WCO IOF- ESCEO 2025: Does Treat-To-Target Therapy Prevent Bone Loss in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Presenter: S. K. Stojanovic

Treat-to-target (T2T) therapy in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) significantly mitigates bone mineral density (BMD) loss. 

In a prospective study of 84 patients with early RA, all initially treated with methotrexate, those achieving remission or low disease activity (DAS28 ≤3.2) exhibited reduced annual bone loss at the lumbar spine (1.34% vs 1.75%) and hip (0.98% vs 1.45%) compared to patients with persistent activity. After one year, BMD decline was more frequent in the non-remission group (31.25% vs 7.69%, p<0.05). Negative correlations between disease activity and BMD changes confirmed that aggressive T2T strategies effectively preserve bone health in early RA.

World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (WCO IOF-ESCEO 2025), April 10-13, 2025, Rome, Italy