Ask The Doctors: December 2010

Far less common than rheumatoid arthritis (RA), palindronic rheumatism consists of intermittent, brief episodes of arthritis due to soft-tissue inflammation. Between attacks, which last less than 48 hours, the patient experiences neither pain nor disability. About one-third of patients with palindronic rheumatism will develop RA. Although no conclusive trials have been conducted on the disease, it is generally treated with the same medications (methotrexate, sulfasalazine, penicillamine, plaquenil) that are used to treat RA.