A study from Norway examined the health of people on the Oslo Rheumatoid Arthritis Register (ORAR). Everyone on the ORAR received a postal questionnaire in 1994, 1996, 2001 and 2004. Results were obtained from a very large number of respondents with similar demographic characteristics (mean age in 1994 was 60.6 years, mean disease duration 12.6 years, 78% females).

Health status in the people with RA was consistently improved in all dimensions of health, and this improvement was statistically significant over the 10-year period until 2004. Researchers concluded this was probably due to access to better and more aggressive treatments