Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the occurrence of repair in a cohort of conventionally treated patients with early rheumatoid arthritis over 8 years.
Methods: There were 395 patients included in the BARFOT study having radiographs of hands and feet at inclusion, and at 1, 2, 5, and 8 years, which were chronologically scored for erosions by the Sharp/van der Heijde method. An erosion with repair was defined as an erosion that has become partially or totally filled, with or without sclerosis.
Results: Erosions with repair were observed in 64 patients (16%) at 1 year, 113 (29%) at 2 years, 142 (36%) at 5 years, and 200 (51%) at 8 years. At the 1-year visit, 13% of the patients with at least 1 new erosion showed repair versus 3% of the patients with no new erosions (p = 0.001). At 2, 5, and 8 years the corresponding figures were 22% and 6%, 28% and 8%, and 39% and 11%, respectively (all p = 0.001). The sum of all repaired erosions correlated strongly with the sum of all erosions and with the sum of all erosion scores (ρ = 0.79 and 0.77). Presence of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP) was significantly associated with both new erosions and repair.
Conclusion: Repair was more common than previously described. The frequency of repair increased over time and was associated with the number of erosions. RF- and anti-CCP-positivity, patient age, and presence of erosions at baseline were independent predictors of repair.
Keywords: DISEASE ACTIVITY; RADIOGRAPHY; REPAIR OF EROSIONS; RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS; SHARP/VAN DER HEIJDE METHOD.