The exact prevalence of palindromic rheumatism in the general population is unknown, and this condition is often considered a rare disease by non-rheumatologists.

However episodes of recurrence form a pattern, with symptom-free periods between attacks lasting for weeks to months.

[6] Unlike RA and some other forms of arthritis, palindromic rheumatism affects men and women equally.

[3] Palindromic rheumatism is frequently the presentation for Whipple disease which is caused by the infectious agent Tropheryma whipplei (formerly T.

[7] Due to the symptoms of palindromic arthritis and the nature of the attacks, diagnosis can be difficult or take a long time.

Proposed classification by Guerne and Weismann in 1992:[8] Treatment may include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for acute attacks.

[9] Palindromic rheumatism derives its name from the Greek palindromos meaning to take the same road once again (palin, again + dromos, pathway) emphasizing how the illness begins and ends in a similar way.

The term "palindrome" means a word that is spelled the same forward as backward (examples include "kayak" and "mum").