Does immunological remission, defined as disappearance of autoantibodies, occur with current treatment strategies? A long-term follow-up study in rheumatoid arthritis patients who achieved sustained DMARD-free status.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Sustained disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)-free status, the sustained absence of synovitis after cessation of DMARD therapy, is infrequent in autoantibody-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but approximates cure (ie, disappearance of signs and symptoms). It was recently suggested that immunological remission, defined as disappearance of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and rheumatoid factor (RF), underlies this outcome. Therefore, this long-term observational study determined if autoantibodies disappear in RA patients who achieved sustained DMARD-free remission.

Methods

We studied 95 ACPA-positive and/or RF-positive RA patients who achieved DMARD-free remission after median 4.8 years and kept this status for the remaining follow-up (median

SUBMITTER: Boeters DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7212006 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature