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American Rheumatism Association Diagnostic Criteria for RA


- RA criteria: (if 5 out of following are present for > 6 weeks);
    - morning stiffness;
    - pain on motion, or tenderness in at least one joint;
    - swelling (soft tissue thickening or fluid, not bony overgrowth alone) in at least one joint;
    - swelling of at least one other joint (any interval free of joint symptoms between the two joint);
    - poor mucin precipitate from synovial fluid
    - characteristic histologic changes in synovium
    - characteristic histologic changes in nodules
- Exclusion Criteria:
    - rash of systemic lupus erythematosus
    - high concentration of LE cells, or other clear-cut evidence of lupus;
    - histologic evidence of periarteritis nodosa;
    - clinical features of dermatomyositis, scleroderma;
    - acute rheumatic fever;
    - gouty arthritis
    - infectious arthritis
    - Reiter's syndrome
    - shoulder-hand syndrome
    - hypertrophic osteoarthropathy
    - neuroarthropathy
    - alkaptonuria
    - sarcoidosis
    - multiple myeloma
    - erythema nodosum
    - leukemia, lymphoma, or agammaglobulinemia


Review Articles: Current Concepts: Acute Monoarthritis.

Review Article: Current Concepts: Polyarthritis and Fever.