Study: Over Two Decades, Rheumatoid Arthritis Becomes Severe for 30 Percent

Over the course of two decades, almost 30 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients will develop the most severe form of the disease, according to Finnish researchers.

The study included 103 rheumatoid arthritis patients, whose hands and feet were X-rayed at onset of the study, and again at one, three, eight, 14 and 20 years. At the beginning of the trial, all participants had suffered from the disease for less than six months.

The researchers, reporting in the Journal of Rheumatology, found joint destruction progression averaged two to three percent per year, with 23 percent of patients experiencing extensive joint destruction at the 20-year endpoint.

"These data will serve as a basis for discussion of methods and comparison with other cohorts in the future," the researchers concluded.

Other sources: Journal of Rheumatology