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Effect of a treatment strategy of tight control for rheumatoid arthritis: TICORA

One-paragraph summary

TICORA screened 183 people and randomized 111 to intensive outpatient management aimed at sustained tight control or routine care. The strategy used frequent objective activity assessment and protocolized escalation and produced better disease activity and radiographic outcomes than routine follow-up (PMID 15262104).

Key findings

  • The intervention was a care strategy, not one proprietary drug.
  • Frequent measurement and predefined escalation converted information into action.
  • Structural as well as symptomatic outcomes favored intensive management.
  • The trial established a foundation for modern treat-to-target recommendations.

Limitations

  • Single-blind, two-center design and an older treatment era limit direct transport.
  • Intensive visits may be difficult in low-resource systems.
  • Strategy components were bundled, so their individual contributions cannot be isolated.

Why it matters

TICORA showed that how existing DMARDs are deployed can be disease-modifying, making therapeutic inertia a measurable treatment failure.

Cited by wiki pages

  • overview
  • epidemiology and burden
  • treat to target and remission
  • clinical trials landscape