Abstract:Objective To explore the correlation between nailfold microcirculation and carpal bone erosion in early rheumatoid arthritis. Methods A prospective observational cohort study was conducted. The patients admitted to Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital from May 2013 to November 2016 were divided into mild, moderate and severe abnormal group according to the integral value of nailfold capillaroscopy. The total follow-up period were 52 weeks. The clinical and laboratory data of patients were recorded, and the base values of nailfold capillaroscopy and ultrasound of carpal joint were selected as potential factors predicting outcome. Results Totally 180 patients were enrolled, and 6 patients gave up treatment or referrals were excluded. Finally, 174 patients were enrolled in the analysis. The total risk was 4.11 [(95% CI: 1.299, 13.016), P = 0.008]. In the moderate and severe group, RR was 3.22 [(95% CI: 0.934, 11.087), P = 0.046] and 4.98 [(95% CI: 1.532, 11.169), P = 0.002] respectively. The result suggested that the degree of abnormal nailfold capillaroscopy in patients with early RA was the higher, the risk of carpal joint erosion was higher. A binary logistic regression analysis showed CRP (Ol ^ R = 18.85, 95% CI: 1.021, 34.029), nailfold capillaroscopy score (Ol ^ R = 21.08, 95% CI: 1.802, 24.364) and ultrasonic score of wrist joint (Ol ^ R = 26.04, 95% CI: 2.663, 25.838) were significantly associated with the occurrence of carpal bone erosion. Conclusions Scores of nailfold capillaroscopy abnormalities were associated with carpal bone erosion. Nailfold capillaroscopy could potentially be used as a diagnostic tool for early rheumatoid arthritis.