ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: Spondylarthritis Criteria Changing Landscape of the Disease

Patients on TNF blockers should be assessed after at least 12 weeks of treatment. Discontinuation should be considered if there is not a BASDAI improvement of 50% or more or an absolute improvement of two units on the BASDAI, plus a positive expert opinion. “All the TNF blockers seem to be similarly efficacious for musculoskeletal manifestations,” Dr. van der Heijde said. “[It is] only if you have extraarticular manifestations such as IBD [inflammatory bowel disease] that it’s important to select your TNF blocker.”

Thomas Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.

References

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