title: The ESPOIR cohort: a ten-year follow-up of early arthritis in France: methodology and baseline characteristics of the 813 included patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The French Society of Rheumatology initiated a large national multicenter, longitudinal and prospective cohort, the so-called "ESPOIR cohort study" in order to set up databases to allow various investigations on diagnosis, prognostic markers, epidemiology, pathogenesis and medico-economic factors in the field of early arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were recruited if they had undifferentiated arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, of less than 6 months disease duration and if they were DMARD and steroids naïve. Patients have then to be followed every 6 months during the first 2 years then every year during at least 10 years. Clinical, biological, radiographic and medico-economic databases have been constituted to fit in the different objectives of the project and more than 20 scientific studies have already been accepted by the scientific committee.
  
  
  RESULTS
  813 patients were included (76.75% were female). The mean age was 48.07+/-12.55 years. The mean delay from the onset of symptoms to referral to the rheumatologist was 74.8+/-76.6 days. Baseline swollen and tender joint counts were 7.19+/-5.37 and 8.43+/-7.01; DAS28 score was 5.11+/-1.31. CRP was abnormal in 38.9% of the patients; 44.2%, 45.8% and 38.8% had respectively IgM rheumatoid factor (RF), IgA RF and anti-CCP antibodies. HLA DRB1*01 or 04 genes were found in 56.7% of them. Finally, 22% of these patients had erosions on hand or feet at baseline.
authors: University Hospital, Montpellier, France. b-combe@chu-montpellier.fr
authors: Bernard
authors: B
authors: Combe
authors: Joëlle
authors: J
authors: Benessiano
authors: Francis
authors: F
authors: Berenbaum
authors: Alain
authors: A
authors: Cantagrel
authors: Jean-Pierre
authors: JP
authors: Daurès
authors: Maxime
authors: M
authors: Dougados
authors: Patrice
authors: P
authors: Fardellone
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Fautrel
authors: Réné-Marc
authors: RM
authors: Flipo
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Goupille
authors: Francis
authors: F
authors: Guillemin
authors: Xavier
authors: X
authors: Le Loet
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Logeart
authors: Xavier
authors: X
authors: Mariette
authors: Olvier
authors: O
authors: Meyer
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Ravaud
authors: Nathalie
authors: N
authors: Rincheval
authors: Alain
authors: A
authors: Saraux
authors: Thierry
authors: T
authors: Schaeverbeke
authors: Jean
authors: J
authors: Sibilia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001168:Arthritis / Q000628:therapy*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000628:therapy*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome