Do individuals with inflammatory arthritis receive minimally adequate treatment for incident depression and anxiety: A population-based study.

Objectives: Describe patterns of pharmacotherapy and psychological treatment and evaluate receipt of minimally adequate treatment for incident depression and anxiety in individuals with inflammatory arthritis (IA).

Methods: We used population-based linked administrative health databases from British Columbia, Canada to evaluate pharmacotherapy and psychological treatments for incident depression and/or anxiety among individuals with IA and without IA ('IA-free controls'). We defined minimally adequate pharmacotherapy as antidepressant prescriptions filled with ≥ 84 days' supply and adequate psychological treatment as ≥ 4 counselling/psychotherapy services.

"It's Just Good Science": A Qualitative Study Exploring Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Canadian Arthritis Research.

Objective: Despite knowledge that health outcomes vary according to patient characteristics, identity, and geography, including underrepresented populations in arthritis research remains a challenge. We conducted interviews to explore how researchers in arthritis have used equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles to inform their research.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with individuals who 1) have experience conducting arthritis research studies, 2) reside in and/or conduct their research in Canada, and 3) speak English or French.

Comparative effectiveness of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors for recurrent nephrolithiasis among patients with pre-existing nephrolithiasis or gout: target trial emulation studies.

Objective: To emulate target trials comparing recurrence of nephrolithiasis among patients with pre-existing nephrolithiasis (overall and stratified by concomitant gout) initiating sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors versus an active comparator.

Design: Target trial emulation studies.

Setting: Canadian population database, January 2014 to June 2022.

How Safe Are COVID-19 Vaccines in Individuals with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases? The SUCCEED Study.

We were tasked by Canada's COVID-19 Immunity Task Force to describe severe adverse events (SAEs) associated with emergency department (ED) visits and/or hospitalizations in individuals with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). At eight Canadian centres, data were collected from adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (AxS), systemic lupus (SLE), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We administered questionnaires, analyzing SAEs experienced within 31 days following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

When Should I Get My Next COVID-19 Vaccine? Data From the Surveillance of Responses to COVID-19 Vaccines in Systemic Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (SUCCEED) Study.

Objective: To determine how serologic responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and infection in immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID) are affected by time since last vaccination and other factors.

Methods: Post-COVID-19 vaccination, data, and dried blood spots or sera were collected from adults with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis and spondylarthritis, and psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The first sample was collected at enrollment, then at 2 to 4 weeks and 3, 6, and 12 months after the latest vaccine dose.

Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors vs Sulfonylureas for Gout Prevention Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Receiving Metformin.

Importance: Sodium-glucose cotransporter type 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are a revolutionary treatment for type 2 diabetes (T2D) with cardiovascular, kidney, and serum urate-lowering benefits.

Objective: To compare risk of incident gout and rate of recurrent flares between patients with T2D initiating SGLT2i vs sulfonylurea, most common second-line glucose-lowering therapy, when added to metformin monotherapy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This sequential, propensity score-matched, new-user comparative effectiveness study using target trial emulation framework included adults with T2D receiving metformin monotherapy in a Canadian general population database from January 1, 2014, to June 30, 2022.

Reporting of determinants of health inequities and participant characteristics in randomized controlled trials of systemic lupus erythematosus in Canada: A scoping review.

Objective: To report participant characteristics relevant to identifying health inequities in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) randomized controlled trials conducted in Canada.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review by searching MEDLINE (Ovid) and Embase (1990 to June 2023), and CENTRAL (inception to June 2023). Eligible studies: used an RCT design; evaluated interventions (pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic) among SLE patients aged ≥18 years; and were conducted in Canada.

Risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

Background: Thrombotic events, such as venous thromboembolism (VTE) are a major health complication linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the risk of VTE, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), in adults with RA compared to the general population.

Methods: MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched from inception to April 2022 to identify publications meeting the following criteria: (1) prospective and retrospective original data from cohort or case-control studies; (2) pre-specified RA definition; (3) clearly defined VTE outcomes; (4) reported risk estimate and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs); (5) at least sex- and age-matched to comparison group; and (6) English language.

"What Came First?" Population-Based Evaluation of Health Care Encounters for Depression and Anxiety Before and After Inflammatory Arthritis Diagnosis: Disentangling the Relationship Between Mental Health and Arthritis.

Objective: The study objective was to describe patterns of depression and anxiety health care use before and after diagnosis among patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA), namely, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: We used population-based linked administrative health data from British Columbia, Canada, to build a cohort of individuals (≥18 years) with incident IA and individuals without IA ("IA-free controls") matched on age and sex. We computed the proportion of individuals with IA and controls who had one or more depression or one or more anxiety health care encounters and the use of one or more antidepressants or one or more anxiolytics in each yearly interval five years before and after IA diagnosis.

Antimalarial Adherence and Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Population-Based Study.

Objective: We aimed to assess the association between antimalarial adherence and cardiovascular events between incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) population-based cohorts.

Methods: All patients with incident RA/SLE and incident antimalarial use in British Columbia, Canada, between January 1997 and March 2015 were identified using provincial administrative databases. The outcomes were incident cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, or venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Comparative Effectiveness of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors for Recurrent Gout Flares and Gout-Primary Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations : A General Population Cohort Study.

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) decrease serum urate levels, but whether this translates into prevention of recurrent flares among patients with gout and gout-primary emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations is unknown.

Objective: To compare gout flares and cardiovascular events among patients with gout initiating SGLT2is versus dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4is), another second-line glucose-lowering agent not associated with serum urate levels or cardiovascular risk.

Design: Propensity score-matched, new-user cohort study.

Risk of severe infections after the introduction of biologic DMARDs in people with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis: a population-based interrupted time-series analysis.

Objectives: To determine the impact of the introduction of biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) on severe infections among people newly diagnosed with RA compared with non-RA individuals.

Methods: In this population-based retrospective cohort study using administrative data (from 1990-2015) for British Columbia, Canada, all incident RA patients diagnosed between 1995 and 2007 were identified. General population controls with no inflammatory arthritis were matched to RA patients based on age and gender, and were assigned the diagnosis date (i.

Impact of Loneliness and Social Isolation on Mental Health Outcomes Among Individuals With Rheumatic Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: The study objective was to assess mental and social health outcomes for individuals with rheumatic disease during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate the relationship of loneliness and social isolation with depression and anxiety.

Methods: We administered an international cross-sectional online survey to individuals with rheumatic disease(s) (≥18 years) between April 2020 and September 2020, with a follow-up survey from December 2020 to February 2021. We used questionnaires to evaluate loneliness (3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale [UCLA-3]), social isolation (Lubben Social Network Scale [LSNS-6]), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]), and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item [GAD-7] Scale).

Hospitalization Rates for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Are Decreasing Over Time: A Population-based Cohort Study.

Background: Recent advances in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) striving for new treatment targets may have decreased rates of hospitalization for flares. We compared all-cause, IBD-related, and non-IBD-related hospitalizations while accounting for the rising prevalence of IBD.

Methods: Population-based, administrative health care databases identified all individuals living with IBD in Alberta between fiscal year 2002 and 2018.

Investigating Associations Between Access to Rheumatology Care, Treatment, Continuous Care, and Healthcare Utilization and Costs Among Older Individuals With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: To examine the association between rheumatologist access, early treatment, and ongoing care of older-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthcare utilization and costs following diagnosis.

Methods: We analyzed data from a population-based inception cohort of individuals aged > 65 years with RA in Ontario, Canada, diagnosed between 2002 and 2014 with follow-up to 2019. We assessed 4 performance measures in the first 4 years following diagnosis, including access to rheumatology care, yearly follow-up, timely treatment, and ongoing treatment with a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug.

System-level performance measures of access to rheumatology care: a population-based retrospective study of trends over time and the impact of regional rheumatologist supply in Ontario, Canada, 2002-2019.

Objective: To determine whether there were improvements in rheumatology care for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) between 2002 and 2019 in Ontario, Canada, and to evaluate the impact of rheumatologist regional supply on access.

Methods: We conducted a population-based retrospective study of all individuals diagnosed with RA between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2019. Performance measures evaluated were: (i) percentage of RA patients seen by a rheumatologist within one year of diagnosis; and (ii) percentage of individuals with RA aged 66 years and older (whose prescription drugs are publicly funded) dispensed a disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) within 30 days after initial rheumatologist visit.

The clinical impact of COVID-19 on patients with cancer in British Columbia: An observational study.

Objective: We evaluated survival outcomes for patients with cancer and COVID-19 in this population-based study.

Methods: A total of 631 patients who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and were seen at BC Cancer between 03/03/2020 and 01/21/2021 were included, of whom 506 had a diagnosis of cancer and PCR-confirmed positive test for coronavirus disease 2019. Patient clinical characteristics were retrospectively reviewed and the influence of demographic data, cancer diagnosis, comorbidities, and anticancer treatment(s) on survival following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection were analyzed.

Risk of Multiple Sclerosis Among Users of Antitumor Necrosis Factor α in 4 Canadian Provinces: A Population-Based Study.

Background And Objectives: Antitumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) agents are a class of biologic drugs used for the treatment of several immune-mediated conditions. An increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) with their use has been suggested, but studies have been limited. Relevant population-based epidemiologic data linking anti-TNFα to MS are scarce.

Onset of depression and anxiety among patients with gout after diagnosis: a population-based incident cohort study.

Background: Gout may be associated with an increased incidence of mental health disorders, however, published findings have been limited and inconsistent. Therefore, our objective was to conduct a population-based cohort study to evaluate the incidence of depression and anxiety after gout diagnosis.

Methods: We used linked population-based administrative health data in British Columbia, Canada that includes information on demographics, outpatient visits, and inpatient visits from the period of January 1, 1990 to March 31, 2018.

Risk of Arrhythmia Among New Users of Hydroxychloroquine in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Population-Based Study.

Objectives: We assessed the association between hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) initiation and risk of arrhythmia among patients with incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or with incident systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: All patients with incident RA or SLE and no arrhythmic events, not receiving antiarrhythmic medications, and not receiving HCQ prior to the index date of disease in British Columbia, Canada, between January 1996 and December 2014 were identified from administrative databases. We identified patients who were dispensed HCQ prescriptions (HCQ initiators) or were not dispensed HCQ prescriptions (HCQ noninitiators) during each study year; groups were matched 1:1 by propensity scores using baseline confounders on demographics, comorbidities, medications, and health care utilization.