Objective: This study was performed to develop a new diagnostic algorithm for adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD).
Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective nationwide case-control study in tertiary Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, and Infectious Diseases departments, to include successively patients with suspected AOSD based on the presence of two or more major criteria of Yamaguchi and/or Fautrel classifications. Patients were classified as AOSD or controls according to a predefined procedure.
Early diagnosis and early initiation of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy slow the progression of joint damage and decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). According to the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) guidelines, treatment should be initiated with methotrexate and addition of biological DMARDs such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors should be considered for RA patients who respond insufficiently to methotrexate and/or other synthetic DMARDs and have poor prognostic factors. Africa and the Middle East is a large geographical region with varying treatment practices and standards of care in RA.
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