Background • Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory peripheral and/or axial arthritis associated with psoriasis, usually seronegative for rheumatoid factors1 • Patients with PsA also have debilitating skin disease, and nearly half may also have a spinal disease.2 PsA is estimated to affect 2.0% to 3.0% of the general population3 • To date, few studies have examined treatment persistence o...

Introduction. International guidelines recommend interruption of anti-TNF medications in the perioperative period, but there are no randomized trials to support such recommendation. Objectives. To study literature evidence assessing the risk of surgical site infections in orthopedic surgery patients with RA using anti-TNF drugs, compared to untreated patients or those using conventional DMARD. ...

Despite considerable advances in the management of rheumatoid arthritis, results are still not satisfactory for all patients. The treatment goal in rheumatoid arthritis is remission, and there currently are numerous conventional and biological medications available to reach this aim. There are also different treatment strategies but with only limited comparative evidence about their efficacies....

OBJECTIVE To describe the frequency and duration of remission in the Utrecht rheumatoid arthritis cohort of patients followed since diagnosis, and the clinical and treatment characteristics of patients with remission v those without. METHODS In 1990 the Utrecht rheumatoid arthritis cohort study group started a clinical trial in which patients with recent onset of rheumatoid arthritis (<1 year...

OBJECTIVE To investigate factors influencing the beliefs of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding disease-modifying medication. METHOD Twenty-nine patients with RA either starting a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) for the first time or changing DMARD were recruited. Semi-structured interviews, activity diaries and focus groups were conducted over 9 months. A coding f...

OBJECTIVE In a real-life setting, to analyse retrospectively the effects of different methotrexate regimens on etanercept efficacy during the first year of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Demographic characteristics, clinical parameters and treatment data from patients with RA receiving the first-line biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, etanercept, as monotherapy...

Methotrexate (MTX) is the anchor treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and has been very thoroughly studied in many different patient populations, as monotherapy and in combination with various other disease modifying antirheumatic drugs and biologic agents, as they became available. It has a well-established safety and efficacy profile and is the preferred first line agent for RA treatment. ...

Corticosteroids are a mainstay in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In recent years, a number of high-quality controlled clinical trials have shown their effect as a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) and a favourable safety profile in recent-onset RA. Despite this, they are more frequently used as bridge therapy while other DMARDs initiate their action than as true disease-m...

Biologics, possibly in combination with a conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) - preferably methotrexate (MTX), are used in accordance with the recommendations of the international rheumatological societies. However, in clinical practice, this recommendation is often problematic, as many rheumatologists know from personal experience. The quality of life of the patient is af...

D-penicillamine (D-pen) has gained wide-spread use as a potent suppressor of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA). The drug has been established for antirheumatotd therapy on the basis o f a considerable number o f comparative clinical studies o f D-pen treatment versus placebo or other disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Despite the pos...