Induction and maintenance of clinical remission in rheumatoid arthritis

Clinical remission of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is defined as all of the following:

• symptom relief
• normalisation of inflammatory markers
• absence of joint swelling.

Clinical remission can be measured and monitored using a recognised online tool, such as the Simple Disease Activity Index (SDAI) for RA.

Induction and maintenance of clinical remission in patients with RA usually involves immunomodulatory therapy under specialist management. The goal of immunomodulatory therapy is sustained clinical remission. Sometimes clinical remission is not achievable, and an acceptable goal is minimal or low disease activityStudenic, 2022.

An initial induction strategy (treatment plan) ideally should be individualised and influenced by the patient’s:

• treatment preferences
• disease severity and prognosis
• age, childbearing status, and comorbidities.