Objective. In 1999, the Italian Society of Rheumatology started a project to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of aggressive rheumatoid arthritis (ARA). Methods. For I year, all patients with RA for 2 to 2 to 1.5, female sex, and RF positivity. Conditions other than RA were recorded in about 50% of the patients, and only 30%-40% were taking disease modifying antirheumatic drugs. Conclusion. In an Italian RA population, the GIARA (Gruppo Italiano Artrite Reumatoide Aggressiva) criteria for ARA were met by 15% of the patients with disease duration of 2 years, but erosions were seen in 35%. Upon referral, most of the RA patients were inadequately treated and had other conditions
