Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (15)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Nordahl, S.
Right arrow Articles by Kopp, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Nordahl, S.
Right arrow Articles by Kopp, S.
Related Collections
Right arrow Experimental Arthritis
Right arrow Rheumatoid Arthritis
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Rheumatology 2001; 40: 691-694
© 2001 British Society for Rheumatology

Original Papers

Radiographic signs of bone destruction in the arthritic temporomandibular joint with special reference to markers of disease activity. A longitudinal study

S. Nordahl, P. Alstergren, S. Eliasson and S. Kopp

Departments of Clinical Oral Physiology and Oral Radiology, Institute of Odontology, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden

Objective. To investigate the progression of radiographic changes of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) with reference to plasma levels of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), C-reactive protein (CRP) and disease duration.

Methods. Twenty-one patients with chronic inflammatory joint disease and TMJ involvement were included. Individualized tomography of the TMJ was performed twice with an interval of at least 12 months. Blood samples were analysed for IL-1ß and CRP.

Results. Significant progression of the overall grade of radiographic changes occurred during the observation period, whereas erosions showed great interindividual variability. Progression of TMJ bone loss was correlated to raised levels of CRP and, in patients with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, or with shorter duration, also to plasma IL-1ß.

Conclusion. Progression of overall grade of radiographic changes in the TMJ occurs in patients with chronic inflammatory joint disease. Raised levels of serum CRP are associated with progression of TMJ bone loss.

KEY WORDS: Temporomandibular joint, Erosion, Radiographic progression, CRP, IL-1ß.

Correspondence to: S. Nordahl, Department of Clinical Oral Physiology, Odontologiska Institutionen, Karolinska Institutet, Box 4064, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.