| A. >18 years, meeting the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) diagnostic criteria |
| B. Has developed RA for >6 months but <8 months per year |
| C. Any three of four |
At least eight joints with tenderness |
| |
Scoring by clinician: 2–4 (full score: 5) |
| |
Self-scoring patient: 2–4 (full score: 5) |
| |
Serum C-reactive protein >15 mg/dl |
| D. Laboratory examination |
Hemoglobin (HB) ≥5.5 mmol/l |
| |
White blood cells (WBC) ≥3.5×109/l |
| |
Platelets ≥100×109/l |
| |
Serum bilirubin, aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP), <1.5× the normal upper limit; serum creatinine ≤150 µmol/l |
