Treatment discontinuation in patients with very early rheumatoid arthritis in sustained simplified disease activity index remission after synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug administration

We aimed to identify whether drug-free remission could be achieved in patients with very early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with poor prognosis factors by treatment with synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Thirteen patients with very early RA, whose disease was considered to have highly erosive potential, were included. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-proven bone edema and autoantibodies were determined in these patients. A treat-to-target strategy initiated with synthetic DMARDs was employed for 12 months. If the patients achieved simplified disease activity index (SDAI) remission along with a reduction of the RA MRI scoring bone edema score to <33% as compared with baseline at 12 months, DMARD treatment was stopped and the clinical status was further observed for the following 12 months. Synthetic DMARDs were stopped at 12 months in 5 patients. One of the 5 was lost to follow-up because of sustaining an injury that required orthopedic surgery. Three of the remaining 4 patients showed continued SDAI remission that was DMARD-free without any evidence of radiographic progression for the following 12 months. Although this was a small clinical trial, we have shown-for the first time-that true remission of very early RA with poor prognosis factors can be achieved by treatment with synthetic DMARDs.     

Delayed treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in incomplete responders to synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs shows an excellent effect in patients with very early rheumatoid arthritis with poor prognosis factors

We aimed to investigate whether delayed treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors in incomplete responders to synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) was effective among patients with very early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with poor prognosis factors. We examined 22 patients with very early RA who were positive for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies or IgM-rheumatoid factor. The mean disease duration at entry was 14.1 weeks. A treat-to-target strategy, aiming at simplified disease activity index (SDAI) remission, was initiated with synthetic DMARDs. SDAI remission was not achieved in 9 of the 22 patients with synthetic DMARDs alone, and TNF inhibitors were added in these patients. SDAI values in these 9 patients were further examined for the following 6 months. The TNF inhibitors (infliximab 8, etanercept 1) were added at a mean interval of 34.1 weeks after the initiation of synthetic DMARDs. SDAI remission was achieved in 4 of the 9 patients (44.4%) at 3 months and in 8 of the 9 patients (88.9%) at 6 months after the introduction of the TNF inhibitors. Radiographic damage had not progressed in these patients. Delayed treatment with TNF inhibitors is effective and tolerable for patients with very early RA with poor prognosis factors.     

Significant improvement in MRI-proven bone edema is associated with protection from structural damage in very early RA patients managed using the tight control approach

Objective

To identify the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-proven bone edema in patients with very early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

All of the 13 patients included in the study were positive at entry for MRI-proven bone edema of the wrist and finger joints and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies or IgM-rheumatoid factor. A tight control approach was applied for 12 months. Plain MRI and radiographs of both wrist and finger joints were examined every 6 months. MRI was scored by the RA MRI scoring (RAMRIS) technique and plain radiographs were scored using the Genant-modified Sharp score. Variables that were correlated with plain radiographic changes at 12 months were examined.

Results

Simplified disease activity index (SDAI) remission was achieved in 7 patients, and a significant reduction in the RAMRIS bone edema score, which declined to <33 % as compared with the baseline, was achieved in 8 out of 13 patients. Four patients showed plain radiographic progression while 9 patients did not. Significant reductions in the RAMRIS bone edema score (p = 0.007) and the time-integrated SDAI (p = 0.031) were the variables involved in plain radiographic progression.

Conclusions

Improvement in bone edema may be associated with protection against structural damage in very early RA patients managed using the tight control approach.     

MRI assessment of erosion repair in patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis receiving double-filtration plasmapheresis in addition to leflunomide and methotrexate: a randomized controlled trial

The objective of this study is to investigate whether the addition of double-filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) to leflunomide and methotrexate repairs MRI bone erosion in patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Seventy-two patients with highly active RA of >?3 years’ duration were randomized to receive DFPP in addition to DMARDs (leflunomide and methotrexate) or DMARDs. Contrast-enhanced MRI of the right wrist was performed at months 0, 6, and 12. MRI bone erosion, synovitis, and bone edema were scored with validated methods. The primary endpoint was the change in MRI bone erosion over 12 months. Patients treated with DFPP in addition to DMARDs demonstrated significantly greater decrease in MRI erosion score compared with those treated with DMARDs, being 11.3?±?9.6 at month 12, compared with 16.9?±?8.3 in patients with DMARDs (P?<?0.001), and compared with 14.4?±?9.6 at baseline (P?<?0.001). 84.2% of patients treated with DFPP in addition to DMARDs demonstrated a decrease in MRI erosion score. Synovitis and bone edema improved significantly with DFPP in addition to DMARDs compared with DMARDs at months 6 and 12. (1.05?±?1.7 and 2.0?±?3.9 compared with 8.0?±?1.4 and 12.6?±?7.9 at month 12). Patients without synovitis and bone edema reached in 55.3% among patients with DFPP in addition to DMARDs. This study demonstrated that DFPP combination therapy significantly decreased bone erosion and received the primary goal of repair of erosions through abrogating MRI inflammation (synovitis and bone edema) in long-standing RA patients with high disease activity. The findings suggest that addition of DFPP is associated with repair of erosions and further suppression of inflammation.     

Evaluation of changes in magnetic resonance images following 24 and 52 weeks of treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with infliximab,tocilizumab, or abatacept

Objectives. To compare MRI findings in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

Methods. The study subjects were 43 RA patients treated with biologic DMARDs (13 with infliximab, 15 with tocilizumab, and 15 with abatacept). They were evaluated using Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) and low-field extremity MRI at baseline, and at 24 weeks and 52 weeks of treatment.

Results. Synovitis scores were significantly lower by 24 weeks in all groups, compared with baseline (P < 0.05). Significant improvement in bone marrow edema (BME) scores were noted from baseline to 24 weeks in infliximab and abatacept groups (P < 0.05), but from 24 weeks to 52 weeks in tocilizumab group (P < 0.01). No significant change was found in erosion score. The synovitis score at baseline correlated significantly with SDAI at 24 weeks (P < 0.05), and the score at 24 weeks correlated significantly with SDAI at 52 weeks (P < 0.05).

Conclusions. The results suggest that the inflammatory improvement by infliximab and abatacept may express earlier than those by tocilizumab, despite similar improvement in SDAI. MRI-detected synovitis could be a useful predictor of SDAI at 24 weeks of treatment. The MRI remains the best tool to detect and assess the effects of biologic DMARDs in RA.     

Response to traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in indigent South Africans with early rheumatoid arthritis

The clinical response to traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in indigent South Africans with early rheumatoid arthritis was investigated. A cohort of patients with early (≤2 years) RA who were DMARD-naïve at inception were prospectively assessed for response to DMARDs using the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) over a 12-month period. Patients with low disease activity (LDA) at 12 months were compared to those with moderate and high disease activity with respect to demographic, clinical, autoantibody and radiographic features. The 171 patients (140 females) had a mean (SD) age of 47.1 (12.4) years, symptom duration of 11.7 (7.1) months and baseline SDAI of 39.4 (16.2). There was a significant overall improvement in the SDAI and its components in the 134 (78.4%) patients who completed the 12 months visit, but only 28.4% of them achieved LDA. The majority of patients (91%) were treated with methotrexate as monotherapy or in combination with chloroquine and/or sulphasalazine. Baseline features that independently predicted a LDA state at 12 months were lower Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (p?=?0.023) and a higher haemoglobin level (p?=?0.048). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the 6-month SDAI was better than the baseline SDAI in predicting the 12-month SDAI (area under the curve of 0.69 vs. 0.52, respectively, p?=?0.008). In conclusion, less than a third of the patients achieved a low disease activity at 12 months on traditional DMARDs. Patients who have an inadequate response to traditional DMARDs at 6 months are unlikely to show further improvement on traditional DMARDs at 12 months. These findings underscore the need for better disease control by an aggressive tight control strategy, including intense patient education and biologic therapy.     

Evaluation of the preliminary definitions of minimal disease activity and remission in an early seropositive rheumatoid arthritis cohort

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate published proposed definitions of minimal disease activity (MDA) and remission in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: The cohort comprised disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)-naive patients with early seropositive active RA (n = 200) treated with traditional DMARDs in the prebiologic era. MDA definitions included Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) 相似文献   

Baseline MRI bone erosion predicts the subsequent radiographic progression in early rheumatoid arthritis patients who achieved sustained good clinical response

Objective: To examine whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings at baseline predict radiographic progression in early-stage rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who have achieved sustained good clinical response.

Methods: This is a sub-analysis from the one-year observational study of Nagasaki University Early Arthritis Cohort. Definition of ‘good clinical response’ was a decrement of disease activity score (DAS) 28?≧?1.2 at three months with achievement of DAS28 remission through 6–12 months. Gd-enhanced MRI of both wrists and finger joints were examined at baseline and scored using rheumatoid arthritis magnetic resonance imaging score (RAMRIS). Annual increment of Genant-modified Sharp score (GSS)?>?0 was defined as ‘radiographic progression’. Predictors of radiographic progression were determined by logistic regression analysis.

Results: Twenty-four subjects were selected in the present study. Each median RAMRIS synovitis, bone edema, bone erosion, and GSS at baseline were 6.5, 0.5, 0, and 0, respectively. Five patients developed radiographic progression at one year. Multivariate logistic regression analysis has shown that RAMRIS bone erosion at baseline is the only independent predictor of radiographic progression at one year (p?=?.032).

Conclusions: Our data suggest that MRI bone erosion predicts poor radiographic outcome of early-stage RA even if it has been successfully treated.     

Simplified Disease Activity Index remission at month 6 is an independent predictor of functional and structural remissions at month 12 during abatacept treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A multi-center,prospective cohort study in Japan

Objective: To evaluate association of clinical remission at month 6 with functional and structural remissions at month 12 during abatacept treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This 12-month prospective, multicenter cohort study enrolled 168 patients with RA who started abatacept. Outcomes were assessed using composite measures, quality of life indices, and the van der Heijde-modified total Sharp score (mTSS). The logistic regression analysis was applied to identify factors associated with outcomes and their odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

Results: At month 6 and 12, 21.4% and 26.2% of the patients achieved Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) remission (SDAI <3.3), and 40.6% and 41.7% achieved Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI <0.5) remission. Among 129 patients whose mTSS progression was evaluated at month 12, 83 (64.3%) achieved structural remission (ΔmTSS ≤0.5 for 12 months). SDAI remission at month 6 was identified as a significant predictor of both functional (OR, 3.732; 95% CI, 1.328–10.489) and structural remissions (OR, 4.301; 95% CI, 1.298–14.243) at month 12 after adjusting for covariates.

Conclusions: Aiming for SDAI remission at month 6 is an appropriate strategy to obtain good functional and structural outcomes at month 12.     

Response of early active rheumatoid arthritis to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors: evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging

Inflammatory changes (synovitis and bone marrow edema) and destructive changes (bone erosion) were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and their relations with disease activity were assessed during treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. Ten patients with early active RA underwent MRI at 0 and 16 weeks of TNF-inhibitor treatment. The carpal bones of the dominant hand were evaluated by the outcome measures in rheumatology clinical trials MRI score for RA. After 16 weeks, the mean disease activity score (DAS 28) decreased significantly from 5.54 to 2.70, while the number of tender joints, number of swollen joints, and inflammatory parameters were also significantly improved. The mean synovitis and marrow edema scores determined by MRI showed a significant decrease from 6.1 to 2.2 and 12.8 to 6.2, respectively, while the annual bone-erosion progression score decreased from 12.6 to 2.0. Although synovitis persisted in some patients, imaging remission was achieved in two patients. In conclusion, TNF-inhibitor therapy achieved an early decrease of disease activity and MRI revealed amelioration of joint destruction. The MRI score for RA is useful for assessing the early response to TNF inhibitors.     

Conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in early arthritis

This article reviews the use of conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The Finnish early RA cohorts are used as examples of how early and active treatment strategies have improved over time with increasing variety of available DMARDs. Therapy goals of early RA include remission to prevent severe long-term outcomes of RA. Remission can be achieved in a third of patients with early RA using a combination of conventional DMARDs, including methotrexate, sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine, and prednisolone. Of patients with early RA, 20% to 30% do not improve enough with conventional treatments and should be identified at early phases to consider institution of biologic agents.     

Enhanced MRI in early undifferentiated oligoarthritis of the knee joints: Improvements already visible after 2 months of DMARDs treatment

To describe (1) the findings with MRI in a series of patients with early undifferentiated oligoarthritis of the knee joint(s) and (2) the early effect after 2 months of treatment with only methotrexate (MTX) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), 15 consecutive patients with undifferentiated oligoarthritis of the knee joint(s) were recruited. The mean age was 31.7 years (SD = 8.1 years), and the mean disease duration was 15.3 months (SD = 12.2 months). In all patients, synovial fluid analysis, RF, anti-CCP2 antibodies, ANA, CRP, ESR, and routine laboratory investigations were performed. Enhanced MRI was done at initial evaluation and after 2 months treatment. Four of the 15 patients had positive RF and 6 had positive anti-CCP2. After treatment with DMARDs, a regression was seen regarding effusion and synovitis in all patients; in one of three patients, the bone edema had regressed. Synovial thickening as measured by enhanced MRI decreased significantly (p < 0.01) and correlated significantly with the improved ESR and CRP (p < 0.01). After 2 months treatment with MTX and HCQ, the MRI improved considerably especially regarding synovial thickening.     

Presence of power Doppler synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis patients with synthetic and/or biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug-induced clinical remission: experience from a Chinese cohort

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ultrasonographic synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who reached clinical remission. Two hundred and two RA patients were enrolled into this study. One hundred and eleven RA patients achieved clinical remission with the treatment of synthetic and/or biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Subclinical synovitis was assessed by power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS). PD synovitis was semi-quantitatively recorded. Twenty-two joint regions were imaged: bilateral wrists, metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints. PD remission was defined as a total PD score of 0. The subclinical synovitis in the RA patients who achieved clinical remission was evaluated. The correlations between PD total scores and clinical/laboratory parameters were analyzed. Among the 111 RA patients who achieved clinical remission, 110 (99.1 %), 67 (60.4 %), 55 (49.5 %), 50 (45.0 %), and 54 (48.6 %) patients, respectively, satisfied DAS28 (CRP), DAS28 (ESR), CDAI, SDAI, and 2010 ACR/EULAR remission criteria. However, only 54 (48.6 %) patients achieved PD remission. Subclinical synovitis was detectable in 57 (51.8 %), 30 (44.8 %), 22 (40.0 %), 19 (38.0 %), and 18 (33.3 %) patients accordingly. On the contrary, 11 (26.8 %) out of 41 patients who fulfilled all five clinical remission criteria had evidence of subclinical synovitis. In those 91 patients who did not achieved clinical remission, total PD score was correlated with swollen joint counts (SJC), tender joint counts (TJC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and complex disease activity indexes (P?<?0.01), but not the titers of rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide. Among those 57 patients with subclinical synovitis after reaching clinical remission, no correlation was found between PD total score and SJC, TJC, ESR, CRP, and complex disease activity indexes. Presence of subclinical synovitis is common in patients achieving clinical remission. The stricter clinical remission criteria may reflect less PD synovitis. In patients with active RA, PD total score of synovitis was positively correlated with disease activity.     

Subclinical synovitis and tenosynovitis by ultrasonography (US) 7 score in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with synthetic drugs,in clinical remission by DAS28

ObjectiveTo identify synovitis and tenosynovitis active by using the Ultrasound 7 (US 7) scoring system in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical remission induced by synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).MethodsThis is a multicentric, cross-sectional, observational study including 94 RA patients >18 years old who were in remission as defined by the 28-joints disease activity score (DAS28) <2.6 induced by synthetic DMARD during at least 6 months. Patients with a previous or current history of biologic DMARD treatment were not included in the study. Demographic and clinical data were collected by the local rheumatologist; the US evaluation was performed by a calibrated rheumatologist, who intended to detect grayscale synovitis and power Doppler (PD) using the 7-joint scale. Intra and inter-reader exercises of images between 2 ultrasonographers were realized.ResultsPatients’ mean age was 49.1 ± 13.7 years; 83% were women. The mean disease duration was 8 ± 7 years and remission lasted for 27.5 ± 31.8 months. The mean DAS28 score was 1.9 ± 0.66. Grayscale synovitis was present in 94% of cases; it was mild in 87.5% and moderate in 12.5%. Only 12.8% of the patients had PD. The metatarsophalangeal, metacarpophalangeal, and carpal joints of the dominant hand were the joints more frequently affected by synovitis. Tenosynovitis by grayscale was observed in 9 patients (9.6%). The intra and inter-reading kappa value were 0.77, p < 0.003 (CI 95%, 0.34–0.81) and 0.81, p < 0.0001 (CI 95%, 0.27–0.83) respectively.ConclusionsLow percentage of synovitis and tenosynovitis active were founded according to PD US by 7 score in RA patients under synthetic DMARDs during long remission. This score has benefit because evaluate tenosynovitis, another element of subclinical disease activity.     

Discontinuation of infliximab in rheumatoid arthritis patients in clinical remission

Abstract

Biologic drugs are effective but are also expensive, and it is difficult to evaluate the duration of treatment. Infliximab, an anti-TNFα antibody, suppresses arthritic activity and inhibits bone destruction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we document that infliximab could be discontinued after clinical remission in RA patients. Among 172 patients with RA who reached clinical remission following infliximab (3 mg/kg) and methotrexate (MTX, >6 mg/w), nine patients with sustained remission discontinued it. Clinical assessment was based on a disease activity score (DAS) that included a 28-joint count/erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR). The disease was assessed before and after the start of infliximab treatment, and concomitant drug treatment—in the order of corticosteroid, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) other than MTX—was gradually discontinued. We considered patients for discontinuation of infliximab treatment after remission (DAS28-ESR < 2.6) had been sustained for more than 24 weeks. The nine patients able to discontinue treatment were all females, with a mean age of 53.8 years; eight patients were at stage I or II. The mean duration of disease was 28.7 months, and these patients were on corticosteroid treatment equivalent to a mean of 2.28 mg prednisolone (PSL). These nine patients all met the remission standard—that DAS28-ESR < 2.6 for ≥24 weeks) —and so their treatment with concomitant drugs was discontinued. After the discontinuation of infliximab, the mean period of sustained remission was 14.2 months and the longest period was 29 months. The duration of disease was significantly shorter and the points from Steinbrocker’s stage-classification were significantly lower in the infliximab-discontinued group than in the infliximab-continued group. Strategic reductions and/or discontinuations of concomitant treatment were performed in RA patients who attained clinical remission (DAS28 < 2.6) through treatment with infliximab and MTX. Nine patients successfully discontinued infliximab after maintaining clinical remission for more than 24 weeks. After infliximab was discontinued, clinical remission and suppression of joint destruction were maintained with MTX alone, especially in early RA patients.     

Cost-effective analysis of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis

The main objective of the study was to perform the pharmacoeconomic analysis of synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis patients. A prospective, observational study was conducted in 98 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients meeting 2010 Rheumatoid Arthritis Classification Criteria. Treatment-naive RA patients were initiated on synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD/s) and followed up for 3 months. Average cost-effectiveness analysis was done by taking Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) score as a measure of effectiveness. Out of the 98 RA patients, 15.30% were males and 84.69% females. 80.61% RA patients are seropositive. Majority of the study population patients (55%) were on combination of three synthetic DMARDs and almost a quarter (24.48%) were on combination of two synthetic DMARDs. The mean value of DAS 28 at baseline was 6.07 ± 1.33 and after 3 months treatment, the mean was 3.84 ± 1.11. The mean disability index measured by HAQ-DI was significantly reduced from 1.43 ± 0.71 to 0.81 ± 0.61, p < 0.001, after 3 months treatment. The direct medical cost of treatment of RA per month is 997.05 rupees. The average cost-effectiveness ratio of combination of synthetic DMARDs was 1533.92 rupees. Treatment of RA with synthetic DMARDs controls disease activity and improves disability with reasonable cost of treatment. The majority of the direct medical cost is attributable to cost of medicine and laboratory investigation. Use of quality generic drugs and an early diagnosis would minimize the economic burden on the patient.     

The usage of biological DMARDs and clinical remission of rheumatoid arthritis in China: a real-world large scale study

The aims of this study are to characterize the biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) usage patterns in real-life and examine the remission rate of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving bDMARDs in routine clinical practice in China. Consenting RA patients (≥18 years) from 15 teaching hospitals and receiving marketed bDMARDs were included. In total, 802 patients (81.3 % women, 49.0?±?13.9 years) were included; 89.5 % were receiving a combination of bDMARDs and conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDS), whereas 10.5 % were receiving bDMARD monotherapy. Etanercept (including Enbrel® and local brand Yi Sai Pu® and Qiangke®), tocilizumab, adalimumab, and infliximab were used by 66.6 %, 17.0 %, 7.5 %, and 6.6 % patients, respectively. Etanercept was used at a mean weekly dose of 38.2?±?15.6 mg for 25.5?±?47.0 weeks and tocilizumab at 94.5?±?21.9 mg for 4.7?±?7.5 weeks. Overall rate of remission was 12.6 %, 5.4 % , and 3.5 % based on DAS28, CDAI, and SDAI scores, respectively. Compared with patients receiving bDMARDs for <3 months, those receiving bDMARDs for ≥3 months exhibited significantly lower DAS28 scores (p?<?0.0001), and a significantly higher proportion of patients who received bDMARDs for ≥12 months achieved the treatment goal (remission or low disease activity, 62.5 % vs. 18.3 %, p?<?0.0001). Patients receiving combination therapy with csDMARDs exhibited lower DAS28 scores than patients receiving bDMARD monotherapy (4.3 vs. 4.8, p?=?0.011). This large-scale real-world study showed that bDMARD usage patterns in routine clinical practice in China were in accordance with international guidelines for RA management despite the short treatment duration. Longer duration of bDMARD usage and combination therapy showed a favored outcome of RA.     

Abatacept inhibits radiographic progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective analysis of 6 months of abatacept treatment in routine clinical practice. The ALTAIR study

Abstract

Objectives Our objectives in this study were to determine the inhibitory effects of abatacept on joint damage and its clinical efficacy and safety in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods Fifty Japanese patients with RA were treated with abatacept for 24 weeks in routine clinical practice.

Results At week 24, 20 % of patients achieved clinical remission [Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) ≤3.3], whereas 50 % were in remission or had a low disease activity. Structural remission [progression of modified total Sharp score (ΔmTSS) ≤0.5] was achieved in 76 % of patients. The ΔmTSS decreased significantly from 7.1 ± 7.3 at baseline to 1.8 ± 5.7 at week 24. C-reactive protein (CRP) was the only independent prognostic factor for joint damage progression at week 24, whereas SDAI and matrix metalloproteinase-3 levels were not. A very high proportion of patients with CRP levels <1.5 mg/dl (88 %) achieved structural remission. In terms of safety, the retention rate for all patients was favorable (80 %), and stomatitis was the only adverse event observed. No patient withdrew from the study because of infections.

Conclusions Abatacept has favorable clinical and structural effects, inhibits radiographic progression, and has a good safety profile in routine clinical practice.