[Remission of rheumatoid arthritis. Apropos of 32 case reports]

The remission of rheumatoid arthritis is a generally accepted concept, although few studies have been performed in this area. The authors report 32 cases of rheumatoid arthritis in remission in a population of 300 patients (10.7%). These cases of rheumatoid arthritis did not present any distinctive signs in comparison with the other patients. The remission was obtained an average of 6.5 years after the onset of the disease and has lasted, to date, for an average of 2.55 years. 30 of the 32 patients were still in remission at the last consultation. The criteria of remission proposed by the ARA are confirmed by these cases. The authors raise the question of the influence of basic treatment on the incidence of remission.