Disease Activity Score-28 for Rheumatoid Arthritis with ESR (DAS28-ESR)

Patients with confirmed rheumatoid arthritis.

• The DAS Scores indicate how active a patient’s rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is currently, and can be trended over time.
• They were initially developed for comparing clinical trial results of RA drugs, but are now used as overall markers of disease activity.
• Recently a “treat to target” approach has been recommended: that a DAS score be frequently calculated until a patient’s score suggests disease remission, or to a particular ESR or CRP level.
• The DAS scores were simplified, previously using 44 joints for assessment, and now instead use 28.

Points to keep in mind:

• There is some degree of inter-rater variability in assessing the DAS scores, as different raters may classify a joint as swollen or tender to different degrees.
• The feet are not assessed in the DAS28 scores, since foot joint pains may be unrelated to RA activity (since we walk on our feet). Foot assessment, however, should still be considered in the patient’s broader gestalt, and foot complaints should obviously be considered and managed appropriately in RA patients.

Recently a “treat to target” approach has been recommended: that a DAS score be calculated at frequent intervals while therapies are being given, until a patient’s score suggests disease remission, or to a particular ESR or CRP level.