Remission in early rheumatoid arthritis -- a comparison of new ACR/EULAR remission criteria to established criteria.

Abstract

To describe the frequency of remission in an early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) cohort. The frequency of remission was evaluated, based on 8 definitions including the Boolean-based American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) criteria. Of 369 patients, remission at 12 months ranged from 18% according to the ACR/EULAR clinical trial criteria to 40% according to the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) < 2.6. Higher tender joint count, swollen joint count, and physician global scores were seen for DAS28-based definitions, and patient global assessment (PtGA) scores were almost 5-fold higher for DAS28 remission. Remission is achievable in ERA but its frequency differs according to the remission definition applied. Adoption of the new ACR/EULAR definition will limit the number classified as in remission, especially if the PtGA criteria are rated high for reasons other than inflammatory arthritis.