Publications by authors named "Jean M Berthelot"
Objective: The PMR activity score (PMR-AS) includes the CRP value, which may be lacking or invalid owing to anti-IL-6 therapy. Our objective was to develop alternatives to PMR-AS that do not require CRP.
Methods: We used the Club Rhumatisme et Inflammation (CRI; 89 patients with PMR) and the Tolerance and Efficacy of tocilizumab iN pOlymyalgia Rheumatica (TENOR; 20 patients with recent-onset PMR naive to glucocorticoid who received three tocilizumab infusions, at weeks 0, 4 and 8, followed by prednisone from weeks 12 to 24) cohorts.
Background: Glucocorticoids are the cornerstone treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) but induce adverse events.
Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line tocilizumab in PMR.
Methods: In a prospective open-label study (ClinicalTrials.
Objective: Whipple disease is a rare infection caused by Tropheryma whipplei. Although patients commonly complain of osteoarticular involvement, musculoskeletal manifestations have been poorly described. We report cases of Whipple disease with rheumatic symptoms and describe their clinical presentation, modes of diagnosis, and outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate, under real-life conditions, the safety and efficacy of tocilizumab in patients having failed anti-TNFα therapy for spondyloarthritis.
Methods: French rheumatologists and internal-medicine practitioners registered on the Club Rhumatismes et Inflammations website were asked to report on patients given tocilizumab (4 or 8 mg/kg) to treat active disease meeting Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria for axial or peripheral spondyloarthritis, after anti-TNFα treatment failure. Safety and efficacy after 3 and 6 months were assessed retrospectively using standardised questionnaires.
Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine a low disease activity threshold--a 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28) value--for the decision to maintain unchanged disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment in rheumatoid arthritis patients, based on expert opinion.
Methods: Nine hundred and sixty-seven case scenarios with various levels for each component of the DAS28 (resulting in a disease activity score between 2 and 3.2) were presented to 44 panelists.
Objective: To describe cases of development of pulmonary nodulosis or aseptic granulomatous lung disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) therapy.
Methods: A call for observation of such cases was sent to members of the French "Club Rhumatismes et Inflammation." The cases had to occur after introduction of TNF-alpha-blocking therapy.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined patients with monoarthritis (MA) among a cohort of 270 individuals with early arthritis, categorizing them into three groups based on their history and symptoms.
- Results indicated that those with MA had a lower incidence of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-CCP positivity, compared to those with a history of arthritis or oligo/polyarthritis, and none in the MA group were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
- The conclusion highlighted that patients with monoarthritis experienced favorable outcomes, showing no risk of progressing to rheumatoid arthritis compared to the other groups.
Objective: To evaluate the ability of baseline hand radiographs to predict the diagnosis 2 years later in a cohort of patients with early arthritis.
Methods: A total of 258 patients with arthritis onset within the previous year were evaluated. At baseline, all patients underwent a standardized evaluation including laboratory tests and radiographs.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of antiperinuclear factor (APF), antikeratin antibody (AKA), and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides (anti-CCP) for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
- Over 270 patients with early arthritis were analyzed using various tests, with anti-CCP showing high specificity (93%) but moderate sensitivity (47%) compared to the other antibodies.
- The findings suggest that rheumatologists can effectively use a combination of tests—specifically anti-CCP, AKA, and IgM-rheumatoid factor—for diagnosing RA and may consider additional tests if needed.
Objective: In a cohort of patients with early arthritis, to evaluate how well foot radiographs at study inclusion predicted a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 2 years later.
Methods: A cohort of patients with arthritis of less than one year duration was evaluated in a multicenter study and followed for 30 +/- 11 months. An observer blinded to patient data read all 149 hand and foot radiographs done at study inclusion, using item 7 of the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for RA and Sharp's method to score erosions and joint space narrowing.
Objective: To determine which laboratory test or tests at presentation best predicted a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 2 years later.
Methods: Two hundred seventy patients with early arthritis seen in 7 hospitals underwent comprehensive evaluations at 6-month intervals for 2 years, when the diagnosis of RA was assessed by 5 rheumatologists. The sensitivity and specificity of each test at the first visit for discriminating between RA (38%, n = 98) and non-RA patients were determined.