Key clinical point: Some patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had excess disability despite low inflammation level. This persisted over 8-10 years after onset, with age, pain, and depression being significant predictors of disability, independent of inflammation.
Major finding: Nearly 30%-45% of patients with RA persistently showed excess disability over 8-10 years of follow-up, independent of their inflammation status. Patients who were older (odds ratio [OR] 1.05; 95% CI 1.02-1.09) or had higher pain (OR 1.48; 95% CI 1.23-1.78) or depression (OR 1.40; 95% CI 1.01-1.94) were more likely to have higher vs. lower disability trajectory, irrespective of their inflammation level.
Study details: Findings are from an analysis of three cohort studies including 2500 patients with RA and <24 months symptom duration who were followed-up for 8-10 years.
Disclosures: This study was supported by the UK Medical Research Council, Versus Arthritis, UK National Institute for Health Care and Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre. The authors declared no competing interests directly relevant to this manuscript .
Source: Gwinnutt JM et al. Exploring the disparity between inflammation and disability in the 10-year outcomes of people with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2022 (Mar 11). Doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac137