ArticleRMD open2017
Non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions in patients with early arthritis: a systematic literature review informing the 2016 update of EULAR recommendations for the management of early arthritis.
Article in RMD open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells in the Treatment and Management of Immunomodulatory Disorders.Current pharmaceutical design · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of pharmacological interventions and therapeutic exercises for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Expert recommendations on the psychological needs of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Rheumatology international · 2018Pooled it
- Mechanisms and precision interventions in sarcopenia and osteoarthritis comorbidity: A narrative review.Journal of orthopaedic translation · 2026Review
- Patients' experiences of managing lifestyle habits following a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.EULAR rheumatology open · 2026Article
- How and Who? Examining Real-World Evidence of Engagement and Use of an Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Smartphone Application in Routine Clinical Care for Patients With Inflammatory Arthritides.ACR open rheumatology · 2025Article
- Impact of cigarette smoking on rheumatoid arthritis-associated lung diseases: a retrospective case control study on clinical and radiological features and prognosis.Rheumatology international · 2023Article
- Review
- Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Patient perspectives on how to improve education on medication side effects: cross-sectional observational study at a rheumatology clinic in The Netherlands.Rheumatology international · 2021Observational
- Physical activity in established rheumatoid arthritis and variables associated with maintenance of physical activity over a seven-year period - a longitudinal observational study.BMC rheumatology · 2020Article
- Review
- Reduced skeletal muscle independently predicts 1-year aggravated joint destruction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2020Article
- Exercise and Chronic Pain.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2020Review
- Chronic Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Mediators of Skeletal Muscle Pathology and Physical Impairment: A Review.Arthritis care & research · 2019Review
- Oxidative Stress in Rheumatoid Arthritis: What the Future Might Hold regarding Novel Biomarkers and Add-On Therapies.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2019Review
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Brief Overview of the Treatment.Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre · 2018Review
- The clinical utility of gene expression examination in rheumatology.Mediterranean journal of rheumatology · 2017Review
- Rheumatoid arthritis: The benefits of early treatment after decades.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo perform a systematic literature review (SLR) on pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, in order to inform the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of early arthritis (EA).
methodsThe expert committee defined research questions concerning non-pharmacological interventions, patient information and education, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, glucocorticoid (GC) and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) use, as well as on disease monitoring. The SLR included articles published after the last EULAR SLR until November 2015 found in the MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases and abstracts from the 2014 and 2015 American College of Rheumatology and EULAR conferences.
resultsExercise programmes may improve pain and physical function in patients with EA. Patients with EA treated within the first 3 months of symptoms have better clinical and radiological outcomes than those treated beyond 3 months. The clinical and radiological efficacy of GCs is confirmed, with similar efficacy of oral and parenteral administrations. Long-term data raise concerns regarding cardiovascular safety when using GCs. Step-up DMARD therapy is as effective as intensive DMARD therapy 'ab initio' for the long-term outcome of EA. Short-term superiority of intensive therapy with bDMARDs is not maintained on withdrawal of bDMARD. Patients with early psoriatic arthritis have better skin and joint outcomes when tight control is used compared to standard care.
conclusionsThe findings confirm the beneficial effect of exercise programmes and the importance of early drug therapy and tight control. They support the use of methotrexate and GCs as first-line drugs, although the long-term use of GCs raises safety concerns.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.