TRACKING LEVELS OF KEY BIOMARKERS REFLECTS DISEASE ACTIVITY AND PROGRESSION OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

New research has identified biomarkers associated with inflammation and progression in joint erosion in individuals with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to the results of a new study presented at EULAR 2009, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Copenhagen, Denmark. The researchers suggest a potential role for these biomarkers in the monitoring of ongoing disease activity through assessing inflammation and joint destruction, two important targets for the treatment of early RA.
Over the 12-month study period, levels of the serological biomarkers sYKL-40 and sMMP3 were consistently associated with three measures of disease activity: MRI (RAMRIS (RA MRI score) synovitis score and RAMRIS bone marrow oedema score) and clinical scores (DAS28*) of inflammation (p

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