You have full access to this open access article. Frailty is a construct recently introduced in the context of inflammatory joint diseases. To date, it is not clear if frailty can act as a negative factor in the achievement of comprehensive disease control CDC in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis RA.
To verify whether frailty is a factor hindering the achievement of CDC in patients with RA starting a biologic drug. RA patients requiring a treatment with a biologic drug were included. Patients were classified as achieving or not achieving CDC after 12 months of treatment. Patients were classified as non-frail, mildly frail, moderately frail and severely frail according to the Comprehensive Rheumatologic Assessment of Frailty CRAF.
A multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with prediction of CDC achievers. A total of RA patients were followed for 12 months, Eighty-four Rheumatoid arthritis RA is an inflammatory autoimmune joint disease that can lead to a significant disability and poor quality of life [ 1 ]. However, there are different definitions of disease activity control.
Achieving CDC means reaching precise targets in tools that assess disease activity, function and radiological damage. Achieving CDC has been shown to provide significant benefits to patients in terms of symptoms reduced pain and fatigue , quality of life and work ability. The effectiveness of this strategy has been well demonstrated in clinical trials [ 4 , 5 ]. Achieving CDC is desirable in each RA patient, especially in young patients and in the absence of comorbidity.
The concept of frailty is relatively recent and emerging in rheumatology. Frailty is a construct aimed at the recognition of individuals who are more vulnerable to adverse events and more predisposed to unfavourable outcomes.
