The prevalence of Raynaud's syndrome in rheumatoid arthritis.

To test the validity of the putative association between Raynaud's syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 277 patients with rheumatic disorders were questioned about cold-induced colour reactions in the extremities. The time to recover digital temperature after brief immersion in ice water was used to confirm the presence of Raynaud's syndrome. The prevalence of Raynaud's syndrome in the 148 patients with RA and the 59 patients with osteoarthritis was 2.7% and 5.1% respectively. It is concluded that Raynaud's syndrome is not a frequent accompaniment of RA, and it is suggested that in view of the close association between Raynaud's syndrome and certain other disorders, such as mixed connective tissue disease and scleroderma, when patients present with polysynovitis and Raynaud's syndrome special consideration should be given to these conditions.