A practical test and its value in rheumatoid arthritis

A practical test distinguishing some pathological conditions from the healthy state is described and a preliminary study on the value of this test for determining the disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is presented. In this disease, the test was found positive in 97% of the cases, while rheumatoid factor (RF) was present in 57%, C reactive protein (CRP) in 83%, and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in 93% cases. When the activity of the disease disappeared, the test became negative. This test may be useful in RA for determining the active phase and evaluating treatment.