title: Methods used to assess remission and low disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: The aim of the treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is to prevent articular damage and functional loss by decreasing the activity of the disease. The overall goal is the full suppression of the activity of the disease, also called clinical remission. The most reliable indices to assess RA activity were defined by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the International League Against Rheumatism (ILAR) and are habitually used for the evaluation of remission. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established three increasingly restrictive categories of disease remission: complete clinical response, major clinical response, and remission. Then, OMERACT (Outcome Measures in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials) advanced the concept of low disease activity state (LDAS) or minimal disease activity (MDA). Thus, those reported by FDA are the only criteria for remission which consider radiographic arrest of the disease. This review aims to describe the criteria for RA remission and to discuss their advantages and limitations.
authors: Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy.
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Ometto
authors: Costantino
authors: C
authors: Botsios
authors: Bernd
authors: B
authors: Raffeiner
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Sfriso
authors: Livio
authors: L
authors: Bernardi
authors: Silvano
authors: S
authors: Todesco
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Doria
authors: Leonardo
authors: L
authors: Punzi
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012074:Remission Induction