title: A disease activity index: its use in clinical trials and disease assessment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Measuring disease activity is important in the assessment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The value of composite indices in determining activity is discussed. A validated index, the Stoke index, has been used in clinical trials of combination therapy in patients with RA, both to evaluate efficacy and to stratify response to single-agent therapy before randomization to combination treatment. Disease activity determines the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Should these drugs be used in mild RA when disease activity is low? Results of a study comparing hydroxychloroquine with placebo in this situation suggest that they should. Finally, the outcome of suppressing disease activity over a 5- to 10-year period is unknown. Measured either radiologically or functionally, preliminary data suggest that the lower the mean disease activity over time, the more favorable the outcome.
authors.affiliation: Staffordshire Rheumatology Center, Stoke-on-Trent, England.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Dawes
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D006886:Hydroxychloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D050607:Organogold Compounds; D010396:Penicillamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012460:Sulfasalazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D050607:Organogold Compounds; D012460:Sulfasalazine; D006886:Hydroxychloroquine; D010396:Penicillamine