Short Report

Abstract

Recently, we demonstrated that both McAb RFD1+ dendritic cells and T cells expressing high concentrations of CD7 antigen could be identified within the synovial fluid (SF) of patients with inflammatory arthropathies (1). Interestingly, no such cells were found in effusions taken from patients with degenerative osteo-arthritis (1). Immunocytological analysis of repeated effusions in 3 patients hinted at the possibility that a relationship might exist between the immunocytological phenotype of cells present within SF and the subsequent clinical course of disease (1). As there is no way at present of predicting which patients with an inflammatory arthritis will develop severe disease and which will remain benign, choice of initial therapy is difficult and tends to be conservative (2). Because of this, those patients destined to deteriorate are not identified until a degree of erosion has occurred. The current study was designed to determine whether immunocytology of SF cells could act as a prognostic indicator of progressive disease.