Characteristics of hand involvement in a comparative study of two early XXXX cohorts from the UK and China.

@entity1 @entity1847 @entity309 @entity158
AIM: To compare the characteristics of early hand involvement in @entity309 ( @entity309 ) using two matched populations, from the UK and China. METHODS: A cohort comparison study was conducted. Sixty Chinese @entity1 recruited from Shanghai, China were matched on gender and age with 60 @entity1 from a prospective early @entity309 cohort from the UK (SARAH trial). The procedures of data collection in China followed the standard operating procedures employed in the SARAH trial. Outcome measures including Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ), medication history and physical assessments were used to assess functional ability and hand impairment. RESULTS: UK @entity1 reported significantly more @entity158 (P  =  0.015), less satisfaction with dominant hand performance (P    =  0.040), more swollen and tender joints (P  =  0.016 and P  =  0.001) and greater dexterity of both dominant and non-dominant hands (P  <  0.001 and P  <  0.001), while Chinese @entity1 had higher disease activity indicated by erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein, more rheumatoid factor, less satisfaction in both dominant and non-dominant hand appearances (P  <  0.001 and P  <  0.001, respectively) and greater @entity1847 (P    =  0.003). No statistically significant differences were seen in range of movement and overall hand function as reported by the MHQ. CONCLUSION: The severity of @entity309 is not milder in China than in the UK and the characteristics of hand involvement tend to be different. Clinicians should consider country-specific differences in managing @entity158 and delivering treatment. It would be helpful for a future study to investigate the @entity309 impact characteristics on a wider range of @entity1 both from within China and from other populations.
