Research ArticleArticle

Remission in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

MARGARET H.Y. MA, IAN C. SCOTT, GABRIELLE H. KINGSLEY and DAVID L. SCOTT
The Journal of Rheumatology July 2010, 37 (7) 1444-1453; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.091131

REFERENCES

  1. 1.↵
    1. Boers M,
    2. Verhoeven AC,
    3. Markusse HM,
    4. van de Laar MA,
    5. Westhovens R,
    6. van Denderen JC,
    7. et al.
    Randomised comparison of combined step-down prednisolone, methotrexate and sulphasalazine with sulphasalazine alone in early rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet 1997;350:309–18.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  2. 2.↵
    1. Choy EHS,
    2. Smith CM,
    3. Farewell V,
    4. Walker D,
    5. Hassell A,
    6. Chau L,
    7. et al.
    Factorial randomised controlled trial of glucocorticoids and combination disease modifying drugs in early rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 2008;67:656–63.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  3. 3.↵
    1. Allaart CF,
    2. Geokoop-Ruiterman YPM,
    3. de Vries-Bouwstra JK,
    4. Breedveld FC,
    5. Dijkmans BAC
    . Aiming at low disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis with initial combination therapy or initial monotherapy strategies: The BeSt study. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2006;24 Suppl 43:S77–82.
    OpenUrl
  4. 4.↵
    1. Emery P,
    2. Breedveld FC,
    3. Hall S,
    4. Durez P,
    5. Chang DJ,
    6. Robertson D,
    7. et al.
    Comparison of methotrexate monotherapy with a combination of methotrexate and etanercept in active, early, moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (COMET): a randomised, double-blind, parallel treatment trial. Lancet 2008;372:375–82.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  5. 5.↵
    1. Grigor C,
    2. Capell H,
    3. Stirling A,
    4. McMahon AD,
    5. Lock P,
    6. Vallance R,
    7. et al.
    Effect of a treatment strategy of tight control for rheumatoid arthritis (the TICORA study): a single-blind randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2004;364:263–9.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  6. 6.↵
    1. Breedveld FC,
    2. Weisman MH,
    3. Kavanaugh AF,
    4. Cohen SB,
    5. Pavelka K,
    6. van Vollenhoven R,
    7. et al.
    The PREMIER study: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical trial of combination therapy with adalimumab plus methotrexate versus methotrexate alone or adalimumab alone in patients with early, aggressive rheumatoid arthritis who had not had previous methotrexate treatment. Arthritis Rheum 2006;54:26–37.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  7. 7.↵
    1. Mottonen T,
    2. Hannonen P,
    3. Leirisalo-Repo M,
    4. Nissila M,
    5. Kautiainen H,
    6. Korpela M,
    7. et al.
    Comparison of combination therapy with single-drug therapy in early rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised trial. FIN-RACo Trial Group. Lancet 1999;353:1568–73.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  8. 8.↵
    1. Pinals RS,
    2. Masi AT,
    3. Larsen RA
    . Preliminary criteria for clinical remission in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 1981;24:13–8.
    OpenUrl
  9. 9.↵
    1. Prevoo ML,
    2. van Gestel AM,
    3. van ’t Hof MA,
    4. van Rijswijk MH,
    5. van de Putte LB,
    6. van Riel PL
    . Remission in a prospective study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. American Rheumatism Association preliminary remission criteria in relation to the disease activity score. Br J Rheumatol 1996;35:1101–5.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  10. 10.↵
    1. van Gestel AM,
    2. Anderson JJ,
    3. van Riel PL,
    4. Boers M,
    5. Haagsma CJ,
    6. Rich B,
    7. et al.
    ACR and EULAR improvement criteria have comparable validity in rheumatoid arthritis trials. American College of Rheumatology – European League of Associations for Rheumatology. J Rheumatol 1999;26:705–11.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  11. 11.↵
    1. Prevoo ML,
    2. van ’t Hof MA,
    3. Kuper HH,
    4. van Leeuwen MA,
    5. van de Putte LB,
    6. van Riel PL
    . Modified disease activity scores that include twenty-eight-joint counts. Development and validation in a prospective longitudinal study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 1995;38:44–8.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  12. 12.↵
    1. Scott DL,
    2. Pugner K,
    3. Kaarela K,
    4. Doyle DV,
    5. Woolf A,
    6. Holmes J,
    7. et al.
    The links between joint damage and disability in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology 2000;39:122–32.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  13. 13.↵
    1. Jadad AR,
    2. Moore RA,
    3. Carroll D,
    4. Jenkinson C,
    5. Reynolds DJ,
    6. Gavaghan DJ,
    7. et al.
    Assessing the quality of reports of randomized clinical trials: is blinding necessary? Control Clin Trials 1996;17:1–12.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  14. 14.↵
    1. DerSimonian R,
    2. Laird N
    . Meta-analysis in clinical trials. Control Clin Trials 1986;7:177–88.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  15. 15.↵
    1. Hardy RJ,
    2. Thompson SG
    . Detecting and describing heterogeneity in meta-analysis. Stat Med 1998;17:841–56.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  16. 16.↵
    1. Higgins JP,
    2. Thompson SG,
    3. Deeks JJ,
    4. Altman DG
    . Measuring inconsistency in meta-analyses. BMJ 2003;327:557–60.
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
  17. 17.↵
    1. Cantagrel A,
    2. Navaux F,
    3. Loubet-Lescoulie P,
    4. Nourhashemi F,
    5. Enault G,
    6. Abbal M,
    7. et al.
    Interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, interleukin-4, and interleukin-10 gene polymorphisms: relationship to occurrence and severity of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 1999;42:1093–100.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  18. 18.↵
    1. Choy EHS,
    2. Scott DL,
    3. Kingsley GH,
    4. Williams P,
    5. Wojtulewski J,
    6. Papasavvas G,
    7. et al.
    Treating rheumatoid arthritis early with disease modifying drugs reduces joint damage: A randomised double blind trial of sulphasalazine vs diclofenac sodium. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2002;20:351–8.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  19. 19.↵
    1. Hetland ML,
    2. Stengaard-Pedersen K,
    3. Junker P,
    4. Lottenburger T,
    5. Ellingsen T,
    6. Andersen LS,
    7. et al.
    Combination treatment with methotrexate, cyclosporine, and intraarticular betamethasone compared with methotrexate and intraarticular betamethasone in early active rheumatoid arthritis: an investigator-initiated, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study. Arthritis Rheum 2006;54:1401–9.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  20. 20.↵
    1. Verschueren P,
    2. Esselens G,
    3. Westhovens R
    . Daily practice effectiveness of a step-down treatment in comparison with a tight step-up for early rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology 2008;47:59–64.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  21. 21.↵
    1. Machold KP,
    2. Stamm TA,
    3. Nell VP,
    4. Pflugbeil S,
    5. Aletaha D,
    6. Steiner G,
    7. et al.
    Very recent onset rheumatoid arthritis: clinical and serological patient characteristics associated with radiographic progression over the first years of disease. Rheumatology 2007;46:342–9.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  22. 22.↵
    1. Vazquez I,
    2. Graell E,
    3. Gratacos J,
    4. Canete JD,
    5. Vinas O,
    6. Ercilla MG,
    7. et al.
    Prognostic markers of clinical remission in early rheumatoid arthritis after two years of DMARDs in a clinical setting. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2007;25:231–8.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  23. 23.↵
    1. Proudman SM,
    2. Keen HI,
    3. Stamp LK,
    4. Lee AT,
    5. Goldblatt F,
    6. Ayres OC,
    7. et al.
    Response-driven combination therapy with conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs can achieve high response rates in early rheumatoid arthritis with minimal glucocorticoid and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2007;37:99–111.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  24. 24.↵
    1. Svensson B,
    2. Boonen A,
    3. Albertsson K,
    4. van der Heijde D,
    5. Keller C,
    6. Hafstrom I
    . Low-dose prednisolone in addition to the initial disease-modifying antirheumatic drug in patients with early active rheumatoid arthritis reduces joint destruction and increases the remission rate: a two-year randomized trial. Arthritis Rheum 2005;52:3360–70.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  25. 25.↵
    1. Symmons DP,
    2. Silman AJ
    . Aspects of early arthritis. What determines the evolution of early undifferentiated arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis? An update from the Norfolk Arthritis Register. Arthritis Res Ther 2006;8:214.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  26. 26.↵
    1. Wolfe F,
    2. Hawley DJ,
    3. Wilson K
    . The prevalence and meaning of fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis reflects pain and not disease activity. J Rheumatol 1996;23:1407–17.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  27. 27.↵
    1. Sokka T,
    2. Makinen H,
    3. Hannonen P,
    4. Pincus T
    . Most people over age 50 in the general population do not meet ACR remission criteria or OMERACT minimal disease activity criteria for rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology 2007;46:1020–3.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  28. 28.↵
    1. Landewe R,
    2. van der Heijde D,
    3. van der Linden S,
    4. Boers M
    . Twenty-eight-joint counts invalidate the DAS28 remission definition owing to the omission of the lower extremity joints: a comparison with the original DAS remission. Ann Rheum Dis 2006;65:637–41.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  29. 29.↵
    1. Makinen H,
    2. Kautiainen H,
    3. Hannonen P,
    4. Sokka T
    . Is DAS28 an appropriate tool to assess remission in rheumatoid arthritis?. Ann Rheum Dis 2005;64:1410–3.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  30. 30.↵
    1. Fransen J,
    2. Creemers MC,
    3. van Riel PL
    . Remission in rheumatoid arthritis: agreement of the Disease Activity Score (DAS28) with the ARA preliminary remission criteria. Rheumatology 2004;43:1252–5.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  31. 31.↵
    1. Aletaha D,
    2. Smolen J
    . The Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) and the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI): a review of their usefulness and validity in rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2005;23 Suppl 39:S100–8.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  32. 32.↵
    1. Aletaha D,
    2. Ward MM,
    3. Machold KP,
    4. Nell VP,
    5. Stamm T,
    6. Smolen JS
    . Remission and active disease in rheumatoid arthritis: defining criteria for disease activity states. Arthritis Rheum 2005;52:2625–36.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  33. 33.↵
    1. Cohen G,
    2. Gossec L,
    3. Dougados M,
    4. Cantagrel A,
    5. Goupille P,
    6. Daures JP,
    7. et al.
    Radiological damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis on sustained remission. Ann Rheum Dis 2007;66:358–63.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  34. 34.↵
    1. Molenaar ET,
    2. Voskuyl AE,
    3. Dinant HJ,
    4. Bezemer PD,
    5. Boers M,
    6. Dijkmans BA
    . Progression of radiologic damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical remission. Arthritis Rheum 2004;50:36–42.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  35. 35.↵
    1. Brown AK,
    2. Conaghan PG,
    3. Karim Z,
    4. Quinn MA,
    5. Ikeda K,
    6. Peterfy CG,
    7. et al.
    An explanation for the apparent dissociation between clinical remission and continued structural deterioration in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 2008;58:2958–67.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  36. 36.↵
    1. Boers M
    . Pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis: split or lump?. Arthritis Rheum 2008;58:2925–7.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  37. 37.↵
    1. Aletaha D,
    2. Funovits J,
    3. Breedveld FC,
    4. Sharp J,
    5. Segurado O,
    6. Smolen JS
    . Rheumatoid arthritis joint progression in sustained remission is determined by disease activity levels preceding the period of radiographic assessment. Arthritis Rheum 2009;60:1242–9.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  38. 38.↵
    1. Eberhardt K,
    2. Fex E
    . Clinical course and remission rate in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: relationship to outcome after 5 years. Br J Rheumatol 1998;37:1324–9.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  39. 39.↵
    1. Young A,
    2. Dixey J,
    3. Cox N,
    4. Davies P,
    5. Devlin J,
    6. Emery P,
    7. et al.
    How does functional disability in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affect patients and their lives? Results of 5 years of follow-up in 732 patients from the Early RA Study (ERAS). Rheumatology 2000;39:603–11.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  40. 40.↵
    1. Makinen H,
    2. Kautiainen H,
    3. Hannonen P,
    4. Sokka T
    . Frequency of remissions in early rheumatoid arthritis defined by 3 sets of criteria. A 5-year followup study. J Rheumatol 2005;32:796–800.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  41. 41.↵
    1. Mottonen T,
    2. Paimela L,
    3. Ahonen J,
    4. Helve T,
    5. Hannonen P,
    6. Leirisalo-Repo M
    . Outcome in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis treated according to the ‘sawtooth’ strategy. Arthritis Rheum 1996;39:996–1005.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  42. 42.↵
    1. Lindqvist E,
    2. Saxne T,
    3. Geborek P,
    4. Eberhardt K
    . Ten year outcome in a cohort of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: Health status, disease process, and damage. Ann Rheum Dis 2002;61:1055–9.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  43. 43.↵
    1. Sanmarti R,
    2. Gomez A,
    3. Ercilla G,
    4. Gratacos J,
    5. Larrosa M,
    6. Suris X,
    7. et al.
    Radiological progression in early rheumatoid arthritis after DMARDS: A one-year follow-up study in a clinical setting. Rheumatology 2003;42:1044–9.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  44. 44.↵
    1. Tengstrand B,
    2. Ahlmen M,
    3. Hafstrom I
    . The influence of sex on rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective study of onset and outcome after 2 years. J Rheumatol 2004;31:214–22.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  45. 45.↵
    1. Vazquez I,
    2. Graell E,
    3. Gratacos J,
    4. Canete JD,
    5. Vinas O,
    6. Ercilla MG,
    7. et al.
    Prognostic markers of clinical remission in early rheumatoid arthritis after two years of DMARDs in a clinical setting. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2007;25:231–8.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  46. 46.↵
    1. Khanna D,
    2. Oh M,
    3. Furst DE,
    4. Ranganath V,
    5. Gold RH,
    6. Sharp JT,
    7. et al.
    Evaluation of the preliminary definitions of minimal disease activity and remission in an early seropositive rheumatoid arthritis cohort. Arthritis Care Res 2007;57:440–7.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  47. 47.↵
    1. Gossec L,
    2. Dougados M,
    3. Goupille P,
    4. Cantagrel A,
    5. Sibilia J,
    6. Meyer O,
    7. et al.
    Prognostic factors for remission in early rheumatoid arthritis: a multiparameter prospective study. Ann Rheum Dis 2004;63:675–80.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  48. 48.↵
    1. Forslind K,
    2. Hafstrom I,
    3. Ahlmen M,
    4. Svensson B
    . Sex: A major predictor of remission in early rheumatoid arthritis?. Ann Rheum Dis 2007;66:46–52.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  49. 49.↵
    1. Sanmarti R,
    2. Gomez-Centeno A,
    3. Ercilla G,
    4. Larrosa M,
    5. Vinas O,
    6. Vazquez I,
    7. et al.
    Prognostic factors of radiographic progression in early rheumatoid arthritis: A two year prospective study after a structured therapeutic strategy using DMARDs and very low doses of glucocorticoids. Clin Rheumatol 2007;26:1111–8.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  50. 50.↵
    1. Eberhardt K,
    2. Rydgren L,
    3. Fex E,
    4. Svensson B,
    5. Wollheim FA
    . D-penicillamine in early rheumatoid arthritis: experience from a 2-year double blind placebo controlled study. Clin Exp Rheumatol 1996;14:625–31.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  51. 51.↵
    1. Rau R,
    2. Herborn G,
    3. Menninger H,
    4. Blechschmidt J
    . Comparison of intramuscular methotrexate and gold sodium thiomalate in the treatment of early erosive rheumatoid arthritis: 12 month data of a double-blind parallel study of 174 patients. Br J Rheumatol 1997;36:345–52.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  52. 52.↵
    1. van Jaarsveld CH,
    2. Jacobs JW,
    3. van der Veen MJ,
    4. Blaauw AA,
    5. Kruize AA,
    6. Hofman DM,
    7. et al.
    Aggressive treatment in early rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised controlled trial. On behalf of the Rheumatic Research Foundation Utrecht, The Netherlands. Ann Rheum Dis 2000;59:468–77.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  53. 53.↵
    1. Proudman SM,
    2. Conaghan PG,
    3. Richardson C,
    4. Griffiths B,
    5. Green MJ,
    6. McGonagle D,
    7. et al.
    Treatment of poor-prognosis early rheumatoid arthritis. A randomized study of treatment with methotrexate, cyclosporin A, and intraarticular corticosteroids compared with sulfasalazine alone. Arthritis Rheum 2000;43:1809–19.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  54. 54.↵
    1. Ferraccioli GF,
    2. Gremese E,
    3. Tomietto P,
    4. Favret G,
    5. Damato R,
    6. Di Poi E
    . Analysis of improvements, full responses, remission and toxicity in rheumatoid patients treated with step-up combination therapy (methotrexate, cyclosporin A, sulphasalazine) or monotherapy for three years. Rheumatology 2002;41:892–8.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  55. 55.↵
    1. Gerards AH,
    2. Landewe RB,
    3. Prins AP,
    4. Bruyn GA,
    5. Goei The HS,
    6. Laan RF,
    7. et al.
    Cyclosporin A monotherapy versus cyclosporin A and methotrexate combination therapy in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: a double blind randomised placebo controlled trial. Ann Rheum Dis 2003;62:291–6.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  56. 56.↵
    1. Wassenberg S,
    2. Rau R,
    3. Steinfeld P,
    4. Zeidler H
    . Very low-dose prednisolone in early rheumatoid arthritis retards radiographic progression over two years: a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Arthritis Rheum 2005;52:3371–80.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  57. 57.↵
    1. St. Clair EW,
    2. van der Heijde DM,
    3. Smolen JS,
    4. Maini RN,
    5. Bathon JM,
    6. Emery P,
    7. et al.
    Combination of infliximab and methotrexate therapy for early rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized, controlled trial. Arthritis Rheum 2004;50:3432–43.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  58. 58.↵
    1. Verstappen SM,
    2. Jacobs JW,
    3. van der Veen MJ,
    4. Heurkens AH,
    5. Schenk Y,
    6. ter Borg EJ,
    7. et al.
    Intensive treatment with methotrexate in early rheumatoid arthritis: aiming for remission. Computer Assisted Management in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (CAMERA, an open-label strategy trial). Ann Rheum Dis 2007;66:1443–9.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  59. 59.↵
    1. Saunders SA,
    2. Capell HA,
    3. Stirling A,
    4. Vallance R,
    5. Kincaid W,
    6. McMahon AD,
    7. et al.
    Triple therapy in early active rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, single-blind, controlled trial comparing step-up and parallel treatment strategies. Arthritis Rheum 2008;58:1310–7.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
Back to top

In this issue

Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Email Article
Citation Tools

 Request Permissions

Bookmark this article

Jump to section