Abstract
Objectives: The disease course of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has become milder in recent years. In this study we investigated the incidence of orthopaedic surgery in patients with RA.Method: From the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register we selected joint replacement procedures conducted during the years 1994–2012 (n = 11 337), and from the Norwegian Patient Register we obtained data on synovectomies (n = 4782) and arthrodeses (n = 6022) during 1997–2012. Using Poisson regression we analysed the time trends in the incidence of procedures performed.Results: There was a significant decrease in the incidence of arthroplasty surgery (coefficient of −0.050 per year) and synovectomies (coefficient of −0.10) and a declining trend of arthrodeses in patients with RA in the study periods. The greatest reduction was found in procedures involving the wrist and hand.Conclusions: We found a decrease in orthopaedic surgery in patients with RA that continued into the biologic era and throughout the study period. The general increasing trend in the use of synthetic and biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) thus coincides with less joint destruction and an improved long-term prognosis of patients with RA.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
