules, or antinuclear antibodies (in all). Five patients had synovectomies; pannus formation and underlying cartilage erosion were present in all. Seven of the 10 patients had the same B-cell alloantigen, DRw2 (frequency in normal control subjects, 22% [P less than 0.005]), but did not have an increased frequency of the alloantigens associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Chronic Lyme arthritis, the result of an apparent tick-transmitted infection, resembles rheumatoid arthritis pathologically but generally differs from it in both prearticular and immunogenetic characteristics.

publication date

  • June 1, 1979

Research

keywords

  • Arthritis
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid
  • Knee Joint

Identity

PubMed ID

  • 312615

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 90

issue

  • 6