Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40202608›Full record

ArticleClinical rheumatology2025

Physical and mental disability is evident 8 years after diagnosis in early rheumatoid arthritis despite contemporary medication and non-pharmacological interventions.

Ingrid Thyberg, Magnus Husberg, Alf Kastbom

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical rheumatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Ingrid ThybergDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Division of Inflammation and Infection/Rheumatology, Linköping University, 581 85, Linköping, Sweden. ingrid.thyberg@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3457-8065
Magnus HusbergDepartment of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3057-8933
Alf KastbomDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Division of Inflammation and Infection/Rheumatology, Linköping University, 581 85, Linköping, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7187-1477

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionEarly interventions are known to reduce disease activity and physical disability in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but less is known about mental health, especially in the era of early active pharmacotherapy. Consequently, we compared long-term physical and mental disability in an early RA cohort (1996-1998) with a later cohort (2006-2008).

methodsWe compared 320 patients from our project Early Intervention in RA (1996-1998) (TIRA-1) with 463 patients from TIRA-2 (2006-2008). During the 8-year follow-up, pharmacotherapy and multi-professional interventions were offered according to guidelines. Disease Activity Score (DAS28), prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) were registered yearly.

resultsSignificantly more patients were prescribed DMARDs in TIRA-2 than in TIRA-1, and initial improvements were seen for DAS28 and disability in both cohorts. At follow-up, TIRA-2 patients reported less physical disability (HAQ) and less mental disability (SF-36) than TIRA-1 patients. Despite improvements, 32% of the women and 21% of the men in the TIRA-2 cohort reported considerable disability (HAQ ≥ 1) at the 8-year follow-up.

conclusionsDespite improvements in our contemporarily treated TIRA-2 cohort, physical and mental disability was evident 8 years after diagnosis, especially among women. These results suggest a forthcoming need for person-centered non-pharmacological rehabilitation programs to optimize physical and mental function and to improve participation in daily life in RA. Also, the results highlight the need for developing new interventions directed at reducing disability. Key Points • Physical and mental disability is still considerable in contemporarily treated RA. • Interventions specifically aimed to reduce these disabilities need to be further developed. • Patients with severe disability need to be identified in clinical settings and offered person-centered rehabilitation.

Indexed as

Antirheumatic AgentsArthritis, RheumatoidAdultAgedDisability EvaluationFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMental HealthMiddle AgedSeverity of Illness IndexAntirheumatic AgentsHealth Assessment QuestionnairePatient-reported outcomeRehabilitationSF-36

Identifiers

PMID40202608
PMCPMC12141411

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.