Both cohorts included patients with highly active RA (mean Disease Activity Score in 28 joints [DAS28] >5.1), with no differences in terms of disease activity (DAS28 and its components) and other clinical features, except for a higher prevalence of female patients, higher CRP levels, and higher proportion of ACPA‐positive patients in the cohort with established RA. This evidence concerns the gene PRTN3 and rheumatoid arthritis.