Impact on patient outcomes of spondyloarthritis-inflammatory bowel disease multi-disciplinary meetings.

Objectives: To assess the impact on patient outcomes of the spondyloarthritis (SpA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings in a large university hospital.

Methods: A single-centre retrospective observational case-note review was conducted assessing the outcome of all 226 cases discussed at the SpA-IBD MDT meetings in a large UK university hospital between 2017-2022.

Results: A total of 226 patients were discussed.

A comparison of clinical examination and ultrasound enthesitis indices in patients with psoriatic arthritis, adjusted for concomitant fibromyalgia.

Objectives: To: (a) determine the extent of ultrasound (US)-detected peripheral enthesitis in a cohort of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA); (b) compare this with three clinical examination (CE) enthesitis indices; and (c) determine the effect of concurrent fibromyalgia on the evaluation of enthesitis.

Methods: A prospective single-centre cross-sectional study of consecutive outpatients with established PsA undergoing clinical examination for enthesitis and US examination for inflammatory and structural lesions of enthesitis. Multivariable analyses tested for association between US scores, CE enthesitis indices and influence of concurrent fibromyalgia.

Prevalence of axial spondyloarthritis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease using cross-sectional imaging: a systematic literature review.

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an excess burden of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), which, if left untreated, may significantly impact on clinical outcomes. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of axSpA, including previously undiagnosed cases, in IBD patients from studies involving cross-sectional imaging and identify the IBD features potentially associated with axSpA.

Methods: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched systematically between 1990 and 2018.

Early referral improves long-term outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common, chronic systemic inflammatory disease of unclear aetiology leading to synovial hypertrophy and joint inflammation. It typically presents with symmetrical polyarthritis of small joints of the hands or feet, but can also involve larger joints, and have associated extra-articular manifestations. Diagnosis is based on duration of symptoms, joint distribution, level of inflammatory markers and autoantibodies i.

Long-term efficacy and safety of tocilizumab in giant cell arteritis and large vessel vasculitis.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a chronic systemic vasculitis affecting large-sized and medium-sized vessels. Glucocorticoids are currently the mainstay of treatment for GCA and associated large vessel vasculitis (LVV) but are associated with frequent adverse events. Methotrexate has only demonstrated a modest benefit while anti-TNF biological agents (infliximab and etanercept) have been inefficacious.