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What is palindromic arthritis?

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I have occasional swelling of my joints in both feet and hands.

It is quite painful but after taking a Voltarol 100mg tablet, the pain usually eases within a matter of hours.

I find that I have to keep taking one tablet a day when suffering from the pain but then the pain will disappear and I will have no swellings or pain for months.

It has been diagnosed as 'palindromic arthritis' some time ago.

Can you elaborate on this palindromic arthritis, please?


Here is an explaination of the terminology of the diagnosis of palindromic arthritis.

The term palindromic arthritis is really just a description of how your condition behaves.

Arthritis is the medical word for 'inflamed joints'.

Palindromic in this context describes a disease that 'comes and goes' (relapses and remits).

In palindromic arthritis the inflammation is usually consistent in the way it develops and recedes completely over a few days, but it recurs with erratic and unpredictable timing.

This is quite different from other types of rheumatism that tend to leave a legacy of persisting symptoms between flare-ups.

By way of background, there are two types of arthritis:

  • The most common is referred to as 'wear and tear' arthritis or osteoarthritis. It is associated with thinning of the weight-bearing surface within the joints (cartilage) and is often accompanied by some lumpiness in the bones close to the joints (osteophytes). Most people have this to a greater or lesser extent as they age and it tends to be a big cause of disability, and joint replacements, in elderly folk.
  • The other type of arthritis is described as 'inflammatory'. It is characterised by hot, tender and swollen joints caused by inflammation that attacks the soft lining of joints (the synovium). It can cause irreversible damage to their structure and treatment is usually needed to suppress the inflammation before any damage occurs. There are many different sub-groups of inflammatory arthritis and palindromic arthritis is one of them.

These conditions can occur at any time of life, but are most common from middle age onwards.

Palidromic arthritis usually tends to affect one joint at a time. So if you find several joints swelling simultaneously, you might not be typical.

Palindromic arthritis doesn't usually cause any problems between attacks, but it seems to be accepted that a proportion (50 per cent) of sufferers eventually progress to a more persistent form of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

It is for this reason that it's important to let your doctor know if your condition changes its behaviour.

Yours sincerely

The NetDoctor Medical Team

Last updated 05.01.2011