title: Low disease activity state in rheumatoid arthritis: concepts and derivation of minimal disease activity.
abstract: With recent advances in therapy, the proportion of patients achieving a satisfactory state of minimal disease activity (MDA) is becoming a more important measure with which to compare different treatment strategies. MDA is between high disease activity and remission and anyone in remission will also be in MDA. This paper summarizes the process of coming to a definition of minimal disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. Two equivalent preliminary definitions of minimal disease activity for use as secondary outcome measures in clinical trials in RA are proposed: a core-set definition based on the WHO/ILAR core set and a DAS-based definition based on the DAS28.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa,Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. g.wells@rogers.blackberry.net
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boers
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tugwell
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D023381:Endpoint Determination; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012016:Reference Values; D012074:Remission Induction; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents