OBJECTIVE To perform a systematic literature review (SLR) on pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, in order to inform the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of early arthritis (EA). METHODS The expert committee defined research questions concerning non-pharmacological interventions, patient information and education, non-steroidal anti-...

Updated treatment recommendations for the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in South Africa advocate early diagnosis, prompt initiation of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and an intense treatment strategy where disease activity is assessed with a composite score such as the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI). Frequent assessments and escalation of therapy are necessary...

SIR, currently the treatment of RA is aimed at achieving low DAS remission. The ultimate aim, however, is to achieve DMARD-free sustained remission, which reflects the persistent absence of arthritis after cessation of treatment and is the closest proxy available for cure of RA. Although at present DMARD-free sustained remission can only be achieved in a minority of RA patients, recent data rev...

OBJECTIVE To test the efficacy of infliximab in the treatment of patients with severe and active adult onset Still's syndrome (AOSD) despite conventional immunosuppressive therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Six patients with the diagnosis of AOSD according to the Yamagushi criteria of 1992 were treated with infliximab. All patients had severe disease with high clinical and serological activity. Pa...

BACKGROUND Given the availability of a number of alternative biologic treatment options and other novel disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), clinicians are faced with an increasingly challenging choice regarding optimal treatment. Biologics are usually combined with traditional DMARDs, primarily methotrexate (MTX), but some...

DMARDs aim to improve long-term prognosis of RA, as indicated by reduced progression of radiographic damage and maintenance of function. However, it may be more appropriate to consider disease-modifying strategies rather than drugs alone. Despite the challenges (e.g. lack of standard outcome measures, poor reporting of dose levels), a systematic review of 15 studies involving more than 1400 pat...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of a patient-initiated disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) self-monitoring service for people with rheumatoid (RA) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) on methotrexate. METHODS A two-arm, single-centre, randomised controlled trial assessing superiority in relation to healthcare use, clinical and psychosocial outcomes. Participants were 100 adults wit...

Objective To compare anti-TNF dose escalation, DMARD and/or glucocorticoid intensification, switches to another biologic, and drug and drug-related costs over 12 and 18 months for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients initiating etanercept (ETN), adalimumab (ADA), or infliximab (IFX) in routine clinical practice across Canada. Methods A retrospective chart review of biologic-naïve adult RA patie...

OBJECTIVE (1) To compare clinical characteristics of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) with PsA mutilans (PAM) and without PAM, and (2) to determine the rate of PAM radiographic progression. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted of all patients with PsA attending a teaching hospital. The most recent hand and feet radiographs were screened for PAM. Serial radiographs (earlie...