Course and prognosis
The course of chronic polyarthritis extends over years and cannot be predicted at the time of diagnosis. In most cases (50-70%), chronic polyarthritis progresses gradually with only short partial remissions. Full remission means a complete loss of disease symptoms.
Partial remission means that most of the symptoms have disappeared. Approximately 15-30% are repeated with longer partial and short full remissions. Less than 10% are irregular episodes with longer full remissions.
A full remission is when there is no general feeling of sickness, no joint pain, no swelling, no pressure sensitivity of joints for more than two months and the morning stiffness of the joints lasts 15 minutes at most. In the case of a partial remission, the criteria of a full remission are not met, but a significant improvement of the symptoms has occurred. In contrast to this, the so-called rheumatism – thrust is a worsening of the symptoms.
Overheating and painful swelling of usually several joints occurs. General symptoms such as tiredness, exhaustion, loss of appetite and shivering occur. The morning stiffness of the joints is prolonged.
With each rheumatic attack, the function of the respective joints deteriorates. In the first five years of illness there is a connection between inflammatory activity and loss of function. In the further course of the disease, function is less influenced by the inflammatory activity. In 1991, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) established the following classification criteria for assessing function:
- Stage 1: The activities of daily life can be carried out without restrictions
- Stage 2: Self-sufficiency and professional activities are unrestricted, leisure activities are only possible to a limited extent
- Stage 3: Professional and leisure activities are limited, self-sufficiency is still possible without restrictions
- Stage 4: All activities are restricted.
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