In the Finnish RA combination (FIN-RA-Co) study, 195 patients with recent onset rheumatoid arthritis in the active phase of disease were randomized to treatment with either a combination of DMARDs and prednisolone, or to a single DMARD with or without predisolone2. At the end of two years, progression in radiographic damage was significantly less in the combination therapy group than in the sul...

OBJECTIVE To describe current treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in German rheumatology. METHODS Data from the German rheumatological database of 1998, comprising clinical and patient questionnaire data of 12 992 outpatients with RA seen at 24 collaborative arthritis centres in Germany, were analysed. RESULTS At the time of documentation, 88% of the patients with RA were u...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy and safety of certolizumab pegol (CZP) in a broad population of patients with active RA. METHODS In this 12-week, double-blind period of the phase IIIb trial, RA patients with inadequate response to at least one DMARD were randomized 4:1 to CZP (400 mg at weeks 0, 2 and 4, followed by 200 mg every 2 weeks) or placebo (every 2 weeks) plus current therapy s...

OBJECTIVE Several effective pharmacologic treatment options for polyarticual juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have emerged but initial treatment is heterogeneous in Germany. Therefore, the German Society of Pediatric Rheumatolgy has established a commission to develop consensus "Protocols on classification, monitoring and therapy in children's rheumatology (PRO-KIND)" to harmonize diagnostic...

OBJECTIVES We aimed to quantify the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis without known PsA compared with the general population after adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS A population-based longitudinal cohort study from 1994 to 2010 was performed in The Health Improv...

The aim of this study was to analyze the population-based frequency of classic (c-) and biologic (b-) disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) use over time, selected underlying indications and the specialty of the prescribing physicians in Germany. Based on the claims data of the German Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database (GePaRD), yearly cross-sectional studies were conducted from 2...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of the disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) leflunomide on the expression of the matrix metalloproteinase MMP-1 (collagenase) and the activity of MMP-9 that are believed to play a major role in cartilage destruction associated with inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Serum concentrations of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP...

SIR, currently the treatment of RA is aimed at achieving low DAS remission. The ultimate aim, however, is to achieve DMARD-free sustained remission, which reflects the persistent absence of arthritis after cessation of treatment and is the closest proxy available for cure of RA. Although at present DMARD-free sustained remission can only be achieved in a minority of RA patients, recent data rev...