Raynaud's phenomenon in rheumatoid arthritis

The prevalence of Raynaud's phenomenon in RA was retrospectively reviewed in 411 consecutive RA patients and in a control group of 919 consecutive outpatients with OA. Raynaud's phenomenon was found in 19 (4.6%) of 411 RA patients and in 52 (5.6%) of 919 patients with OA: its prevalence was 4.3% (13 cases) in RA inpatients and 5.4% (six cases) in RA outpatients. Among the RA patients, the prevalence of Raynaud's phenomenon was 7.5% in men (7% of inpatients, 8.8% of outpatients) and 3.2% in women (3% of inpatients, 3.9% of outpatients) (P = N.S.). Conversely, the prevalence of Raynaud's phenomenon in patients with OA was higher in women (6.5%) than in men (2.9%) (P = 0.045). Our study indicates that the reported association between Raynaud's phenomenon and RA cannot be confirmed on the basis of a retrospective assessment of its prevalence.