Electrodiagnostic study of foot neuropathy in correlation with das28 of rheumatoid arthritis patients

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is described as a chronic systemic inflammatory immune-mediated disease characterized by symmetrical polyarthritis. Objective: We aimed in this study to evaluate neuropathic foot pain in patients with RA using electrophysiological studies to compare the occurrence and severity of neuropathic foot pain in RA activity, remission and to compare between seropositive and seronegative RA patients. Methods: A retrospective cohort study included sixty Patients selected from Rheumatology and Rehabilitation outpatient clinics, Aswan University Hospitals, Faculty of Medicine, Aswan University during the period from 1 May 2018 to 1 March 2020.Patients were diagnosed and classified as having RA by Rheumatologist, who fulfilled the ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria for classification of RA. Results: Regarding nerve conduction, the present study showed that Peroneal nerve mean +SD of latency, amplitude, velocity and F wave were (4.20+1.21, 4.62+2.33, 45.63+3.85 and 50.15+3.09 respectively), Post-tibial nerve mean +SD of latency, amplitude, velocity and F wave were (4.6+1.48, 8.36+4.15, 42+5.23 and 50.61+2.67 respectively) and Sural nerve mean +SD of latency, amplitude and velocity were (3.09+0.52, 11.8+5.90 and 36.25+5.82 respectively). Also, there was statistically significant difference between active and inactive RA groups as regard velocity of Post tibial nerve and amplitude of Sural nerve. There were no correlations between Disease Activity score in 28 joints and nerve conduction study /electromyographic results. Conclusion: Our study showed that there was non-significant correlation between neuropathy and disease duration, RF, DAS28 & HAQ-DI but there was significant correlation with SFAQ score.