Plos One: High body temperature affects the recovery of rheumatoid arthritis patients

December 10, 2020 // -- A ground-breaking study in patients with rheumatoid arthritis remission showed that patients showed significantly higher body temperatures than healthy individuals.
study, published in PLOSONE and conducted by the University of Malta and the University of Staffordshire, compared thermal imaging patterns during remission in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with healthy individuals.
(Photo: www.pixabay.com) recruited more than 31 remission RA patients from clinics in Malta and thermally photographed their feet.
the temperature of different areas of the foot (inside, outside, front foot and heel areas) and compared it with a queue of more than 52 healthy adults.
Alfred Gatt, of the University of Malta, led the study.
previous study looked at the hand joints, highlighting the potential for thermal imaging to be an important way to assess rheumatoid arthritis.
study showed significant differences in temperature in all parts of the front foot between PATIENT RA patients during the remission period and healthy patients.
this provides the basis for future research to assess whether thermal imaging patterns change with disease activity.
, co-author of the paper and director of the Centre for Biometechnicals and Rehabilitation Technology at the University of Staffordshire, said: "This has implications for the ongoing treatment and self-care of PATIENTs with RA remission.
may in the future use small thermal imaging cameras as a testing tool that clinicians or patients themselves can use to detect early changes and prevent further joint damage, leading to severe malformations and disabilities.
" () Source: Higher body weathers still a factor in patients in remission from the original source of arthritis: Alfred Gatt et al, Thermal features of rheumatoid feet in remission: Baseline data, PLOS ONE (2020).DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243078。