Question

All of the following are true about Rheumatoid arthritis, except

• A. PIP and DIP joints involved equally
• B. Pathology limited to articular cartilage
• C. Women are affected 3 times more commonly than men
• D. 20% of patients have extra articular manifestations

Hint:

RA destroys far more than cartilage; the synovial pannus erodes bone and soft tissue too.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: We must spot the incorrect statement among facts about rheumatoid arthritis. The disease is a synovium-driven autoimmune arthropathy, strongly linked to HLA-DR4.

Step 2: The defining error is the idea that damage stops at the articular cartilage. In reality the inflamed synovium forms a pannus that erodes cartilage AND the underlying bone, and also damages the joint capsule, ligaments and tendons. RA is destructive and systemic, not a cartilage-only condition.

Step 3: The female predominance (about 3:1) and the presence of extra-articular features in a significant share of patients are genuine textbook points. RA also typically spares the distal interphalangeal joints, favouring the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints.

Step 4: So the statement that does not hold true is that the pathology is confined to articular cartilage.
\[\boxed{\text{Pathology limited to articular cartilage (FALSE)}}\]