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Arthritis: From Diagnosis to Treatment
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Arthritis: From Diagnosis to Treatment

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Immunology & Rheumatology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 2581

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andrea Di Matteo

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Guest Editor
1. Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
2. Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute for Health Research, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
Interests: rheumatoid arthritis; psoriatic arthritis; imaging; ultrasound; DMARDs; differential diagnosis
Dr. Kulveer Mankia

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Guest Editor
1. Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
2. Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute for Health Research, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
Interests: preclinical and early rheumatoid arthritis (RA); RA prevention; ultrasound and MRI; palindromic rheumatism; mucosal autoimmunity and RA; clinical trials in RA
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to our upcoming Special Issue on inflammatory arthritis. Inflammatory arthritis, including conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), affects millions of people worldwide, causing pain and a reduced quality of life.

Despite important advancements in arthritis research, significant challenges remain, particularly in the early diagnosis of these conditions and the development of personalized treatments tailored to individual patients. This Special Issue aims to address these issues by focusing on innovative diagnostic methods, such as advanced imaging techniques, and a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms. It will also explore cutting-edge treatments, including disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), biologics, and targeted therapies.

A key goal of this Special Issue is to improve how healthcare professionals differentiate between similar types of arthritis, enabling quicker and more accurate diagnoses, and to better assess the extra-articular manifestations of these diseases.

By encouraging contributions from researchers across the globe, this Special Issue hopes to gather innovative ideas that can enhance arthritis care. Ultimately, the goal is to provide patients with faster diagnoses and more effective, tailored treatments, closing gaps in current medical approaches and improving overall outcomes for those living with inflammatory arthritis.

We look forward to your valuable contributions!

Dr. Andrea Di Matteo
Dr. Kulveer Mankia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • psoriatic arthritis
  • imaging
  • ultrasound
  • DMARDs
  • differential diagnosis
  • difficult to treat rheumatoid arthritis
  • prevention

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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12 pages, 391 KB  
Article
Global Disease Control in Inflammatory Arthritis Patients with Fibromyalgia Multi-Failure to Biologic Drugs: Short-Term Impact of Target Therapies on Both Disease Courses
by Cinzia Rotondo, Silvia Stefania, Luigi Nardella, Ripalta Colia, Nicola Maruotti, Valeria Rella, Giuseppe Busto, Raffaele Barile, Francesco Paolo Cantatore and Addolorata Corrado
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(19), 6703; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14196703 - 23 Sep 2025
Viewed by 317
Abstract
Background: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) is one of the most common causes of chronic generalised pain and often complicates the therapeutic management of inflammatory chronic arthritis (ICA), negatively impacting both the real assessment of disease activity and the perception of response. Our study [...] Read more.
Background: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) is one of the most common causes of chronic generalised pain and often complicates the therapeutic management of inflammatory chronic arthritis (ICA), negatively impacting both the real assessment of disease activity and the perception of response. Our study aims to evaluate in a group of patients with ICA, multi-resistant to biologic/target synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/ts-DMARDs), both the impact of FS on the possibility of achieving low disease activity (LDA) or remission (REM) and the possible improvement in the severity of FS symptoms, after starting b/ts-DMARDs with different a mechanism of action (MoA). Methods: A prospective study was conducted, from January 2023 to December 2024, on patients who fulfil the classification criteria for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or fulfil the 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria for RA. Results: Sixty-four Caucasian patients with ICA, of which 47 with FS, were enrolled in the study. At the baseline visit, FS patients had a significantly shorter ICA disease duration, worse fibromyalgia symptom-related indices (such as Fibromyalgia Severity Scale (FSS), Widespread Pain Index (WPI), and Symptom Severity Scale (SSS)) and functional and disability scores (such as health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)), and a higher basal value of Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) score compared to patients without FS. After 6 months of starting b/ts-DMARDs, no differences in severity of arthritis clinimetric indices (disease activity score (DAS) 28 (erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR)) and DAPSA) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain were found between the patients with FS compared to those without. At the follow-up visit, 36% of the whole group of patients were in LDA (36% ICA patients with FS vs. 35% of ICA patients without FS; p = 0.080), while 17% of patients reached REM (11% ICA with FS vs. 35% ICA without FS patients; p = 0.031). The FS presence appeared to be a factor associated with failure to reach REM (OR 4.5 (95%CI: 1.1–17.8), p = 0.028), but not for achieving LDA (OR 2.7 (95%CI: 0.8–8.9), p = 0.099). The overall retention rate at 6 months was 79%; in particular, 11 patients discontinued treatment with b/ts-DMARD, 69% of whom belonged to the FS group (p = 0.489). Among the group of patients with ICA and FS, patients in LDA/REM presented an important improvement in FSS, SSS, and VAS pain, with the best percentage variation from the baseline of these indices compared to patients who did not achieve the LDA/REM. Of note, sixteen patients with FS at the baseline no longer met the diagnostic criteria for FS after 6 months of follow-up. Conclusions: The presence of FS seems to negatively impact the achievement of REM, but not LDA, in both RA and PsA patients, even in b/ts-DMARDs patients with multi-failure of at least two different MOAs. Only a cluster of patients with FS, presumably those with FS triggered and/or amplified by the chronic joint inflammatory process, appear to improve their perception of FS severity by achieving ICA LDA/REM. However, these findings require further supporting data for more accurate validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthritis: From Diagnosis to Treatment)
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18 pages, 726 KB  
Systematic Review
Indication for Radial or Carpal Resurfacing for Wrist Arthritis in Elderly Patients (over 70): A Systematic Review of the Literature
by Adriano Cannella, Giulia Maria Sassara, Ludovico Caruso, Antonio Maria Rapisarda, Marco Passiatore, Vitale Cilli, Matteo Guzzini and Rocco De Vitis
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(17), 6063; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14176063 - 27 Aug 2025
Viewed by 800
Abstract
Background: Wrist arthritis significantly impacts the quality of life in elderly populations. While total wrist arthroplasty and wrist arthrodesis are established treatments, partial resurfacing procedures are emerging as a solution offering advantages for patients over 70 years of age. Objective: To systematically evaluate [...] Read more.
Background: Wrist arthritis significantly impacts the quality of life in elderly populations. While total wrist arthroplasty and wrist arthrodesis are established treatments, partial resurfacing procedures are emerging as a solution offering advantages for patients over 70 years of age. Objective: To systematically evaluate the efficacy, safety, and functional outcomes of radial versus carpal resurfacing procedures for the management of wrist arthritis in patients over 70 years of age. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted for studies published from these databases’ inception to May 2025. Studies reporting the outcomes of either radial or carpal resurfacing in patients ≥70 years of age with wrist arthritis were included. Primary outcomes were pain reduction, functional improvement, and complication rates. Results: Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. Both carpal and radial resurfacing provided pain relief, with mean VAS scores ranging from 0 to 3.8 across studies and DASH scores ranging from 13 to 59 points, while carpal resurfacing showed better preservation of range of motion, with flexion/extension arcs of 27–65° compared to 22–46° for radial implants. Complication rates were comparable, though implant loosening was uncommon with both radial and carpal resurfacing. Both procedures demonstrated satisfactory patient-reported outcomes at midterm follow-up (median: 32 months; range: 6–84 months). Conclusion: In patients over 70 years of age with wrist arthritis, both radial and carpal resurfacing appear to be viable options with distinct advantages. Radial resurfacing may be preferred for patients with previous distal radius fractures, while carpal resurfacing offers better motion preservation and is indicated in SLAC and SNAC wrists. Patient selection should consider specific arthritis patterns, activity requirements, and comorbidities. Long-term studies are needed to evaluate durability beyond 5–10 years in this population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthritis: From Diagnosis to Treatment)
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8 pages, 4982 KB  
Case Report
Cutaneous Nodules and Inflammatory Arthritis: Two Illustrative Cases of Rare Mimics of Rheumatoid Arthritis
by Reena Yaman, David J. DiCaudo, Olayemi Sokumbi, Michael M. Pham, Fawad Aslam, W. Leroy Griffing and Megan M. Sullivan
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(14), 4940; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14144940 - 12 Jul 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 899
Abstract
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a relatively common rheumatic disease that can present with inflammatory arthritis and subcutaneous nodules. Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis and fibroblastic rheumatism are rarer entities that also present with these features. Methods: Two cases, one of each of fibroblastic rheumatism and multicentric [...] Read more.
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a relatively common rheumatic disease that can present with inflammatory arthritis and subcutaneous nodules. Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis and fibroblastic rheumatism are rarer entities that also present with these features. Methods: Two cases, one of each of fibroblastic rheumatism and multicentric reticulohistiocytosis, are described highlighting characteristic clinical, radiographic, and histologic findings. A narrative review of the literature on these rarer conditions, compared with rheumatoid arthritis, is provided with a focus on articular and cutaneous findings, available information on disease presentations, and key contrasting features that can aid in diagnosis. Results: Radiographic erosion distribution and joint space narrowing, clinical nodule distribution and characteristics, and nodule histology can differ between these diseases. Conclusions: Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis and fibroblastic rheumatism should be considered in the evaluation of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, especially in cases that do not respond predictably to standard therapies, and cutaneous nodule biopsy can aid in differentiating these three conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthritis: From Diagnosis to Treatment)
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