PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Antonio Marchesoni AU - Marcello Govoni AU - Gabriele Valentini AU - Guido Valesini AU - Fausto Salaffi AU - Pierluigi Macchioni AU - Ornella Della Casa Alberighi AU - Gianfranco Ferraccioli AU - GIARA TI - The Italian registry of aggressive rheumatoid arthritis -- the GIARA project. DP - 2007 Dec 01 TA - The Journal of Rheumatology PG - 2374--2381 VI - 34 IP - 12 4099 - http://www.jrheum.org/content/34/12/2374.short 4100 - http://www.jrheum.org/content/34/12/2374.full SO - J Rheumatol2007 Dec 01; 34 AB - OBJECTIVE: In 1999, the Italian Society of Rheumatology started a project to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of aggressive rheumatoid arthritis (ARA). METHODS: For 1 year, all patients with RA for > 5 years and referred to participating centers were entered in a registry and classified as having ARA if they fulfilled the following criteria: 10 swollen joints for at least 6 weeks, positive rheumatoid factor (RF), and at least one bone erosion (if disease duration of 2 years); (a) RF-positive and having 10 swollen joints or at least one newly eroded joint, or (b) if RF-negative, having 10 swollen joints and at least one newly eroded joint (if disease duration > 2 to < 5 years). RESULTS: The 94 participating centers enrolled 1218 patients with RA, 1130 of whom had enough data to be classified as ARA (29.0%) or non-ARA (71.0%). The frequency of ARA was 15% in the 2-year group and 63% in the > 2 to < 5-year group, but 35% of the patients in the 2-year group had erosions. Bone erosions were associated with disease duration, a Health Assessment Questionnaire value > 1.5, female sex, and RF positivity. Conditions other than RA were recorded in about 50% of the patients, and only 30% 40% were taking disease modifying antirheumatic drugs. CONCLUSION: In an Italian RA population, the GIARA (Gruppo Italiano Artrite Reumatoide Aggressiva) criteria for ARA were met by 15% of the patients with disease duration of 2 years, but erosions were seen in 35%. Upon referral, most of the RA patients were inadequately treated and had other conditions.