Background:Boolean remission criteria is one most popular and stringent criteria in treating patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), because it may guarantees a stable clinical course after attaining remission.Objectives:Impact of time span from initiation to achieving Boolean remission on maintaining disease activity, daily activities, and quality of life after attaining Boolean remission was investigated from daily clinical practice data.Methods:685 patients with RA since August 2010 under the T2T strategy were treated. They were monitored for their TJC, SJC, PGA, EGA, CRP, and disease activity indices such as CDAI, SDAI, DAS28, and Boolean criteria at every visit. HAQ-DI score, pain score using visual analog scale (PS-VAS), and EQ-5D were also monitored, and the quality of life score (QOLS) calculated from EQ-5D was determined at every visit from the time of diagnosis (baseline).Of 685 patients, 465 patients had achieved Boolean remission >1 times, and were consecutively followed up for >3 years. These patients were enrolled in the study. Time span from the first visit to first Boolean remission was calculated. The relationship between the time span and each of background parameters, and the relationship between the time span and each of the mean values of the SDAI score, HAQ score, PS-VAS, SHS, and QOLS at the first Boolean remission and thereafter was evaluated statistically.Patients were subsequently divided into the G ≤ 6 and G > 6 groups based on the achievement of first Boolean remission within two groups: time span G ≤ 6 months and G > 6 months. The two groups were compared with regard to the SDAI score, HAQ score, PS-VAS, SHS, and QOLS at first visit and at the time of first Boolean remission, and the mean values of these parameters after remission were evaluated statistically. Moreover, changes of these parameters and the mean Boolean remission rate after the first remission, and SDAI remission rate at the first Boolean remission to thereafter were compared between the two groups statistically.Results:Out of 465 patients, females comprised 343 (73.7%), and the mean age was 67.8 years (range, from 21–95 years). The mean disease duration at first visit was 6.1 years (range, from 1 months–45 years). The mean follow up length was 88.1 months (range: 36–122 months; median: 85 months) and mean time span from the first visit to the first Boolean remission was 8.1 months. The mean SDAI score, HAQ score, PS-VAS, and the QOLS at first visit were 13.3, 0.467, 33.2, and 0.834, respectively. Among the study parameters, PS-VAS and QOLS were significantly correlated with the time span. For parameters at the first Boolean remission, HAQ-DI score, PS-VAS, and QOLS demonstrated significant correlation with the time span, whereas SDAI, HAQ-DI score, PS-VAS, SHS, and QOLS after the Boolean remission demonstrated significant correlation with the time span.The comparison between the G ≤ 6 and the G > 6 groups revealed that the disease duration, HAQ score, and PS-VAS at baseline in the G > 6 were significantly higher than that in the G ≤ 6 group, and QOLS in the G ≤ 6 group was significantly higher than that in the G > 6 group at baseline. Similarly, the HAQ score and PS-VAS at the first Boolean remission in the G > 6 group were significantly higher than that in the G ≤ 6 group, whereas QOLS in the G ≤ 6 group demonstrated no significant difference compared with that in the G > 6 group.The mean value of the SDAI score after the first Boolean remission in the G > 6 group was significantly higher than that in the G ≤ 6 group. Similarly, the SDAI score, HAQ score, and PS-VAS after the first Boolean remission in the G > 6 group were also significantly higher than those in the G ≤ 6 group, and the mean value of the QOLS in the G ≤ 6 group were significantly higher than that in the G > 6 group. The Boolean remission rate and SDAI remission rate after the first Boolean remission were significantly higher in the G ≤ 6 group than those in the G > 6 group.Conclusion:Attaining Boolean remission ≤ 6 months for RA has significant benefit for more stable disease control, that leads good maintenance of ADL.Disclosure of Interests:None declared
Indirect Costs of Rheumatoid Arthritis Depending on Type of Treatment—A Systematic Literature Review