PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Nina Paulshus Sundlisæter
AU  - Anna-Birgitte Aga
AU  - Inge Christoffer Olsen
AU  - Hilde Berner Hammer
AU  - Till Uhlig
AU  - Désirée van der Heijde
AU  - Tore K Kvien
AU  - Siri Lillegraven
AU  - Espen A Haavardsholm
ED  - ,
TI  - Clinical and ultrasound remission after 6 months of treat-to-target therapy in early rheumatoid arthritis: associations to future good radiographic and physical outcomes
AID  - 10.1136/annrheumdis-2017-212830
DP  - 2018 Oct 01
TA  - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
PG  - 1421--1425
VI  - 77
IP  - 10
4099  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/77/10/1421.short
4100  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/77/10/1421.full
SO  - Ann Rheum Dis2018 Oct 01; 77
AB  - Objective To explore associations between remission, based on clinical and ultrasound definitions, and future good radiographic and physical outcome in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods Newly diagnosed patients with RA followed a treat-to-target strategy incorporating ultrasound information in the Aiming for Remission in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised trial examining the benefit of ultrasound in a Clinical TIght Control regimen (ARCTIC) trial. We defined 6-month remission according to Disease Activity Score, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints-erythrocyte sedimentation rate, American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) Boolean criteria, Simplified Disease Activity Index, Clinical Disease Activity Index and two ultrasound definitions (no power Doppler signal, grey scale score ≤2). Two outcomes were defined: no radiographic progression and good outcome (no radiographic progression+physical function≥general population median), both sustained 12–24 months. We calculated the ORs of these outcomes for the remission definitions.Results Of 103 patients, 42%–82% reached remission at 6 months, dependent on definition. Seventy-one per cent of patients had no radiographic progression and 37% had good outcome. An association between 6-month remission and no radiographic progression was observed for ACR/EULAR Boolean remission (44 joints, OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.2 to 8.4), ultrasound power Doppler (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 10.0) and grey scale remission (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.2 to 8.0). All clinical, but not ultrasound remission criteria were associated with achievement of a good outcome.Conclusions Our data support ACR/EULAR Boolean remission based on 44 joints as the preferred treatment target in early RA. Absence of ultrasound inflammation was associated with no radiographic progression.Trial registration number NCT01205854; Post-results.