The prevalence and impact of polypharmacy in rheumatology.

Polypharmacy is increasingly common in rheumatology due to the complex nature of managing chronic autoimmune diseases. To date there has been limited research into the impact of polypharmacy on rheumatology patients. In this article we reviewed the literature to characterize the prevalence of polypharmacy and its effect on patients.

Improved patient-reported outcomes in patients with psoriatic arthritis treated with risankizumab: analysis of the Phase 3 trial KEEPsAKE 2.

Objectives: Determine the impact of 24-week risankizumab (RZB) versus placebo (PBO) on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and inadequate response to one or two biologics (Bio-IR) and/or ≥1 conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARD-IR).

Methods: Patients in the Phase 3 trial, KEEPsAKE 2, were randomised (1:1) to RZB 150 mg or PBO by subcutaneous injection. PROs assessed: 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue), Patient's Assessment of Pain by visual analogue scale (VAS), Patient's global assessment of disease activity (PtGA), EuroQoL-5 Dimension-5 Level (EQ-5D-5L) and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-PsA (WPAI-PsA).

Biological Therapies for Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Overview for the Clinician.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease characterised by inflammation of synovial joints and poses a substantial healthcare burden on both the individual and society. One of the most significant shifts in the RA therapeutic landscape has occurred with the introduction of biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). There are five classes of bDMARDs currently available, each with a different molecular target and subtle differences in their efficacy and safety profile.

Long-term safety and effectiveness of tocilizumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate responses to csDMARDs and/or TNF inhibitors: an open-label study close to clinical practice.

Objective: To assess the long-term safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of tocilizumab (TCZ) as monotherapy or in combination with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) in clinical practice in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients in the 24-week, open-label ACT-SURE study who had at least a moderate EULAR response by week 24 and were from a participating country were eligible for this long-term extension (LTE); the patients continued to receive TCZ 8 mg/kg intravenously every 4 weeks as monotherapy or in combination with ≥ 1 csDMARD for up to an additional 108 weeks. The primary endpoint was the incidence of adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs (SAEs).

Tapering versus steady-state methotrexate in combination with tocilizumab for rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized, double-blind trial.

Objective: To explore whether tocilizumab + tapering MTX has comparable efficacy and safety vs tocilizumab + stable MTX in adult RA patients with inadequate response to MTX.

Methods: This randomized, placebo-controlled non-inferiority study involved patients with severe active RA [28-joint DAS (DAS28) >5.1] who had initiated tocilizumab + MTX at the study start.

Update on biosimilars in rheumatology.

Biologic agents have become indispensable in the management of autoimmune disease particularly rheumatological conditions. The lives of countless individuals have been improved following treatment with these drugs. Unfortunately, their cost prohibits more widespread use around the globe.

Immune reconstitution 20 years after treatment with alemtuzumab in a rheumatoid arthritis cohort: implications for lymphocyte depleting therapies.

Background: Alemtuzumab, an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, was administered to patients with RA between 1991 and 1994. We have followed a cohort of recipients since that time and previously reported significant delays in immune reconstitution. Here we report >20 years of follow-up data from this unique cohort.

Tetrahydrobiopterin Supplementation Improves Endothelial Function But Does Not Alter Aortic Stiffness in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammatory condition associated with increased cardiovascular risk that may be due to underlying endothelial dysfunction and subsequent aortic stiffening. We hypothesized that supplementation with tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) would recouple endothelial nitric oxide synthase and thus improve endothelial function and consequently reduce aortic stiffness.

Methods And Results: We conducted 2 randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover studies examining 2 separate regimens: an acute regimen, with a single dose of BH4 400 mg versus placebo (n=18), and a short-term regimen, composed of a 1-week treatment with BH4 400 mg once daily versus placebo (n=15).

Evaluating the patient with low back pain.

In the UK, low back pain is the most common cause of disability in young adults and every year 6-9% of adults consult their GP about back pain. A thorough history and examination is required to exclude an alternative diagnosis, such as pain arising from the hip or trochanteric bursa and to categorise patients as having: serious spinal pathology, nerve root/radicular pain or non-specific back pain. Inflammatory back pain is often missed, particularly in the early stages when examination may be normal.

A Systematic Review of Factors Associated with Non-Adherence to Treatment for Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases.

Background: Non-adherence impacts negatively on patient health outcomes and has associated economic costs. Understanding drivers of treatment adherence in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases is key for the development of effective strategies to tackle non-adherence.

Objective: To identify factors associated with treatment non-adherence across diseases in three clinical areas: rheumatology, gastroenterology, and dermatology.

Biologic therapy for inflammatory arthritis and latent tuberculosis: real world experience from a high prevalence area in the United Kingdom.

Biologic therapies have resulted in a sea change in the management of inflammatory arthritis; however, a higher risk of opportunistic infection, particularly tuberculosis (TB), is well recognised. This has led to the development of TB screening guidelines. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of latent TB in patients prescribed biologic therapy in an endemic area (prevalence of TB 50/100,000) and to assess the risk of subsequent reactivation.

Refining the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: the Benefits of Subcutaneous Tocilizumab.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune condition which affects approximately 1% of the adult population worldwide and is characterized by joint inflammation, with extra-articular features being common. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is one of the chief pro-inflammatory cytokines found in the joints and sera of patients with RA. Increased levels of IL-6 correlate with inflammation, disease activity, and radiological damage.

Comparison of tocilizumab as monotherapy or with add-on disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate responses to previous treatments: an open-label study close to clinical practice.

This was an exploratory analysis comparing the safety and efficacy of tocilizumab monotherapy with those of tocilizumab in combination with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Data were from a single-arm, nonrandomized, open-label, 24-week study in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in which patients with inadequate responses to DMARDs or tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors received tocilizumab 8 mg/kg intravenously every 4 weeks plus methotrexate/other DMARD(s) combination therapy. If they were intolerant of methotrexate/other DMARD, patients received tocilizumab monotherapy.

Self-management pivotal in osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is not caused by ageing per se, although prevalence does increase with age, and does not necessarily deteriorate over time. However, with the ageing population the incidence and prevalence of osteoarthritis will continue to rise. Osteoarthritis remains a clinical diagnosis and importantly radiographic changes and joint symptoms may be poorly correlated.

Early recognition improves prognosis in elderly onset RA.

Although commonly diagnosed in the third to fifth decades of life, the incidence and prevalence of RA continue to increase up to the ninth decade. Age at onset is particularly relevant as the presentation may differ in elderly onset RA (EORA) compared with young onset RA (YORA). Patients with EORA frequently report a more acute presentation, especially if positive for rheumatoid factor (RF).

Indispensable or intolerable? Methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis: a retrospective review of discontinuation rates from a large UK cohort.

Methotrexate (MTX) has become the first-line treatment for rheumatoid (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA); however, few studies have focused on its tolerability. The objective of our analyses was to study RA and PsA patients in whom MTX was discontinued, the reasons for this and the duration of MTX treatment prior to withdrawal. A retrospective electronic database review was undertaken to identify all patients who had received MTX for RA or PsA.

Validation of clinical examination versus magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopy for the detection of rotator cuff lesions.

Limited evidence exists regarding the validity of clinical examination for the detection of shoulder pathology. We therefore wished to establish the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of clinical tests and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of rotator cuff disorders against findings at arthroscopy. Using recognised tests for specific shoulder lesions, 117 patients with shoulder symptoms awaiting surgery were examined in a standard manner.