Meta-Analyses on the Effects of Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs on the Most Relevant Patient-Reported Outcome Domains in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: Whereas in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis much evidence exists on the effects of current pharmacologic treatment on clinical outcomes, little is known about the effects on patient-reported outcomes. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effects of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) on the patient-relevant domains of pain, fatigue, activity limitation, overall emotional and physical health impact, and work/school/housework ability and productivity.

Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials wherein registered DMARDs were compared with placebo or methotrexate and reported the effects on patient-reported outcomes included in the International Consortium of Health Outcomes Measurement standard set for inflammatory arthritis.

Diagnostic Performance and Clinical Utility of Referral Rules to Identify Primary Care Patients at Risk of an Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic performance and clinical utility of the Rotterdam Early Arthritis Cohort (REACH) and the Clinical Arthritis Rule (CARE) referral rules in an independent population of unselected patients from primary care.

Methods: This study consisted of adults who were suspected of the need for referral to a rheumatologist by their general practitioner. Diagnostic accuracy measures and a net benefit approach were used to compare both rules to usual care for recognizing inflammatory arthritis and inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs).

The susceptibility of attaining and maintaining DMARD-free remission in different (rheumatoid) arthritis phenotypes.

Objectives: To compare (sustained) DMARD-free remission rates((S)DFR), defined as respectively ≥6 months and >1 year, after 2 and 5 years between three clinical arthritis phenotypes; undifferentiated arthritis(UA), autoantibody-negative(RA-) and positive rheumatoid arthritis(RA+).

Methods: All UA(n = 130), RA-(n = 176) and RA + (n = 331) patients from the tREACH trial, a stratified single-blinded trial with a treat-to-target approach, were used. (S)DFR comparisons between phenotypes after 2 and 5 years were performed with Logistic regression.

The impact of different (rheumatoid) arthritis phenotypes on patients' lives.

Objectives: To compare patient-reported outcome (PRO) domains between three arthritis phenotypes [undifferentiated arthritis (UA), autoantibody-negative RA (RA-) and autoantibody-positive RA (RA+)] at diagnosis, after 2 years and over time.

Methods: All UA (n = 130), RA- (n = 176) and RA+ (n = 331) patients from the tREACH trial, a stratified single-blinded trial with a treat-to-target approach, were used. PRO comparisons between phenotypes at baseline and after 2 years were performed with analysis of variance, while a linear mixed model compared them over time.

Is the frequent sonographic anechoic area distally in metacarpophalangeal joints a sign of arthritis?

In clinical practice, ultrasonography (US) often reveals, in the dorsal scan, a small anechoic area distally in both inflamed and clinically non-inflamed metacarpophalangeal joints. This "distal anechogenicity in the metacarpophalangeal joint" (DAEM) might thus be scored false positively as arthritis. We aimed to investigate whether the DAEM is a sign of arthritis.

Diagnostic performance of the ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria for rheumatoid arthritis and two diagnostic algorithms in an early arthritis clinic (REACH).

Introduction: An ACR/EULAR task force released new criteria to classify rheumatoid arthritis at an early stage. This study evaluates the diagnostic performance of these criteria and algorithms by van der Helm and Visser in REACH.

Methods: Patients with symptoms ≤12 months from REACH were used.