Imaging in early rheumatoid arthritis
Abstract Imaging in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has undergone extraordinary change in recent years and new techniques are now available to help the clinician diagnose and manage patients much more…
Is there a place for initial treatment with biological DMARDs in the early phase of RA?
Abstract The use of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) has changed the face of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Achieving remission, normal function and prevention of joint damage are now possible for…
What is the best treatment strategy for early RA?
Abstract Treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis has to be started very early, when the diagnosis is made, preferentially before 6 months of symptoms. Combination therapy with conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs…
To screen or not to screen: How to find and identify very early arthritis
Abstract There is accumulating evidence demonstrating that early treatment leads to better outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis. In order to be treated early, patients thus need to be identified at the…
Can rheumatoid arthritis be prevented?
Abstract The discovery of elevations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related biomarkers prior to the onset of clinically apparent RA raises hopes that individuals who are at risk of future RA can…
Early rheumatoid arthritis: The performance of the 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria for diagnosing RA
Abstract New classification criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were presented by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) in 2010, aiming for early identification…
Low back pain research – Future directions
Abstract Low back pain is a challenge for clinicians and researchers, due to the large variability in clinical presentation, lack of consensus regarding diagnostic criteria or clinical classification; wide variation…
Why and how back pain interventions work: What can we do to find out?
Abstract Mediation analysis is a useful research method that potentially allows identification of the mechanisms through which treatments affect patient outcomes. This chapter reviews the theoretical framework, research designs and…
Stratified models of care
Abstract Stratified care for back pain involves targeting treatment to subgroups of patients based on their key characteristics such as prognostic factors, likely response to treatment and underlying mechanisms. It…
Evidence for surgery in degenerative lumbar spine disorders
Abstract We aimed to evaluate the available evidence on the effectiveness of surgical interventions for a number of conditions resulting in low back pain (LBP) or spine-related irradiating leg pain….
