Arthritis in Patients with Antimitochondrial Antibodies

Abstract

The clinical and radiographic findings in 15 women with antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA) without clinical liver disease are described. Arthralgias appeared in their 3rd or 4th decade and typically involved the small joints of the hands with periarticular swelling and cortical erosions. A few had hand nodes, deformation or sclerodactyly. Four had histologic primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The association between arthritis and PBC is discussed. The arthritis and PBC may be 2 manifestations of some general underlying disease process, AMA being a marker. Patients with atypical arthralgias affecting the hands should have the AMA test performed in view of the possibility that this affection might accompany or progress to PBC.