Dr K E Donahue

Correspondence to: Dr K E Donahue, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; kdonahue@med.unc.edu

QUESTION

In adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), what are the relative benefits and harms of various disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs)?

REVIEW SCOPE

Studies selected compared different DMARDs in adults with RA. Outcomes were clinical response, radiographic progression, functional capacity, quality of life, and adverse events.

REVIEW METHODS

5 databases (to September 2007); reference lists; and drug companies were searched for head-to-head, randomised, controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies, published in English with ⩾100 patients and ⩾12 weeks of follow-up. 143 articles on 101 studies met the selection criteria. …