Background/Purpose: DAS28 is often used as a treatment decision tool in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the daily clinic. Although different versions of DAS28 have previously been validated, and although disease activity thresholds are the same, it is not clear whether DAS28-ESR and DAS28-CRP can be used interchangeably in individual patients.

Objectives: The aims of our study were to examine the agreement between these two DAS28 versions in individual early RA patients in the daily clinic and to idenditify factors related to the discrepancies between disease activity levels according to these 2
scores.

Methods: Baseline and 6 months data from 677 patients with early RA (ACR EULAR 2010) were extracted from the French cohort of early arthritis ESPOIR (at least 2 swollen joints for less than 6 months, DMARD naïve) and were used to calculate DAS28-ESR and DAS28-CRP. Disease activity levels according to the DAS thresholds and EULAR responses were assessed.

Intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] and weighted kappa (k) were calculated. The Bland-Altman method was used to examine the bias between the DAS scores and the 95% limits of agreement (LoA).

Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the patient and RA features independently associated with discrepancies between disease activity levels according to DAS28-ESR and DAS28-CRP.

Results: The mean value of DAS28-CRP (5.04±1.16 at M0 and 3.38±1.33 at M6) was smaller than that of mean DAS28-ESR (5.33±1.24 at M0 and 3.51±1.42 at M6).

Agreement between the scores was excellent: ICC=0.93 at M0 and M6. Agreement between disease activity levels according to the 2 scores was good: k=0.70 at M0 and 0.75 at M6. Agreement between EULAR responses at M6 according to the 2 scores was good: k=0.78. At M0, the bias of DAS28-CRP was -0.28 (LoA -1.16, 0.59) and -0.14 (LoA -1.17,0.89) at M6.

There were discrepancies between disease activity levels according to the 2 scores in 122 (18.6%) patients at M0 with clear difference in moderate (88 patients for DAS28-CRP vs 29 for DAS28-ESR) and high disease activity (18 patients for DAS28-CRP vs 80 for DAS28-ESR), and in 171 (28.1%) patients at M6 with clear difference in remission (42 patients for DAS28-CRP vs 29 for DAS28-ESR) and high disease activity (9 patients for DAS28-CRP vs 32 for DAS28-ESR).

At M0, presence of erosion (OR 95%CI=1.76 [1.07-2.90]), better mental component of the SF36 (OR 95%CI=2.14 [1.38-3.31]), fewer tender joint counts (TJC) and better physical component of the SF36 (PCS) (with significant interaction between TJC and PCS) were associated with discrepancies between disease activity levels according to the 2 scores. At M6, only being male (OR 95%CI=1.62 [1.09-2.41]) was associated with discrepancies.

Conclusion: DAS28-CRP significantly underestimated disease activity compared to DAS28-ESR. Agreement was high between the 2 scores, good for disease activity levels and EULAR responses. In the individual patient, however, the two scores may differ considerably. The scores should not be used interchangeably in the daily clinic without caution.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/agreement-between-the-das28-esr-and-the-das28-crp-and-factors-related-to-the-discrepancies-between-disease-activity-levels-according-to-these-2-scores-in-patients-with-early-rheumatoid-arthritis/