Remission in a prospective study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. American rheumatism association preliminary remission criteria in relation to the disease activity score

In a prospective follow-up study of patients with early-onset rheumatoid arthritis, the prevalence of remission according to the 1981 American Rheumatism Association (ARA) preliminary criteria was evaluated. A total of 227 patients with a median follow-up of 3.9 yr and a total of 2832 follow-up visits were studied. The ARA remission criteria were fulfilled in 9.5% of these visits. The percentage of patients with at least one visit fulfilling the ARA criteria was for years 2-6 similar to 25%. Each year, similar to 15% of the patients were in remission for at least two consecutive visits. A comparison was made between the ARA remission criteria and the Disease Activity Score (DAS). DAS