Structural joint damage and hand bone loss in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Structural joint damage and hand bone loss in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Dan Med J. 2018 Mar;65(3): Authors: Shabanzadeh DM Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by pain, swelling and progressive destruction of the joints leading to loss of function and invalidity. The bone destruction in RA is characterised by two distinct features: structural joint damage and hand bone loss, and their prevention is an important treatment goal. Inhibitors of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-inhibitors) have markedly improved the treatment options in RA patients who fail treatment with conventional synthetic Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drugs (sDMARDS), but their effectiveness with regards to structural joint damage and hand bone loss, predictors thereof and the association with disease activity during treatment have mainly been investigated in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with limited generalizability due to strict in- and exclusion criteria.
 The main aim of the PhD thesis was to assess and predict structural joint damage and hand bone loss in patients with early and established RA treated with sDMARDs and TNF-inhibitors. This was investigated in two cohorts: A) The "DANBIO X-ray study": an observational, nationwide, longitudinal cohort study of established RA patients treated in clinical practice who initiated TNF-inhibitor treatment after failure of sDMARDs and B) The "OPERA study"...
Source: Danish Medical Journal - Category: General Medicine Tags: Dan Med J Source Type: research