Monitoring Rheumatoid Arthritis with Multibiomarker Disease Activity Score: An Objective Tool
The following is a summary of “Multibiomarker disease activity score: an objective tool for monitoring rheumatoid arthritis? A systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in the June 2023 issue of Rheumatology by Meznerics, et al.
For a study, researchers sought to assess the clinical value of the multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA) score in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Specifically, they aimed to evaluate the correlation of the MBDA score with conventional disease activity measures and investigate its predictive and discriminative abilities for radiographic progression, therapy response, remission, and relapse in RA.
A comprehensive literature search was conducted in five medical databases from the database’s inception to October 13, 2021. The inclusion criteria encompassed original articles that reported on the performance of the MBDA score in terms of its correlation with conventional disease activity measures, as well as its predictive and discriminative values for various clinical outcomes in RA.
During the systematic search, a total of 1,190 records were identified. After the selection process and citation searches, 32 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. The analysis revealed moderate correlations between the multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA) score and conventional disease activity measures at baseline and follow-up. Specifically, at baseline, the MBDA score showed moderate correlation with the 28-joint Disease Activity Score with C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) (correlation [COR] 0.45, CI 0.28 to 0.59, I2 = 71.0%) and with DAS28 using erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (COR 0.55, CI 0.19 to 0.78, I2 = 0.0%). At follow-up, the correlation between the MBDA score and DAS28-CRP was 0.44 (CI 0.28 to 0.57, I2 = 70.0%). Furthermore, patients with a high baseline MBDA score (>44) had significantly higher odds of radiographic progression compared to those with a low baseline MBDA score (<30) (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, CI 1.02 to 1.05, I2 = 10.0%).
The findings suggested that the MBDA score can serve as an objective marker for assessing disease activity in RA. Furthermore, it demonstrated promise as a prognostic marker for radiographic progression. The results supported the clinical utility of the MBDA score in RA management.
Source: academic.oup.com/rheumatology/article/62/6/2048/6964377
