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.

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.

Generalized bone loss in early rheumatoid arthritis patients followed for ten years in the biologic treatment era.

Background: Osteoporosis is a well-known extra articular manifestation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Biologic disease modifying anti rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) has been shown to be superior to synthetic DMARDs to reduce bone destruction including generalized bone loss in RA. Our aim was to study short- and long term changes in hip and spine bone mineral density (BMD) in early RA patients treated during the first decade with available biologic DMARDs.

The likelihood of persistent arthritis increases with the level of anti-citrullinated peptide antibody and immunoglobulin M rheumatoid factor: a longitudinal study of 376 patients with very early undifferentiated arthritis.

Introduction: We wanted to assess the importance of the levels of anti-citrullinated peptide antibody (anti-CCP) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) rheumatoid factor (RF) in predicting development of persistent arthritis from undifferentiated arthritis (UA), and to investigate whether there is an added predictive value for persistent arthritis in testing for both anti-CCP and IgM RF.

Methods: Patients with UA (exclusion of definite non-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnoses) included in the Norwegian very early arthritis clinic were assessed for development of persistent arthritic disease. The effect of antibody level on the likelihood of persistent arthritis was investigated, and the sensitivity and specificity for persistent arthritis for anti-CCP and IgM RF, separately and combined, was determined.

Positive anti-citrullinated protein antibody status and small joint arthritis are consistent predictors of chronic disease in patients with very early arthritis: results from the NOR-VEAC cohort.

Introduction: The current 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have proven less useful in early arthritis. The objective of this study was to identify and compare predictors of three relevant outcomes of chronic arthritis in a cohort of very early arthritis patients.

Methods: The Norwegian Very Early Arthritis Cohort (NOR-VEAC) includes adult patients with at least one swollen joint of < or = 16 weeks' duration.

Pattern of joint involvement and other disease characteristics in 634 patients with arthritis of less than 16 weeks' duration.

Objective: To investigate the distribution of joint involvement in a cohort of patients with very recent onset arthritis and describe the disease characteristics in these patients.

Methods: A very early arthritis clinic (NOR-VEAC) was established as a multicenter study. General practitioners were asked to refer patients presenting with at least 1 swollen joint of maximum 16 weeks' duration.

Association analysis of the interleukin 17A gene in Caucasian rheumatoid arthritis patients from Norway and New Zealand.

Objective: Elevated levels of IL-17A have been detected in the inflamed synovium of RA patients, and murine arthritis models deficient in IL17A have shown reduced inflammation. Our aim was to investigate IL17A as a candidate gene for RA, and to assess correlations between risk variants and disease phenotypes.

Methods: Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected to tag the genetic variability of the IL17A region and were genotyped by TaqMan technology on 950 RA cases and 933 random controls from Norway.