Luurssen-Masurel N, van Mulligen E, Weel-Koenders AEAM, et al. - There was a difference in clinical outcomes between undifferentiated arthritis, autoantibody-negative, and positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These outcomes demonstrated that RA can be subcategorized into the aforementioned clinical phenotypes and that treatment might be stratified upon these phenotypes, although validation is required.

• Researchers observed within 2 and 5 years fewer DMARD-free remission rates (DFR) in RA + (17.2–25.7%), followed by RA-(28.4–42.1%) and UA patients(43.1–58.5%). For SDFR, this also used within 2 and 5 years (respectively 7.6% and 21.4%; 20.5% and 38.1%; and 35.4% and 55.4%).

• During tapering, a flare was seen in 22.7% of patients. Among individuals in DFR 7.5% had an early flare and 3.4% a late flare.

• More treatment intensifications have been reported in RA+ compared with RA- and UA.

• The results showed that higher baseline DAS, ACPA positivity, BMI, and smoking were negatively correlated with (S)DFR, while there was a positive association between clinical phenotype(reference RA+), short symptom duration(<6 months), and remission within 6 months.