Can alternative means of phenotyping rheumatoid arthritis reduce its apparent heterogeneity? A comparison of three disease activity classifications with disease activity score (DAS28)
Authors' conclusion
Separating subjective and objective dimensions reveals different RA patient profiles that are grouped together by DAS28, demonstrating the extent to which DAS28 is confounded by factors beyond RA disease activity.
Study context
- Population
- Patients aged 18–100 years newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 2012–2022, Swedish Rheumatology Quality Registercomplete data
- Participants
- 6,624 patients
- Exposure
- Three alternative disease activity classifications vs DAS28 categories
- Outcome
- RA patient profiles (comorbidity histories, work ability) in subjectively vs objectively dominated subsets of three alternative disease activity classifications, compared with DAS28 categories
Methodological detailsregister-based, comparison of classification schemes, Gaussian Mixture Model
- Register-based
- Comparison of classification schemes
- Gaussian Mixture Model
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Subjectively dominated subsets included more patients with pain and psychiatric diagnoses prior to RA diagnosis
50%-300%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Can alternative means of phenotyping rheumatoid arthritis reduce its apparent heterogeneity? A comparison of three disease activity classifications with DAS28. RMD Open. Published 16 March 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →