High disease activity is a predictor of cortical hand bone loss in post-menopausal patients with established rheumatoid arthritis: a 5-year multicentre longitudinal study

Abstract

High disease activity measured by DAS-28 was an independent predictor of cortical hand bone loss over 5 years in established, destructive RA. This finding supports that increased disease activity leads to localized bone loss in long-standing RA and underlines the importance of tight control and aggressive anti-inflammatory treatment in these patients.