Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • First Release
    • Current
    • Archives
    • Collections
    • Audiovisual Rheum
    • COVID-19 and Rheumatology
    • 50th Volume Reprints
  • Resources
    • Guide for Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Payment
    • Reviewers
    • Advertisers
    • Classified Ads
    • Reprints and Translations
    • Permissions
    • Meetings
    • FAQ
    • Policies
  • Subscribers
    • Subscription Information
    • Purchase Subscription
    • Your Account
    • Terms and Conditions
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Duncan A. Gordon Award
    • Privacy/GDPR Policy
    • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • JRheum Supplements
  • Services

User menu

  • My Cart
  • Log In
  • Log Out

Search

  • Advanced search
The Journal of Rheumatology
  • JRheum Supplements
  • Services
  • My Cart
  • Log In
  • Log Out
The Journal of Rheumatology

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • First Release
    • Current
    • Archives
    • Collections
    • Audiovisual Rheum
    • COVID-19 and Rheumatology
    • 50th Volume Reprints
  • Resources
    • Guide for Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Payment
    • Reviewers
    • Advertisers
    • Classified Ads
    • Reprints and Translations
    • Permissions
    • Meetings
    • FAQ
    • Policies
  • Subscribers
    • Subscription Information
    • Purchase Subscription
    • Your Account
    • Terms and Conditions
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Duncan A. Gordon Award
    • Privacy/GDPR Policy
    • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • Follow jrheum on Twitter
  • Visit jrheum on Facebook
  • Follow jrheum on LinkedIn
  • Follow jrheum on YouTube
  • Follow jrheum on Instagram
  • Follow jrheum on RSS
Abstract

A 10 year prospective followup of patients with rheumatoid arthritis 1986-96.

P Gordon, J West, H Jones and T Gibson
The Journal of Rheumatology November 2001, 28 (11) 2409-2415;
P Gordon
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
J West
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
H Jones
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
T Gibson
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
  • eLetters
PreviousNext
Loading

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the 10 year outcome of hospital patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with disease modifying drugs (DMARD). METHODS: All patients with RA of at least a year duration and attending a single clinician were followed prospectively for 10 years. DMARD treatments changed with time but were continued throughout. Measurements of joint tenderness (Ritchie Index), morning stiffness, grip, and disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire, HAQ) and radiographs of hands and feet were documented. A record of joint surgery was maintained. Patients who stopped attending the clinic were traced and an accurate record of deaths was obtained from the National Registry of Deaths. Paired clinical indices were compared where available between 0, 5, and 10 years. RESULTS: At entry there were 289 patients of variable disease duration. Within 10 years, 71 had died (standardized mortality ratio 1.3) and 92 were alive but unavailable. Median joint tenderness, morning stiffness, grip strength, and hemoglobin were not significantly different at 0, 5, and 10 years. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) declined but not significantly. By contrast, HAQ scores and radiographs worsened between 0 and 10 years (p = 0.0004, p = 0.0001, respectively). There was a trend toward lower ESR values and less disability and the lower radiographic scores in those with 10-15 years' disease duration in 1996 compared with those of similar duration in 1986. However, worsening of radiographs occurred in patients with short, medium, and long histories of RA. Correlations between disability, radiographic scores, and joint tenderness were apparent at the start and conclusion of the study. At 10 years, 54 (19%) of the original cohort had undergone at least one large joint replacement. Significantly more women required joint replacement surgery (chi-square 5.44, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Over a 10 year period patients with RA exhibited an excess of deaths and a deterioration of radiographs and function despite regular DMARD treatment and apparent clinical containment. Worsening of radiographs occurred in both relatively early and late disease. There was a steady requirement for surgical large joint replacement with time. This study suggests that in the long term. the effect of DMARD treatments may be less than the expectations derived from short term studies.

PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of Rheumatology
Vol. 28, Issue 11
1 Nov 2001
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by Author
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about The Journal of Rheumatology.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
A 10 year prospective followup of patients with rheumatoid arthritis 1986-96.
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from The Journal of Rheumatology
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the The Journal of Rheumatology web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
A 10 year prospective followup of patients with rheumatoid arthritis 1986-96.
P Gordon, J West, H Jones, T Gibson
The Journal of Rheumatology Nov 2001, 28 (11) 2409-2415;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

 Request Permissions

Share
A 10 year prospective followup of patients with rheumatoid arthritis 1986-96.
P Gordon, J West, H Jones, T Gibson
The Journal of Rheumatology Nov 2001, 28 (11) 2409-2415;
Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
  • eLetters

Related Articles

Cited By...

Similar Articles

Content

  • First Release
  • Current
  • Archives
  • Collections
  • Audiovisual Rheum
  • COVID-19 and Rheumatology

Resources

  • Guide for Authors
  • Submit Manuscript
  • Author Payment
  • Reviewers
  • Advertisers
  • Classified Ads
  • Reprints and Translations
  • Permissions
  • Meetings
  • FAQ
  • Policies

Subscribers

  • Subscription Information
  • Purchase Subscription
  • Your Account
  • Terms and Conditions

More

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • My Alerts
  • My Folders
  • Privacy/GDPR Policy
  • RSS Feeds
The Journal of Rheumatology
The content of this site is intended for health care professionals.
Copyright © 2022 by The Journal of Rheumatology Publishing Co. Ltd.
Print ISSN: 0315-162X; Online ISSN: 1499-2752
Powered by HighWire