title: Use of prognostic markers in early rheumatoid arthritis to identify patients at risk of destructive disease.
abstract: As the benefits of early aggressive treatment of rheumatoid arthritis have become clear, and with the availability of newer (and more expensive) therapies, we need to be able to identify which patients are most at risk of destructive disease and poorer outcomes, and therefore, pinpoint which patients are most likely to benefit from intensive intervention at an early stage. A need for reliable prognostic markers is paramount in identifying these patients. Anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibody and serum inflammatory markers can precede the onset of disease by months and aid in both diagnosis and prognosis. Newer imaging modalities are now available and add to information gained from conventional radiography. This article reviews laboratory markers and imaging currently used in recognizing those patients at risk of nonreversible, destructive disease.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Musculoskeletal Disease, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Chapeltown Road, Leeds LS7 4SA, UK. s.r.cox@leeds.ac.uk
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Emery