RheumatologyAdvisor discusses gaps in treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the ongoing challenge of characterizing and assessing of RA flares among experts including Vivian P. Bykerk, BSc, MD, FRCPC, rheumatologist at HSS.

Dr. Bykerk explained, “Flare is a difficult concept for a few reasons, but I would not say it is blurred. We have addressed many of the flare constructs: domains, escalation of worsening, state of worsening, patients’ and clinicians’ perspectives, and management.”

She continued, “The contentious issue with flare is when regional soft tissue non-articular pain or centralized widespread nociplastic pain comes into play, such as myofascial pain, referred pain, or generalized pain due to central sensitization. This is why the Flare Group ^3,4 defined flare as the worsening of inflammation in synovial tissues and the use of disease worsening, which in our case refers to RA manifestations, became the common way to phrase ‘flare.’”

Read the full article at Rheumatologyadvisor.com.