Sarar Cohort: disease activity, functional capacity, and radiological damage in rheumatoid arthritis patients...

The Sarar cohort consists of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who underwent hip or knee arthroplasties at hospital Sarah-Brasília. The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical and laboratory factors associated with disease activity, functional capacity and radiological damage in RA patients, participants in this cohort.

cross-sectional study, with data collection achieved from medical records review.

Thirty-two patients were included, with a mean time of disease onset of 240 months. Nineteen patients underwenttotal knee (TKA) and 17 total hip (THA) arthroplasty. There was a positive correlation between maximum dose of methotrexate (MTX) and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) (R = -0.46, p = 0.011), and a negative one with Simplified Erosion and Narrowing Score (SENS) (R = - 0.58, p = 0.004). SENS values were higher in patients with rheumatoid factor (RF) (p = 0.005) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody 3 (anti-CCP3) positivity (p = 0.044), in those with higher RF (p = 0.037) and anti-CCP3 (p = 0.025) titers, and lower in patients with family history of RA (p = 0.009). HAQ values were higher in older patients (p = 0.031). In multiple linear regression, only "maximum dose of MTX' and "family history" remained with significant association with SENS (r(2) = 0.73, p <0.001 for both variables). In the model evaluating CDAI only "maximum dose of MTX" remained significantly associated (r(2) = 0.35, p = 0.016).

In the Sarar cohort, clinical and laboratory factors were related to disease activity, functional capacity and radiological damage, similar to studies evaluating patients with lower disease duration.