title: Early management of newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis by Canadian rheumatologists: a national, multicenter, retrospective cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe early rheumatologic management for newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cohort of 339 randomly selected patients with RA diagnosed from 2001-2003 from 18 rheumatology practices was audited between 2005-2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most frequent initial disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) included hydroxychloroquine (55.5%) and methotrexate (40.1%). Initial therapy with multiple DMARD (15.6%) or single DMARD and corticosteroid combinations (30.7%) was infrequent. Formal assessment measures were noted infrequently, including the Health Assessment Questionnaire (34.6%) and Disease Activity Score for 28 joints (8.9%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Initial pharmacotherapy is consistent with guidelines from the period. The infrequent reporting of multiple DMARD combinations and formal assessment measures has implications for current clinical management and warrants contemporary reassessment.
authors: McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. ruben.tavares@sympatico.ca
authors: Ruben
authors: R
authors: Tavares
authors: Janet E
authors: JE
authors: Pope
authors: Jean-Luc
authors: JL
authors: Tremblay
authors: Carter
authors: C
authors: Thorne
authors: Vivian P
authors: VP
authors: Bykerk
authors: Juris
authors: J
authors: Lazovskis
authors: Kenneth L N
authors: KL
authors: Blocka
authors: Mary J
authors: MJ
authors: Bell
authors: Diane
authors: D
authors: Lacaille
authors: Carol A
authors: CA
authors: Hitchon
authors: Avril A
authors: AA
authors: Fitzgerald
authors: Wesley K
authors: WK
authors: Fidler
authors: Arthur A M
authors: AA
authors: Bookman
authors: James M
authors: JM
authors: Henderson
authors: Dianne P
authors: DP
authors: Mosher
authors: Dalton E
authors: DE
authors: Sholter
authors: Majed
authors: M
authors: Khraishi
authors: Boulos
authors: B
authors: Haraoui
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Chen
authors: Xiuying
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Laupacis
authors: Gilles
authors: G
authors: Boire
authors: George
authors: G
authors: Tomlinson
authors: Claire
authors: C
authors: Bombardier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D019468:Disease Management; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012213:Rheumatic Fever / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents