Study: Aggressive Drug Therapy Keeps Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Working

Prompt and aggressive drug therapy prevents work disability in patients with early stage rheumatoid arthritis, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans.

Work disability can be an expensive result of rheumatoid arthritis, causing a loss of income and productivity. Prior studies have shown that aggressive initial drug treatment with a combination of antirheumatic drugs versus therapy with just one antirheumatic drug in early rheumatoid arthritis results in slower progression of joint damage over the first two years.

Finnish researchers conducted a study to analyze the impact of single drug therapy versus combination drug therapy on a patient's ability to work. At the start of the study, 162 patients were working or were able to work. For two years, 80 of the patients received combination therapy and 82 received a single antirheumatic drug. After five years, data was collected on the patients' sick leave and arthritis-related retirement.

Work disability accounted for many more days lost from work for those in the single-drug group (32 days per year) compared to those in the combination-drug group (12 days per year).

"Early aggressive therapy with a combination of antirheumatic drugs in recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis maintains the patients' earning capacity better than single-drug therapy and saves substantially the costs in society," said Dr. Kari Puolakka of the Lappeenranta Central Hospital in Finland and researcher in the study.

Other sources: American College of Rheumatology