Joint experts developed new risk criteria for people with arthralgia to identify those at risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Six factors - morning stiffness, joint swelling reports, difficulty making fists, C-reactive protein levels, rheumatoid factor, and anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies - form the basis of this model. MRI-detected subclinical inflammation improved predictive accuracy.
Criteria aim to define homogeneous risk groups for future prevention trials and categorizing at-risk patients in research more effectively.