Anil Can, Akaltun Mazlum Serdar, Altindag Ozlem, Gur Ali
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitaton, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Rheumatol Int. 2025 Sep 25;45(10):238. doi: 10.1007/s00296-025-05998-x.
The aim of this study was to compare forearm muscle thickness measured ultrasonographically in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with that of a healthy population and to investigate the relationship between this thickness and clinical, sociodemographic, and laboratory data in the patient group. This cross-sectional study included 140 participants: 70 RA patients and 70 healthy controls. Forearm muscle thickness was measured ultrasonographically from the anterior forearm in radial and ulnar regions, and hand grip strength was assessed with a dynamometer. Pain was evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), functional status with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), hand function with the Duruoz Hand Index (DHI), and disease activity with the Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28). Results: There were no significant differences in sociodemographic data between the groups (p > 0.05). Ulnar muscle thickness was significantly lower in the RA group than in the control group (3.13 ± 0.37 vs. 3.55 ± 0.33 cm) (p < 0.05). Radial muscle thickness was also reduced in RA patients compared to controls (1.69 ± 0.24 vs. 1.94 ± 0.30 cm) (p < 0.05). Hand grip strength was 20.66 ± 7.78 kg in RA patients and 27.06 ± 9.59 kg in controls. Both measures were negatively correlated with disease duration, HAQ, and DHI (p < 0.05). DAS28 showed a negative correlation with ulnar muscle thickness and handgrip strength (p < 0.05), but not with radial muscle thickness (p > 0.05). These findings demonstrate that forearm muscle thickness is reduced in RA patients and is strongly associated with handgrip strength, disease activity, and functional status. Since decreased muscle mass contributes to loss of hand strength and functional impairment, forearm muscle thickness may represent a valuable parameter for clinicians to consider in the assessment and follow-up of RA patients.
本研究旨在比较类风湿关节炎（RA）患者经超声测量的前臂肌肉厚度与健康人群的前臂肌肉厚度，并研究患者组中该厚度与临床、社会人口统计学及实验室数据之间的关系。这项横断面研究纳入了140名参与者：70例RA患者和70名健康对照者。通过超声在前臂桡侧和尺侧区域测量前臂肌肉厚度，并用握力计评估握力。使用视觉模拟量表（VAS）评估疼痛，用健康评估问卷（HAQ）评估功能状态，用杜罗兹手指数（DHI）评估手功能，用疾病活动评分-28（DAS28）评估疾病活动度。结果：两组之间的社会人口统计学数据无显著差异（p＞0.05）。RA组的尺侧肌肉厚度显著低于对照组（3.13±0.37 vs. 3.55±0.33 cm）（p＜0.05）。与对照组相比，RA患者的桡侧肌肉厚度也有所降低（1.69±0.24 vs. 1.94±0.30 cm）（p＜0.05）。RA患者的握力为20.66±7.78 kg，对照组为27.06±9.59 kg。这两项测量结果均与病程、HAQ和DHI呈负相关（p＜0.05）。DAS28与尺侧肌肉厚度和握力呈负相关（p＜0.05），但与桡侧肌肉厚度无相关性（p＞0.05）。这些发现表明，RA患者的前臂肌肉厚度降低，且与握力、疾病活动度和功能状态密切相关。由于肌肉量减少会导致手部力量丧失和功能障碍，前臂肌肉厚度可能是临床医生在评估和随访RA患者时应考虑的一个有价值的参数。
