Remission and low disease activity in a cohort of real-life patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with first-line antitumour necrosis factor.
OBJECTIVE
This retrospective study used various indices to evaluate remission and low disease activity in 'real life' patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), given antitumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) as a first-line treatment; changes in concomitant steroid and conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARD) treatment were also assessed.


METHODS
Remission and low disease activity were analysed in patients with RA treated with anti-TNF using the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28), Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI). Remission and low disease activity were recorded after 6 months, 1 year and 2 years, along with concomitant prednisone and csDMARD treatment.


RESULTS
A total of 271 patients with RA were included in the study. After 6 months, remission rates were 18.0%, 20.3% and 23.0% as assessed by CDAI, SDAI and DAS28, respectively. After 1 year and 2 years, respectively, remission rates were 18.4% and 15.9% using CDAI, 21.8% and 17.3% using SDAI, and 22.1% and 17.3% using DAS28. Low disease activity was achieved in 30-40% of patients, depending on the indices used. There was a significant reduction in the number of patients on prednisone and csDMARDs during anti-TNF treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Remission with first-line anti-TNF treatment is an achievable goal in clinical practice, allowing a reduction in concomitant csDMARD and prednisone treatment.
Department of 'Medicina dei Sistemi', University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Paola
P
Conigliaro
Department of 'Medicina dei Sistemi', University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy maria.sole.chimenti@uniroma2.it.
Maria Sole
MS
Chimenti
Department of 'Medicina dei Sistemi', University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Paola
P
Triggianese
Department of 'Medicina dei Sistemi', University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Eleonora
E
Ballanti
Department of 'Medicina dei Sistemi', University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Flavia
F
Sunzini
Department of 'Medicina dei Sistemi', University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Iaria
I
Duca
Department of 'Medicina dei Sistemi', University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Roberto
R
Perricone
Antitumour necrosis factor; disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; low disease activity; remission; rheumatoid arthritis
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