Joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis: radiological assessments and the effects of anti-rheumatic drugs.

Joint damage is a major problem in the long-term course of rheumatoid arthritis. It is usually assessed radiologically. In this review the methods of measuring the radiological changes are outlined, and the effects of anti-rheumatic drugs on radiological progression summarised. Two methods of scoring radiographs have become standard techniques; these are the Sharp index and the Larsen index. They both concentrate on cartilage loss and erosive damage in the hands and wrists. Investigations of the effects of drugs upon the radiological progression of rheumatoid arthritis include: indirect studies evaluating the inter-relationships between clinical, laboratory and radiological variables; placebo-controlled studies of slow-acting drugs and similarly controlled studies without a placebo group; open studies evaluating the long-term effects of treatment of slow-acting drugs. Only slow-acting drugs such as gold have been persistently considered to have a possible effect on reducing radiological progression. Unfortunately the therapeutic studies use a wide range of different radiological assessment techniques, and the incomparability is therefore difficult. None of the studies give a good indication that there is a marked reduction in joint damage by slow-acting drugs. On balance studies do suggest minor effects on the process of progression. Instead of debating how strong the evidence of such minor effect really is, it is concluded that rheumatologists should look towards novel therapeutic approaches to induce a major reduction in the rate of damage.