In 1999, the Italian Society of Rheumatology started a project to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of aggressive rheumatoid arthritis (ARA).
For 1 year, all patients with RA for > 5 years and referred to participating centers were entered in a registry and classified as having ARA if they fulfilled the following criteria: 10 swollen joints for at least 6 weeks, positive rheumatoid factor (RF), and at least one bone erosion (if disease duration of 2 years); (a) RF-positive and having 10 swollen joints or at least one newly eroded joint, or (b) if RF-negative, having 10 swollen joints and at least one newly eroded joint (if disease duration > 2 to < 5 years).
The 94 participating centers enrolled 1218 patients with RA, 1130 of whom had enough data to be classified as ARA (29.0%) or non-ARA (71.0%). The frequency of ARA was 15% in the 2-year group and 63% in the > 2 to < 5-year group, but 35% of the patients in the 2-year group had erosions. Bone erosions were associated with disease duration, a Health Assessment Questionnaire value > 1.5, female sex, and RF positivity. Conditions other than RA were recorded in about 50% of the patients, and only 30% 40% were taking disease modifying antirheumatic drugs.
In an Italian RA population, the GIARA (Gruppo Italiano Artrite Reumatoide Aggressiva) criteria for ARA were met by 15% of the patients with disease duration of 2 years, but erosions were seen in 35%. Upon referral, most of the RA patients were inadequately treated and had other conditions.