Are erythrocyte sedimentation rate , C-reactive protein , or rheumatoid factor normal at presentation in 35 % -45 % of patients with rheumatoid arthritis seen between 1980 and 2004 : analyses from Finland and the United States?
A majority of patients with RA seen between 1980 and 2004 had abnormal ESR, CRP, or RF. However, more than 37% of patients had ESR < 28 mm/h, normal CRP, or all negative RF tests. Similarities of laboratory test data at 2 sites on different continents with different duration of disease suggest generalizability of the findings. Normal ESR, CRP, and RF are seen in a substantial proportion of patients with RA at this time.
These data are reassuring and show for the first time in preterm infants that multiple doses of exogenous surfactant for RDS are tolerated well by the developing lung and stimulate endogenous surfactant synthesis.