Hot stuff: body temperature can still be high in rheumatoid arthritis remission

A pioneering study of people in remission from rheumatoid arthritis has found that they can have significantly higher temperatures than healthy individuals.

The work, published in PLOS ONE, looks at thermal images of the feet of 31 people in remission. Temperatures in the different areas of the foot – medial, lateral, forefoot and heel regions – were analysed and compared to those of over 50 healthy adults.

The study found that even when there is no inflammation detected by conventional methods, the heat emitted over each foot joint is higher than that of healthy adults.

“These tests demonstrated a significant difference in temperatures in all the regions of the forefoot between rheumatoid arthritis patients in remission and healthy patients,” says Dr Alfred Gatt, who led the work.

It is hoped that in the future, small thermal imaging cameras could be used by healthcare professionals or even patients to allow for continuous monitoring, detect early changes and prevent damage to the joints.

Click here to read the original research.

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