2010 Rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria: an American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism collaborative initiative
New criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, could prevent thousands of people from developing disabling late stage disease, by redefining how RA should be classified.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive autoimmune inflammatory disease, primarily of the joints. If untreated, it leads to damage of bone and cartilage, joint deformities and disability. Around 350,000 people in the UK are living with RA, which affects around three times as many women as men.
Late stage rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked to a higher risk of serious heart disease and premature death.
The new criteria, which were developed jointly in three phases by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), are based on data from real patients and clinical consensus.
They replace existing ACR criteria published in 1987, which focused on established, rather than early indicators of disease. The new 2010 criteria focus on early diagnosis and treatment, which has become increasingly important with the advent of more effective drug treatments over the past decade.
If picked up early, synthetic and biological disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can prevent the destructive and disabling joint damage, which is a hallmark of late stage RA.
The new criteria aim to recognise RA early on in its development, in a bid to target preventive treatment more effectively and channel into clinical trials patients who could benefit from promising new therapies for the disease.
The new criteria classify "definite RA" as: