Rheumatoid arthritis- (RA-) associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is the extra-articular complication with most adverse impact on the quality of life and survival in RA patients. However, treatment options are limited and controlled studies are lacking. Here, we present the case of a 66-year-old patient suffering from severe RA-ILD, which has been successfully treated with Rituximab (RT...

OBJECTIVE To elaborate recommendations for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Brazil. METHOD Literature review with articles' selection based on evidence and the expert opinion of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Committee of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS 1) The therapeutic decision should be shared with the patient; 2) immediately after the diagnosis, a disea...

The aim of this study was to assess the change of IL-37 concentrations in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy, and to establish a correlation between Interleukin-37 and pro-inflammatory cytokines in plasma and disease activity. The plasma level of IL-37 was determined using ELISA in 50 newly diagnosed RA patients and 30 healthy controls...

BACKGROUND Infection is the leading cause of death in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Corticosteroid (CS) use is a known and important risk factor for serious infections (SIs). Mannose binding lectin (MBL) is a genetically determined component of the innate immune system implicated in neonatal infections. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to determine whether MBL deficiency is a risk factor for SIs in RA and ...

BACKGROUND Tumour necrosis alpha (TNF alpha) blocking agents lead to pronounced clinical effects and reduced synovial infiltrate in rheumatoid arthritis. Laboratory and clinical studies suggest that TNF alpha independent pathways play a role in the disease. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the immunopathological effects of combination therapy on rheumatoid synovial tissue in order to identify TNF alpha...

BACKGROUND Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive autoimmune disorder of joints that is associated with high health care costs, yet guidance is lacking on how early to initiate biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), a class of medications that is the major cost driver in RA management. Few studies have examined the factors associated with the transition from nonbiologic DM...

BACKGROUND Despite significant cost differences, the comparative effect of combination treatments of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) with and without biologic agents has rarely been examined. Thus we performed a network meta-analysis on the effect of combination therapies on progression of radiographic joint erosions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS AND FIND...

To determine in clinical practice which rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical status variables are most associated with a change in disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy, we studied 26,240 observations from 1905 RA patients occurring over 25 years. Variables included tender joint count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), grip strength, visual analog scale for pain, global severit...

A variety of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are available to control the clinical activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methotrexate (MTX), an analogue of folic acid and of aminopterin, is the most commonly used DMARD and is now prescribed worldwide to at least 500,000 patients with RA. The mechanism by which MTX used at a low dose modulates inflammation in RA is still unknown....

OBJECTIVES Anti-TNF therapy has improved outcomes for patients with highly active RA. Less is known about its effectiveness in patients with lower disease activity. The aim of this analysis is to compare the response to anti-TNF therapy between RA patients with high (DAS28 > 5.1) and moderate (DAS28 > 3.2-5.1) disease activity. METHODS A total of 4687 anti-TNF and 344 DMARD patients with high...