Publications by authors named "Davide Rozza"
Objective: To develop and validate a patient-reported definition of acute calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) crystal arthritis in people with crystal-proven CPP deposition (CPPD) disease.
Methods: Consecutive patients with crystal-proven CPPD disease from seven centres across four countries were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. In each centre, patient-reported outcomes on the features of acute CPP crystal arthritis were collected.
Article Synopsis
- - The study focused on anti-synthetase syndrome (ASSD), a rare autoimmune disease, aiming to identify clinical and lab features for potential classification criteria.
- - Researchers analyzed data from 948 ASSD patients and 1077 control subjects, finding that certain symptoms like arthritis and specific autoantibodies were more common in ASSD cases.
- - The findings will assist clinicians in diagnosing ASSD and contribute to creating more standardized, data-driven classification criteria for the syndrome.
Aims: This study aimed to assess the proportions of type 2 diabetes (T2D) subjects meeting cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) criteria for sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and estimate SGLT2i utilization, along with associated demographic and clinical characteristics, in a primary care setting.
Methods: T2D patients in Italy were selected between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022, from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database. Representativeness was determined by dividing patients meeting key inclusion criteria for four CVOTs (CANVAS, DECLARE-TIMI 58, EMPA-REG OUTCOME, VERTIS-CV) to the total T2D population.
Aim: To compare synovial blood flow scoring between different technologies and ultrasound (US) systems in active and inactive rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Material And Methods: Fifty-nine RA patients underwent B-mode, power Doppler (PD), colour Doppler (CD), B-Flow and High-Resolution (High-Res) PDI assessments of 6 joints with two US systems at two European centres. Each joint was semi-quantitatively scored for all ultrasound parameters.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined pregnancy outcomes in women with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) enrolled in the Italian P-RHEUM.it cohort from 2018 to 2023, focusing on maternal and infant health.
- Results showed that out of 866 pregnancies, 15.6% experienced maternal disease flares, 30.1% had obstetrical complications, and 91.7% resulted in live births, with a relatively low rate of perinatal deaths and complications.
- The research concluded that effective preconception counseling and proper medication management during pregnancy may help reduce disease-related risks, suggesting that outcomes for women with ARD were comparable to those in the general obstetric population.
Objective: To develop the optimal US scanning protocol for the diagnosis of calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition (CPPD) disease.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, consecutive patients with a crystal-proven diagnosis of CPPD disease, and age-, sex-matched disease controls with a negative synovial fluid analysis were prospectively enrolled in two Italian Institutions. Four rheumatologists, blinded to patients' clinical details, performed US examinations using a standardized scanning protocol including 20 joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists, metacarpophalangeal joints from second to fifth fingers, hips, knees, ankles).
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to compare COVID-19 outcomes among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and spondyloarthritis (SPA) before vaccination, given conflicting data on their prognosis.
- Analysis of the CONTROL-19 Database revealed that SLE and RA patients had similar severe outcome rates, while SPA patients had better outcomes than those with SLE.
- Key risk factors for severe outcomes in SLE patients included being over 65, having hypertension, and using prednisone, while hydroxychloroquine use appeared to reduce risk.
Article Synopsis
- Essential tremor (ET) is a common neurological disorder, and this study aimed to analyze its treatment patterns and characteristics in newly diagnosed patients in France and the UK from 2015 to 2018.
- Out of 2957 patients in the UK and 3249 in France, about 40% received treatment after diagnosis, but only 20% continued the treatment by the end of the follow-up, with many switching or stopping medications altogether.
- The findings indicate that ET is often undertreated, particularly among patients with psychiatric conditions, prompting a need for better identification and management of the disorder.
Objective: To describe demographic, clinical and laboratory features of systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma (ssSSc) in a large multicentre systemic sclerosis (SSc) cohort.
Methods: Data involving 1808 SSc patients from Italian Systemic sclerosis PRogression INvestiGation registry were collected. The ssSSc was defined by the absence of any cutaneous sclerosis and/or puffy fingers.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate the reliability of ultrasound (US) muscle echogenicity assessments in patients with rheumatic diseases, involving 42 rheumatologists and 2 radiologists analyzing images and clips from 64 patients and 8 healthy subjects.
- Results showed that a semi-quantitative scale had moderate inter-reliability and substantial intra-reliability, while a continuous quantitative measurement ("VAS echogenicity") exhibited high reliability in both observer types.
- Overall, the findings confirmed good inter and intra-reliability of ultrasound assessments for muscle echogenicity in this patient group, suggesting consistency in evaluation methods across different observers.
Objectives: To develop an Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) ultrasonography score for monitoring disease activity in giant cell arteritis (GCA) and evaluate its metric properties.
Methods: The OMERACT Instrument Selection Algorithm was followed. Forty-nine members of the OMERACT ultrasonography large vessel vasculitis working group were invited to seven Delphi rounds.
Background: The role of statins among patients with established cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) who are hospitalized with COVID-19 is still debated. This study aimed at assessing whether the prior use of statins was associated with a less severe COVID-19 prognosis.
Methods: Subjects with CVDs infected with SARS-CoV-2 and hospitalized between 20 February 2020 and 31 December 2020 were selected.
Objective: To evaluate whether the addition of colchicine to standard of care (SOC) results in better outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Design: This interventional, multicenter, randomized, phase 2 study, evaluated colchicine 1.5 mg/day added to SOC in hospitalized COVID-19 patients (COLVID-19 trial) and 227 patients were recruited.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the incidence of essential tremor (ET), a common movement disorder, in the UK and France from 2014 to 2019 using data from the Health Improvement Network database.
- - A total of around 5,000 new cases were identified in both countries, revealing an average crude incidence rate of approximately 18.20 in the UK and 21.42 in France, with higher rates typically seen in males and older age groups.
- - Despite similar standardized incidence rates in both countries, an increasing trend was noted, particularly among individuals aged 60 years and older, highlighting the necessity for further research on ET's impact on healthcare resources and disease management.
Objectives: Previous studies ruled out the benefits of azithromycin for treatment of patients with COVID-19 who are hospitalized. However, the effects of azithromycin for treatment of patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results in the community remains a matter of debate. This study aimed to assess whether azithromycin, when used in subjects with positive test results for SARS-CoV-2, is associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization, in-hospital COVID-19 outcomes, and death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Several studies show that age at onset has an impact on the clinical-serological presentation, comorbidities and disease course of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We evaluated whether, in patients with recent onset SLE, the age at onset correlates with clinical-serological manifestations and with comorbidities.
Methods: We analysed 171 patients with a SLE diagnosis obtained within 12 months of diagnosis enrolled in the Early Lupus project.
Objectives: To investigate the association between patient-physician discordance in the assessment of disease activity and residual US synovitis/tenosynovitis in a cohort of patients with RA in clinical remission.
Methods: A post hoc analysis of the STARTER study, promoted by the Musculoskeletal-US (MSUS) Study Group of the Italian Society for Rheumatology, was performed using data from 361 consecutive patients with RA in clinical remission. The global assessment of disease activity by each patient (PGA) and evaluator/physician (EGA) was recorded on a 100-mm visual analogue scale.
Objectives: To investigate the reliability of the OMERACT US Task Force definition of US enthesitis in SpA.
Methods: In this web exercise, based on the evaluation of 101 images and 39 clips of the main entheses of the lower limbs, the elementary components included in the OMERACT definition of US enthesitis in SpA (hypoechoic areas, entheseal thickening, power Doppler signal at the enthesis, enthesophytes/calcifications, bone erosions) were assessed by 47 rheumatologists from 37 rheumatology centres in 15 countries. Inter- and intra-observer reliability of the US components of enthesitis was calculated using Light's kappa, Cohen's kappa, Prevalence And Bias Adjusted Kappa (PABAK) and their 95% CIs.
Objectives: To investigate differences in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality between patients with rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) and the general population in Italy.
Methods: We analysed the data from the national surveillance study promoted by the Italian Society for Rheumatology (CONTROL-19 database) including patients with RMD and COVID-19 between 26 March 2020 and 29 November 2020, compared with official data from the Italian population (within the same period) adjusted for age, sex and geographic location. The main outcome of the analyses was mortality.
We evaluated the 3-year drug survival and efficacy of the biosimilar SB4/Benepali in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, previously treated with etanercept (ETA). Drug survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models were developed to examine predictors of SB4 discontinuation. 236 patients (120 RA, 80 PsA and 36 AS), aged 60.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * Results show a significantly higher female-to-male ratio (8.2:1) and highlight notable differences: males have worse outcomes in terms of skin and heart involvement, while females show a higher prevalence of autoimmune markers and complications like sicca syndrome.
- * The findings indicate that male and female patients exhibit distinct disease patterns and severity in SSc, with implications for tailored treatment approaches and further research into sex-specific factors in the disease.
Outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with primary systemic vasculitis or polymyalgia rheumatica from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician registry: a retrospective cohort study.
Lancet Rheumatol
December 2021
Background: Patients with primary systemic vasculitis or polymyalgia rheumatica might be at a high risk for poor COVID-19 outcomes due to the treatments used, the potential organ damage cause by primary systemic vasculitis, and the demographic factors associated with these conditions. We therefore aimed to investigate factors associated with COVID-19 outcomes in patients with primary systemic vasculitis or polymyalgia rheumatica.
Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, adult patients (aged ≥18 years) diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 12, 2020, and April 12, 2021, who had a history of primary systemic vasculitis (antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody [ANCA]-associated vasculitis, giant cell arteritis, Behçet's syndrome, or other vasculitis) or polymyalgia rheumatica, and were reported to the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance registry were included.