Key clinical point: In early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), joint damage was significantly associated with disability but not with patient-reported pain at inclusion and during 5-year follow-up. Cartilage damage seemed to affect function in the longer run.
Major finding: The erosion score was significantly associated with Health Assessment Questionnaire score (HAQ) at inclusion (regression coefficient [ β] 0.032; P = .02) and after 5 years ( β 0.009; P = .02) in a cross-sectional analysis, whereas joint space narrowing score (JSNS) was associated with HAQ only at 5 years ( β 0.010; 95% CI 0.004-0.016) in the longitudinal analysis. The erosion score and JSNS had no association with Visual Analogue Scale of Pain at all time points.
Study details: The data come from a longitudinal cohort study including 233 patients with early RA who had symptoms for ≤12 months and were followed for 5 years.
Disclosures: This study was supported by The Swedish Research Council and other sources. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Eberhard A et al. Radiographic damage in early rheumatoid arthritis is associated with increased disability but not with pain-a 5-year follow-up study. Arthritis Res Ther . 2023;25:29 (Feb 27). Doi: 10.1186/s13075-023-03015-9