Effect of tapered versus stable treatment with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors on disease flares in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in remission: a randomised, open label, non-inferiority trial.

Objectives: Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) require treatment with tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) to reach remission. It is debated whether tapering of TNFi to discontinuation should be considered in sustained remission. The aim of ARCTIC REWIND TNFi was to assess the effect of tapering TNFi to withdrawal compared with stable treatment on the risk of disease activity flares in patients with RA in remission ≥1 year.

Physician participation in quality improvement work- interest and opportunity: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Lack of physician involvement in quality improvement threatens the success and sustainability of quality improvement measures. It is therefore important to assess physicians´ interests and opportunities to be involved in quality improvement and their experiences of such participation, both in hospital and general practice.

Methods: A cross-sectional postal survey was conducted on a representative sample of physicians in different job positions in Norway in 2019.

Does Older Age have an Impact on Rituximab Efficacy and Safety? Results from the NOR-DMARD Register.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of rituximab in older vs younger patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: Data on 367 patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with rituximab in the Norwegian Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug (NOR-DMARD) register were analysed, comparing patients aged ≥ 65 years (n = 91) with patients aged < 65 years (n = 276). Drug survival was compared using a Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard models.

Treat to target strategy in early rheumatoid arthritis versus routine care - A comparative clinical practice study.

Objective: To assess the 2-year effect on disease activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of implementing a clinical practice treat-to-target (T2T) strategy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients in the Norwegian Very Early Arthritis Cohort 2.0 (NOR-VEAC 2.

Development of a feasible and responsive ultrasound inflammation score for rheumatoid arthritis through a data-driven approach.

Objective: To develop and validate a responsive and feasible ultrasound inflammation score for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: We used data from cohorts of early RA (development) and established RA starting/switching biologic therapy (validation). 4 tendons and 36 joints were examined by a grey scale (GSUS) and power Doppler semiquantitative ultrasound (PDUS) scoring system (full score).

Ultrasound in management of rheumatoid arthritis: ARCTIC randomised controlled strategy trial.

Objective:  To determine whether a treatment strategy based on structured ultrasound assessment would lead to improved outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis, compared with a conventional strategy.

Design:  Multicentre, open label, two arm, parallel group, randomised controlled strategy trial.

Setting:  Ten rheumatology departments and one specialist centre in Norway, from September 2010 to September 2015.

Achievement of Remission and Low Disease Activity Definitions in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Clinical Practice: Results from the NOR-DMARD Study.

Objective: To examine the frequency of 6 definitions for remission and 4 definitions for low disease activity (LDA) after starting a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical practice, and to study whether predictors for achieving remission after 6 months are similar for these definitions.

Methods: Remission and LDA were calculated according to the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28), the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI), the Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data (RAPID3), and both the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Boolean remission definitions 3 and 6 months after 4992 DMARD prescriptions for patients enrolled in the NOR-DMARD, a 5-center Norwegian register. Prediction of remission after 6 months was also studied.

First step in the development of an ultrasound joint inflammation score for rheumatoid arthritis using a data-driven approach.

Objectives: To develop and validate candidate sets of joints and tendons for assessment of ultrasound (US) joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients were included in one of two cohorts from 2010 to June 2013: disease-modifying antirheumatic drug naïve early RA or established RA starting/switching biologics. An extensive US examination was performed by experienced sonographers using a validated grey-scale (GSUS) and power Doppler (PDUS) semiquantitative scoring system with scores 0-3 for both GSUS and PDUS in 36 joints and four tendons.

No excess risks in offspring with paternal preconception exposure to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

Objective: To examine pregnancy outcomes in the partners of male patients with inflammatory joint disease who were or were not exposed to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) before conception compared with the outcomes in reference subjects from the general population.

Methods: Linkage of data from a longitudinal observational study of patients with inflammatory joint disease (the Norwegian Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug [NOR-DMARD] registry study) and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) enabled a comparison of pregnancy outcomes in the partners of men with inflammatory joint disease. Outcomes of pregnancies in which the father was exposed to DMARDs within 12 weeks of conception and those in which the father was never exposed to DMARDs were analyzed separately and compared with the outcomes in reference subjects.

Switching between TNF inhibitors in psoriatic arthritis: data from the NOR-DMARD study.

Background: Tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) are efficacious in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), but some patients do not respond or do not tolerate their first TNFi, and are switched to a different TNFi. Evidence supporting this practice is limited, and we wanted to investigate the effectiveness of switching to a second TNFi.

Material And Methods: From a longitudinal observational study (LOS) we selected patients with PsA who were starting their first TNFi, and identified patients who had switched to a second TNFi ('switchers').

Prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in an unselected, mixed connective tissue disease cohort: results of a nationwide, Norwegian cross-sectional multicentre study and review of current literature.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the overall prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in an unselected MCTD cohort and review the current knowledge with a systematic database search.

Methods: A nationwide multicentre cohort of 147 adult MCTD patients were initially screened for PH by echocardiography, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), pulmonary function tests and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and then followed up for a mean of 5.6 years.

The role of methotrexate co-medication in TNF-inhibitor treatment in patients with psoriatic arthritis: results from 440 patients included in the NOR-DMARD study.

Background: The role of co-medication with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) is well established in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. In psoriatic arthritis (PsA) there is little evidence available on this issue.

Material And Methods: The analyses were based on data from the Norwegian longitudinal observational study on disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (NOR-DMARD).

Prevalence and severity of interstitial lung disease in mixed connective tissue disease: a nationwide, cross-sectional study.

Background: Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is an immune-mediated, systemic disorder of unknown cause.

Objective: To assess the prevalence, pattern and severity of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in a cross-sectional study of the nationwide, Norwegian MCTD cohort.

Methods: 126 patients with MCTD were systematically examined for ILD by high-resolution CT (HRCT), pulmonary function tests (PFT), 6 min walk test (6MWT) and by the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification of dyspnoea.