title: Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes in Patients Diagnosed with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis in the First Years of the Biologic Treatment Era: A 10-year Prospective Observational Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study short-term and longterm clinical and radiographic outcomes in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the first decade of the biologic treatment era.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with early RA diagnosed at a rheumatology outpatient clinic were consecutively enrolled between 1999 and 2001. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, disease activity, patient-reported outcomes, and treatments. Radiographs of hands and feet were performed at baseline and after 2, 5, and 10 years and scored according to the Sharp/van der Heijde method, yielding a modified total Sharp score (mTSS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean baseline age for the 94 included patients (36 men and 58 women) was 50.4 years and symptom duration 12.3 months; 67.8% were rheumatoid factor-positive. The proportion of patients in remission and in low, moderate, and high disease activity status was at baseline 4.3%, 1.1%, 35.1%, and 59.6% and at 10 years 52.1%, 20.5%, 27.4%, and 0.0%, respectively. For the period 0-2 years, 62.8% had used prednisolone, 91.5% synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), and 18.1% biologic DMARD, and for the period 2-10 years the numbers were 50.6%, 89.3%, and 62.7%, respectively. At baseline, 70% of the patients had erosions on radiographs. Mean annual change in mTSS was for 0-2 years 3.4, 2-5 years 1.7, and 5-10 years 1.2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A large proportion of our patients with RA diagnosed and treated in the new biologic treatment era achieved a status of clinical remission or low disease activity and had only a minor increase in radiographic joint damage after the first years of followup.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, Kristiansand; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim; Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo; Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital, Bærum, Norway.G. Haugeberg, MD, PhD, consultant, Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; P. Bøyesen, MD, PhD, assistant doctor, Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital; K. Helgetveit, MD, Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital; A. Prøven, MD, Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital. glenn.haugeberg@mhh.no.
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haugeberg
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, Kristiansand; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim; Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo; Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital, Bærum, Norway.G. Haugeberg, MD, PhD, consultant, Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; P. Bøyesen, MD, PhD, assistant doctor, Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital; K. Helgetveit, MD, Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital; A. Prøven, MD, Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital.
authors.forename: Pernille
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bøyesen
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, Kristiansand; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim; Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo; Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital, Bærum, Norway.G. Haugeberg, MD, PhD, consultant, Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; P. Bøyesen, MD, PhD, assistant doctor, Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital; K. Helgetveit, MD, Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital; A. Prøven, MD, Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital.
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Helgetveit
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, Kristiansand; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim; Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo; Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital, Bærum, Norway.G. Haugeberg, MD, PhD, consultant, Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; P. Bøyesen, MD, PhD, assistant doctor, Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital; K. Helgetveit, MD, Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital; A. Prøven, MD, Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prøven
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001688:Biological Products / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D017277:Drug Approval; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D001688:Biological Products
keywords: CLINICAL OUTCOME; DISEASE ACTIVITY; PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOME MEASURES; RADIOGRAPHIC JOINT DAMAGE; RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS