A study has shown that in untreated patients with early RA, treatment with methotrexate combined with the biologic therapies abatacept or certolizumab-pegol resulted in greater CDAI remission rates than active conventional therapy with prednisolone, sulfasalazine or hydroxychloroquine.
Sapart et al. suggest a combination of methotrexate and biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs as induction therapy for patients with early RA may lead to long-term remission.
New research exploring the effects of etanercept on cardiovascular disease in treatment-naive, early RA patients suggests a treatment advantage with etanercept, a TNF inhibitor and methotrexate over treatment with methotrexate and a conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug…
New evidence from a clinical trial of rituximab has identified the pathogenetic role of B cells in the earliest, pre-arthritis stage of autoantibody-positive RA…
A new study examined the independent effects of excess weight and obesity on achieving sustained remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Researchers found that within three years of RA diagnosis, overweight and obese patients were significantly less likely to achieve sustained remission than patients with healthy body mass indices (BMIs). Higher BMIs were also associated with persistent disease activity…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Obesity in women and current smoking in men appear to be the strongest predictors of lack of remission in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) within one year, according to new research presented June 13 at EULAR 2018, the annual meeting of the European League Against Rheumatism, in Amsterdam.1 Even though early identification and…