HLA-B5 prevalence in patients with spondyloarthritis and impact on disease phenotype: a multicentric case-control study.

Objective: The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HLA-B51 and HLA-B52 in Lebanese patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) compared to healthy controls (HC). We further aimed to evaluate the impact of HLA-B51 on phenotype and identify the distribution of the alleles in the HLA-B locus.

Methods: A case-control study enrolled consecutive SpA patients from three rheumatology clinics in Lebanon, including axial (axSpA), peripheral SpA (pSpA), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and HC from blood donors.

Drug persistence in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases during a major economic crisis: results from a nationwide cross-sectional online survey.

To evaluate the drug persistence in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) during the current economic crisis in Lebanon and to estimate predictors of persistence. A nationwide multicentric cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire was conducted in Lebanon with patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (CIRDs) and non-inflammatory RMDs controls between July and October 2022. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were categorized as conventional synthetic (cs), biological (b), subcutaneous (SC) or intravenous (IV), and targeted synthetic (ts).

Development of an Educational Video for Self-Assessment of Patients with RA: Steps, Challenges, and Responses.

Objectives: The primary objective was to develop an educational video to teach patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) self-assessment of their disease activity. Secondary objectives were to validate the video, identify the challenges in producing it, and the responses to these challenges.

Methods: Rheumatologists from 7 Middle Eastern Arab countries (MEAC) discussed unmet needs in the education of patients with RA.

Prevalence and pattern of comorbidities in chronic rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: the COMORD study.

Increased risk of comorbidities has been reported in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMD). We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and pattern of comorbidities in RMD patients nationwide, to identify multimorbidity clusters and to evaluate the gap between recommendations and real screening. Cross-sectional, multicentric nationwide study.

HLA-B27 prevalence in axial spondyloarthritis patients and in blood donors in a Lebanese population: Results from a nationwide study.

Aim: To calculate the prevalence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 in axial spondyloarthritis patients (axSpA) compared to blood donors (BD) in Lebanon, to identify the clinical and radiological findings associated with HLA-B27 and to estimate the proportion of patients fulfilling the clinical arm of the Assessment of the Spondyloarthritis International Association (ASAS) criteria.

Method: Consecutive Lebanese adult axSpA patients fulfilling the ASAS classification criteria were included from 12 rheumatology clinics across Lebanon. BD served as controls.

Patient preferences for rheumatoid arthritis treatments: results from the national cross-sectional LERACS study.

Introduction: To investigate the treatment preferences of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and determine whether these preferences are related to specific disease characteristics.

Method: A national survey was designed to collect demographic, disease, treatment, and preference data on RA patients enrolled in 7 private and university hospital clinics in Lebanon. Associations between patient factors and treatment preferences for RA were analyzed by or Mann-Whitney test.