We speculate that differences in the number and magnitude of IFN gene profiles observed between our drug-naïve inflammatory arthritis cohorts may suggest that the spectrum of early inflammatory arthritis from SLA to UA through RA is characterised by progressive escalations in IFN activity whereby SIGLEC1 expression in particular appears to distinguish persistent arthritis from SLA patients. The gene discussed is SIGLEC1; the disease is rheumatoid arthritis.