Calorimetric Study of the Digital Blood Flow in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

The digital circulation in cases of rheumatoid arthritis has been studied by a continuous flow calorimetry technique. Under a cold temperature of 20[degree] C, it was shown to have a pattern midway between that seen in normal subjects and in cases of Raynaud''s disease, i.e. there is a high vasoconstrictive tone and a poor vasodilation-vasoconstriction wave. The abnormality was more manifest in females than in males and with more advanced than with early arthritic lesions.