AB0223 Has the presentation and severity of rheumatoid arthritis changed in recent decades

Background In recent decades, there have been social, economic and health changes, also in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The development and severity of RA can be affected by these changes. It is discussed if RA is currently less frequent and severe than before1. Objectives To determine the changes in the clinical and demographic variables and the severity of RA that may have occurred over a period of four decades (from 1980 to 2015) and its repercussion in the response to methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy. Methods We conducted a retrospective study, reviewing the records of patients from a cohort of RA who received MTX monotherapy and compared the results of demographic and clinical variables by natural decades. The statistical analysis was performed using the Chi2 test and the one-way ANOVA test. Results We included 301 patients (202 women and 99 men) with a mean age at diagnosis of 49.6 (±13.2) years. The table 1 shows the characteristics of the complete sample and distributed by natural decades. The age at diagnosis was higher after 2000 (p Conclusions In our cohort, the severity of RA has decreased during the last four decades, the time to start MTX has been reduced and better remission rates with MTX monotherapy have been achieved. Reference [1] Silman AJ. Trends in the incidence and severity of rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol1992;19(suppl 32):71–3. Disclosure of Interest None declared