Potential of 18 F-FDG-PET as a valuable adjunct to clinical and response assessment in rheumatoid arthritis and seronegative spondyloarthropathies

Table 2 Clinical and laboratory parameters adjudged for inclusion and exclusion of each patient and designating them to a particular group

Inclusion criteria

Positive ACR criteria[8-10] (at least 4 out of 7) for designating RA

Clinical diagnosis of specific seronegative spondyloarthropathy1

Positive or negative RA factor

Classical symptoms with raised ESR (> 30 mm/h)

Classical symptoms with raised C-reactive protein (> 20 mg/L)

HLA-B27 positive with supportive clinical diagnosis1

Newly diagnosed and not received any form of treatment.

Exclusion criteria

Had been treated with any DMARD/steroids earlier.

Uncontrolled diabetics

¹Clinical diagnosis was based upon thorough clinical assessment. ACR: American College of Rheumatology; RA: Rheumatoid arthritis; ESR: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HLA: Human leukocyte antigen; DMARD: Disease modifying anti-rheumatoid drugs.