Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune, chronic disease, characterised by inflammation of joints. Treatment options in RA have greatly improved in recent years, however a large proportion of patients still suffer from pain. Pain in RA is typically related to inflammation and synovitis, but a substantial group of patients experience long-lasting pain without signs of ongoing inflammation.
The purpose of this project is to study development of pain over time in early RA, to determine predictors of long-lasting pain, and to study the effect of medical treatment on pain in RA