Bone marrow oedema predicts structural progression in a 1-year follow-up of 85 patients with RA in remission or with low disease activity with low-field MRI.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the predictive factors of MRI-determined structural progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in remission or with low disease activity (LDA).

METHODS: In this 1-year longitudinal study, patients with RA in clinical remission (disease activity score (DAS) 44≤1.6) or with LDA (1.6
RESULTS: 85 patients with RA in remission (n=47) or with LDA (n=38) were included. Their mean age was 50 ± 13 years, 81% were female, mean disease duration was 35 ± 20 months, rheumatoid factor (RF)/anti-CCP positivity was 63%/64% and 77% had radiographic erosion. At baseline most patients showed inflammatory activity on MRI: 87% had at least one synovitis and 23% at least one location of bone marrow oedema (BME). BME at baseline was predictive of change in RAMRIS(erosion) (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.43, p=0.0013, area under the curve=0.78).

CONCLUSION: BME is a predictive factor of MRI-determined structural progression in patients with RA in clinical remission or with LDA.