OBJECTIVE To compare baseline characteristics, responses and drug survival in patients with early RA starting SSZ or MTX in a real-life setting. METHODS The analyses included DMARD-naïve patients with RA (disease duration ≤ 1 year) starting SSZ or MTX. Three- and 6-month effectiveness was compared by unadjusted analysis and with adjustment for propensity score quintile. In addition, effective...

Advanced glycation end-product (AGE) pentosidine has previously been demonstrated in different tissues and body fluids. It was suggested as a novel marker for evaluating the pathologic activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study we analyzed the relation between pentosidine and markers of inflammation, cartilage turnover, immune response, and disease status of RA. Using HPLC, we analyze...

BACKGROUND The role of inflammation and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP) in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unclear. Previous studies have suggested that both disease activity and disease duration are associated with atherosclerosis and a higher mortality rate caused primarily by coronary artery disease. OBJECTIVE We...

OBJECTIVE To obtain the simplest definition of minimal disease activity (MDA) and to compare it with published proposed definitions of MDA in patients with RA. METHODS Two hundred and fourteen patients with long-standing RA (LSRA) were evaluated for clinical and laboratory parameters. Factor analysis was performed to remove redundant variables included in the core set measure for MDA definiti...

BACKGROUND Some rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients initially respond to treatment with infliximab (IFX), but subsequently their responsiveness decreases. OBJECTIVES Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of switching from IFX to subcutaneous golimumab (GLM-SC) in RA patients. METHODS Thirty-three patients who had been treated for a mean 4.4 years with IFX (3-6 mg/kg/8 weeks) ...

BACKGROUND To evaluate a combined rheumatoid arthritis magnetic resonance imaging score (RAMRIS) for hand and foot (HaF-score) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, 0.2 Tesla) of the dominant hand and foot of 26 ACPA positive RA patients before and 6 months after initiation of methotrexate was obtained. RAMRIS of the hand was complemented by corresponding scor...

28 patients with classical / definite RA entered to a prospective open study evaluating efficacy and side effects of Auranofin. 21 patients completed 6 months of therapy with 6 mg Auranofin daily. Parameters of disease activity including Joint Tenderness Score, Joint Swelling Score, Walking Time and duration of Morning Stiffness improved significantly after 6 months (p<0.001). Grip strength, Su...

OBJECTIVE Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) acts as an inhibitor of IL-1; which is one of the culprit cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although +2018 polymorphism of IL-1Ra has been implicated in the pathogenesis of RA, its importance remains poorly understood. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine the clinical significance of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1R...

OBJECTIVES To explore the influence of comorbidities on clinical outcomes and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS In patients included in the cross-sectional observational multicenter international study COMORA, demographics, disease characteristics and comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, renal failure, ischemic heart disease, stroke, cancer, gastro-intes...