Key clinical point: Ultrasound-detected subclinical inflammation of tendons and joints was better controlled in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical remission who received the combination therapy of conventional synthetic and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARD+bDMARD) vs csDMARD or bDMARD monotherapy.
Major finding: Grey-scale tenosynovitis (P = .025) and power Doppler (PD) tenosynovitis (P = .047) were better controlled with csDMARD+bDMARD than with csDMARD alone. csDMARD+bDMARD was also associated with better treatment results for PD synovitis vs csDMARD (P = .01) or bDMARD (P = .02) alone.
Study details: Findings are from a longitudinal analysis of the STARTER study including 256 patients with RA in clinical remission who received csDMARD alone, bDMARD alone, or csDMARD+bDMARD.
Disclosures: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Parisi S et al. Relationship between the prevalence of subclinical tenosynovitis and treatment in patients with RA in clinical remission: STARTER study. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2022 (Sep 6). Doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac518