Rheumatology and Therapy

This study aimed to characterize the morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality rates among patients with adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and explore the impact of COVID-19 on the disease activity of AOSD. Data on the clinical and demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related symptoms, and outcomes were retrospectively collected. Patients were stratified according to COVID-19 severity and associations between risk factors and outcomes were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. The disease activity of patients with AOSD flares after COVID-19 was described. A total of 188 patients with AOSD were followed up, of whom 75.5% (n = 142) had a confirmed or highly suspected COVID-19. Patients on medium or high-dose oral glucocorticoids or Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors were at increased risk of developing moderate to severe COVID-19. Six patients suffered flares of AOSD following COVID-19 in a short period; however, the relapse rate was not statistically increased compared with patients without COVID-19. Patients with AOSD receiving medium or high-dose glucocorticoid therapy or JAK inhibitors had worse COVID-19 outcomes. Further work is needed to explore risk factors affecting COVID-19 outcomes and the impact of COVID-19 on disease activity in AOSD.

To compare the effectiveness of azathioprine (AZA) and cyclosporine (CsA) as initial treatments for patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). A retrospective cohort study was conducted using information from the National Health Insurance Service database of Republic of Korea. Patients with IIM who had started AZA or CsA as initial treatment between January 2007 and December 2011 were selected for the study. They were followed from the day of treatment initiation to the occurrence of study outcomes or the end of the study until December 2016. Effectiveness outcomes, defined as switching the drug or adding immunosuppressants, and discontinuation of corticosteroids, were compared between the two groups. The Cox proportional-hazards model was used to calculate the adjusted relative risk (aRR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) between the AZA and CsA groups. A total of 376 patients with incident IIM who used AZA (n = 288) or CsA (n = 88) were identified. The aRR of switching the drug or adding immunosuppressants (1.45 [95% CI 0.99–2.11]) was not significantly different between the CsA and AZA groups. Among patients who were treated with corticosteroids at baseline, the rate of discontinuation of corticosteroids was not different between the two groups (1.69 [95% CI 0.82–3.47]). The effectiveness of AZA and CsA as initial treatments for the management of IIM was comparable.

Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease that affects salivary and lachrymal glands and is associated with complex extraglandular manifestations. This study investigates the clinical and economic burden and disease course of pSS in Sweden. This retrospective cohort study utilizes data from Swedish national registries and consists of patients at least 18 years of age diagnosed in secondary care with pSS, and matched members of the Swedish general population. Healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs were compared. The clinical burden of pSS during follow-up was explored via year-on-year prevalence of and time-to-first extraglandular manifestation. Employment status and retirement rates were used to investigate the impact of pSS on productivity. A total of 8884 patients with pSS and 88,233 general population comparators were included. Patients with pSS had significantly higher rates of HRU and higher healthcare costs than matched comparators, including twice as many outpatient visits. Costs were highest in year 1 post index before reducing in years 2 and 3 and stabilizing thereafter. Almost two-thirds of patients received their index diagnosis during an outpatient visit, and < 30% of diagnoses were from rheumatology departments. Overall, 41% of patients experienced a healthcare encounter that included a relevant extraglandular manifestation code during follow-up. Patients with pSS had significantly higher odds of early retirement than the general population at 5 years post index. Patients with pSS experience a high clinical and economic disease burden in Sweden. Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease that typically affects the secretory glands that produce tears, saliva, and other secretions. Patients can experience debilitating fatigue and can also develop conditions in other parts of the body, commonly including arthritis and Raynaud’s phenomenon. This study investigated the burden and disease course of pSS in Sweden. Swedish national registry data were used to match adult patients diagnosed with pSS, with members of the Swedish general population. The use of healthcare resources and their associated costs were compared. The clinical burden of pSS during patient follow-up was explored via year-on-year occurrence and cumulative incidence of extraglandular symptoms. Employment and retirement rates were used to investigate the effect of pSS on patient productivity. A total of 8884 patients with pSS and 88,233 members of the general population were included in the study. Patients with pSS had higher use of healthcare resources and higher associated costs than members of the general population, including twice as many outpatient visits. Costs were highest in the first year after diagnosis, reducing and stabilizing over the following 7 years. Overall, 41% of patients had a healthcare encounter that included a relevant extraglandular symptom code during follow-up. Almost two-thirds of patients were diagnosed during an outpatient visit, and < 30% of diagnoses were from rheumatology departments. Patients with pSS were at a greater risk of early retirement than the general population at 5 years post-diagnosis. These results indicate that patients with pSS experience a high disease burden in Sweden.

As the therapeutic landscape for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) continues to change, it is relevant to examine current treatment patterns among rheumatologists. The purpose of this study was to identify attitudes and practices of US rheumatologists with respect to RA. Nine-hundred and one US-practicing rheumatologists were sent electronic invites (via email or fax) to participate in a case-vignette survey in April 2013. All respondents were currently practicing rheumatology and seeing at least one RA patient per week. The survey examined current attitudes, existing knowledge, management choices and perceived barriers in the management of RA. Data collection stopped once 125 responses were received. Approximately half of the 125 respondents were very familiar with current clinical practice guidelines for RA diagnosis and management. There was no consensus on which validated tools to use when assessing RA severity, with 54% using Physician Global Assessment and 34% using Disease Activity Score 28 at initial assessment. Most respondents (74%) used methotrexate (MTX) as initial therapy for a newly diagnosed RA patient. Eighty-six percent of respondents would add a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) when MTX alone could not control RA. There was no consensus on which treatment should be used when a TNFi is ineffective. The majority of respondents (66% of respondents) would prescribe TNFis indefinitely in patients with continued response. If a patient was in stable remission on MTX and a TNFi, respondents were most likely to maintain this regimen (53% of respondents); a notable minority (43%) would lower the MTX dose. When prescribing biologics, respondents were most concerned with infection; infection was considered a very significant barrier to biologic use. Although 98% of respondents indicated that they personally educate patients about RA, only 42% provide written material. The lack of consistency in responses suggests that rheumatologists may benefit from continuing medical education on; clinical practice guidelines; the most recent evidence for management of patients in remission; the use of biologic agents after infection; and management of patients with RA and comorbidities.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is considered a multifaceted disease, with patients reporting low health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Data on disease burden are substantial and there exists a need for properly designed studies to learn more about the evolution of HRQoL in this condition. This study aims to identify factors associated to HRQoL evolution in PsA patients followed-up in a real-world setting in Spain. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal observational study including incident patients from the rheumatology outpatient clinic of Hospital Clínico San Carlos (Madrid, Spain), diagnosed for the first time of PsA, defined as having received any ICD9/ICD10 diagnosis code of PsA, from 2007 to 2016, and followed-up until loss of follow-up, death, or November 2017. The influence of demographic and clinical variables in baseline HRQoL [assessed with the Rosser Classification Index (RCI)] was analyzed using bivariable and multivariable generalized linear models. The influence of those variables and of treatment-related factors in repeated measures of HRQoL was analyzed using bivariable and multivariable generalized estimating equations (GEE) models nested by patient. Two hundred and thirty patients were included in the analysis, with 3384 registered visits. At baseline, older age, a previous diagnosis of obesity, and the presence of enthesitis were significantly associated with worse HRQoL. During follow-up, using an exchangeable working correlation structure, the presence of enthesitis was also associated with worse HRQoL, coefficient (95% CI) − 0.006 (− 0.01 to − 0.002), p = 1.00E−03; conversely, treatment with methotrexate or antimalarials was associated with better HRQoL with 0.007 (0.001–0.014), p = 0.020 and 0.003 (0.001–0.005), p = 3.00E−03, respectively. Musculoskeletal manifestations and comorbidities exert a deleterious effect in HRQoL of PsA patients. Therefore, the optimal management of this condition needs to also address these manifestations in order to try to restore the QoL of these patients.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a spondyloarthritis that occurs in up to 30% of psoriasis patients. Patients with PsA are at risk for decreased quality of life due to both joint and skin symptoms, impaired physical function and disease progression. Treatments include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, conventional systemic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as methotrexate, and biologic agents, including tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors. The most recently introduced treatment option is apremilast, an oral phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor. This review provides an in-depth discussion of apremilast’s mechanism of action, and evidence of its clinical efficacy and safety from the Psoriatic Arthritis Long-term Assessment of Clinical Efficacy (PALACE) phase III pivotal clinical trials (PALACE 1, 2, and 3). These trials demonstrate that apremilast is effective for the treatment of active PsA, despite prior conventional DMARDs or biologic treatment. The primary efficacy end point, a 20% improvement from baseline in modified American College of Rheumatology response criteria at Week 16, was achieved by significantly greater proportions of patients treated with apremilast 20 mg twice daily (BID) and apremilast 30 mg BID versus placebo in PALACE 1, 2, and 3. Improvements in this and other clinical and patient-reported end points, including swollen and tender joint counts, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score, physical function, and quality of life, were maintained, extending over 52 weeks of treatment among patients initially randomized to apremilast. Apremilast’s safety profile has been acceptable, with diarrhea and nausea being the most common adverse events, with no evidence for an increased risk of infection or need for laboratory monitoring. The PALACE pivotal data indicate that apremilast presents a new option for the treatment of PsA that may be appropriate for use early in the treatment ladder. Ongoing PALACE open-label extension trials of up to 4 years will characterize the long-term clinical effects and safety of apremilast therapy. Celgene Corporation, Summit, NJ, USA.

This study examined the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) monotherapy, adherence with non-biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (nbDMARDs) in patients receiving a combination of anti-TNF therapies and nbDMARDs, and the impact of nbDMARD adherence on anti-TNF persistence among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients with RA (aged ≥18 years) from a US commercial health plan with claims for anti-TNFs (2006–2010) were defined as either biologic-naive or -exposed anti-TNF initiators based on previous nbDMARD use. Adherence to nbDMARDs and anti-TNF persistence were estimated. Cox regression estimated the association between nbDMARD adherence and anti-TNF persistence. Among 9764 patients identified (mean age 50.2 years; 78% female), 55% of biologic-naive patients and 49% of previously exposed patients initiated any combination therapy during follow-up. Among biologic-naive combination therapy patients, 53% adhered to nbDMARD therapy <80% of the time while receiving anti-TNF therapies; 33% had <60% adherence. Compared with the most adherent patients, patients adherent to nbDMARDs 20% to 79% of the time were 30% to 20% more likely to discontinue their anti-TNF therapy in the period >90 days after starting the anti-TNF therapy. This relationship was not observed for patients with nbDMARD adherence of <20% (who were less likely to discontinue their anti-TNF therapy during the first 90 days of treatment). Almost one-third of patients with RA receiving anti-TNF therapy received it as pure monotherapy. About one-third of combination therapy recipients had <60% adherence to nbDMARDs. Higher nbDMARD adherence may be associated with better anti-TNF persistence after an initial treatment period.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) both in rheumatologic and non-rheumatologic rehabilitation centers. In addition, we sought to evaluate the practice value of existing screening recommendations of the German Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO). The analysis was performed in four rehabilitation clinics (rheumatology, psychosomatic medicine, oncology, and cardiology) with at least 200 patients per clinic tested for MRSA. Nine (1.1%) of the 842 patients were colonized with MRSA. Only five of them should have been tested according to the commission’s recommendations. The prevalence was 0.5% (n = 207) in rheumatologic, 0.9% (n = 224) in psychosomatic, 1.4% (n = 209) in oncologic and 1.5% (n = 202) in cardiologic patients. We found a greater exposure to risk factors in cardiologic and oncologic patients. Among patients with carrier status, a higher percentage was exposed to three potential risk factors not applied by the commission. The prevalence of MRSA in our cohort correlates with data from previous studies. The low percentage among rheumatologic patients suggests that they are not more likely to reveal MRSA carrier status than other patient groups and that long-term immunosuppression does not necessarily represent a risk factor for MRSA colonization. Since only five out of nine patients with carrier status would have been detected following the recommendations of the KRINKO, further studies on potential risk factors are warranted.