To assess the determinants of Patient's Global Assessment of Disease Activity (PtGA) and Physician's Global Assessment of Disease Activity (PhGA) in overall and Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from two large randomized controlled trials.
Post hoc analysis of overall and Japanese RA patients who had previous inadequate responses to methotrexate or who had no/minimal previous disease-modifying antirheumatic drug treatment. We examined correlations between PtGA/PhGA and tender joint count in 28 joints (TJC28), swollen joint count in 28 joints (SJC28), inflammatory markers, pain visual analog scale (VAS), and other patient-reported outcomes at baseline, Week 12, and Week 24. Determinants of PtGA/PhGA were identified.
In overall populations, pain VAS was the main determinant of PtGA, whereas TJC28 was the main determinant of PhGA in both studies. In Japanese populations, consistent with overall populations, pain VAS was the main determinant of PtGA in both studies; in contrast to overall populations, pain VAS and SJC28/TJC28 played an important role in PhGA.
Pain was the most important determinant of PtGA, whereas determinants of PhGA varied between populations/studies and were mostly explained by pain/joint counts. Physicians should be aware of patients' perceptions of disease activity when performing assessments/prescribing treatments.