A large observational cohort study of rheumatoid arthritis, IORRA: Providing context for today’s treatment options

Abstract

Real-world evidence, based on real-world data from routine clinical treatment, is becoming increasingly important for providing high-quality medical care. Large-scale cohort studies can provide useful access to some of this real-world evidence, as shown by the IORRA (Institute of Rheumatology, Rheumatoid Arthritis) cohort in Japan. This large cohort study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been surveying enrolled participants since its inception in 2000. In the last 19 years, it has served as a database for a wide range of research in areas including transitions in medical care at the clinical level, changes in therapeutic drugs, approaches to comorbidities, developments in pharmacoeconomics, and the effects of genomic information on treatment options. This research has resulted in the publication of 133 articles in English to date. IORRA monitors changes in the management of RA, and has quantified over time the daily experience of clinicians who provide routine medical care. Such observational databases, which reflect the reality of daily clinical practice, will become increasingly important and may provide a model for similar research in other disease areas. ARTICLE HISTORY

Association of theRPA3-UMAD1locus with interstitial lung diseases complicated with rheumatoid arthritis in Japanese

“…IORRA is an RA cohort which was established in 2000 at Tokyo Women's Medical University, Japan. 9 All the RA subjects in the IORRA cohort had high-dose CT in a variety of clinical settings. The ILD status of each subject was classified as UIP, probable UIP, non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), unclassifiable, others and normal according to the international criteria.…”

Prevalence and predictive factors of difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis: the KURAMA cohort

“…Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes joint damage, leading to lifelong disability if not adequately treated [1]. Over the past several decades, the landscape of RA treatment has dramatically changed [2]. A treat-to-target principle has emerged with defined therapeutic targets.…”

Factors associated with osteoporosis medication use in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Results from the Institute of Rheumatology Rheumatoid Arthritis cohort study

“…The IORRA cohort was established in October 2000 as a single, institute-based, large, observational cohort of Japanese patients with RA at the Institute of Rheumatology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University. Details regarding the purpose and methodology of this study have been reported previously [ [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] ]. Over 139 publications have described various characteristics of Japanese patients with RA from this large cohort.…”

“…Previously, we have reported various clinical characteristics of osteoporosis in Japanese patients with RA by way of utilizing data from our Institute of Rheumatology Rheumatoid Arthritis (IORRA) cohort study [ [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] ]. For patients with RA, the prevention of fractures is important to the maintenance of their quality of life (QoL), thus their osteoporosis requires appropriate treatment.…”