Multimorbidity phenotypes in ankylosing spondylitis and their association with disease activity and functional impairment: Data from the prospective study of outcomes in ankylosing spondylitis cohort.

Objectives: To examine the association of multimorbidity phenotypes at baseline with disease activity and functional status over time in ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods: Patient-reported AS morbidities (comorbidities, N = 28 and extra-musculoskeletal manifestations, EMMs, N = 3) within 3 years of enrollment with a prevalence ≥1 %, were included from the Prospective Study of Outcomes in Ankylosing Spondylitis (PSOAS) cohort. We defined multimorbidity as ≥2 morbidities (MM2+) and substantial multimorbidity as ≥5 morbidities (MM5+).

Syndesmophyte Growth in Ankylosing Spondylitis: from Laboratory to Bedside.

Purpose Of Review: This study aims to review recent studies on risk factors for syndesmophyte growth in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and on treatment effects.

Recent Findings: New genetic studies, including a genome-wide association study, provided only limited evidence of specific genetic associations with radiographic severity. Measures of inflammation, including vertebral osteitis and C-reactive protein level, were strongly associated with radiographic progression, while studies of adipokines had mixed results.

Risk of Hematologic Malignancies in Elderly Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Cohort Study and Systematic Review.

Objective: To examine the risk of hematologic malignancies in older adults with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Patients And Methods: We used US Medicare data from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2010, to identify a population-based cohort of beneficiaries with AS. We also included beneficiaries with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as disease controls and beneficiaries without AS or IBD as unaffected controls.

Why Do Some Patients Have Severe Sacroiliac Disease But No Syndesmophytes in Ankylosing Spondylitis? Data From a Nested Case-Control Study.

Objective: Sacroiliac (SI) joint and spinal inflammation are characteristic of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but some patients with AS have been identified who have discordant radiographic disease. We studied an AS subgroup with long-standing disease and fused SI joints. We identified factors associated with discrepant degrees of radiographic damage between the SI joints and spine.

Vertebral Bone Mineral Density, Vertebral Strength, and Syndesmophyte Growth in Ankylosing Spondylitis: The Importance of Bridging.

Objective: To examine the relationship between vertebral trabecular bone mineral density (tBMD), vertebral strength, and syndesmophytes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) using quantitative computed tomography (QCT).

Methods: We performed QCT of the spine to measure syndesmophytes and tBMD in 5 vertebrae (T11-L3) in 61 patients with AS. Finite element analysis was performed to measure vertebral strength in compressive overload, including in trabecular and cortical compartments.

Predicting Probability of Response to Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors for Individual Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Importance: Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis) have revolutionized the management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS); however, the lack of notable clinical responses in approximately one-half of patients suggests important heterogeneity in treatment response. Identifying patients likely to respond or not respond to TNFis could provide opportunities to personalize treatment strategies.

Objective: To develop models of the probability of short-term response to TNFi treatment in individual patients with active AS.

EULAR recommendations for cardiovascular risk management in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome.

Objective: To develop recommendations for cardiovascular risk (CVR) management in gout, vasculitis, systemic sclerosis (SSc), myositis, mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).

Methods: Following European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) standardised procedures, a multidisciplinary task force formulated recommendations for CVR prediction and management based on systematic literature reviews and expert opinion.

Results: Four overarching principles emphasising the need of regular screening and management of modifiable CVR factors and patient education were endorsed.

The Association of Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor Use With Incident Hypertension in Ankylosing Spondylitis: Data From the PSOAS Cohort.

Objective: Individuals with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have a greater cardiovascular (CV) risk than those in the general population. The effect of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis) on CV risk, including on the development of hypertension (HTN), remains unclear, with some data suggesting higher risk. We assessed the association of TNFi use with incident HTN in a longitudinal AS cohort.

2021 DORIS definition of remission in SLE: final recommendations from an international task force.

Objective: To achieve consensus on a definition of remission in SLE (DORIS).

Background: Remission is the stated goal for both patient and caregiver, but consensus on a definition of remission has been lacking. Previously, an international task force consisting of patient representatives and medical specialists published a framework for such a definition, without reaching a final recommendation.

Estimates of minimal clinically important improvments vary with the responsiveness of the sample.

Objective: Minimal clinically important improvements (MCII) are known to vary with the baseline level in the sample. We examined if MCIIs are also larger in samples with higher responsiveness.

Study Design And Setting: In a prospective longitudinal study of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis, we assessed arthritis activity before and after new treatments.

Geographic Differences in Rates of Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty in Young and Older Adults: A Comparison of 3 US States.

Objective: Rates of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) among Medicare beneficiaries (adults aged ≥ 65 yrs) vary across the United States, with higher rates in the Midwest and West than in the South. It is not known if a similar variation is present among younger patients, or if findings in Medicare reflect selective postponement of TKA in some regions.

Methods: Data on all primary TKA performed in adults aged ≥ 20 years in 3 states (Iowa, Utah, and Florida) in 2016 were obtained from state inpatient databases.

Risk of 30-day Readmission After Knee or Hip Replacement in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis by Non-Medicare and Medicare Payer Status.

Objective: To determine the indication and risk of 30-day rehospitalization after hip or knee replacement among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) by Medicare and non-Medicare status.

Methods: Using the Nationwide Readmission Database (2010-2014), we defined an index hospitalization as an elective hospitalization with a principal procedure of total hip (THR) or knee replacement (TKR) among adults aged ≥ 18 years. Primary payer was categorized as Medicare or non-Medicare.

Polygenic Risk Scores have high diagnostic capacity in ankylosing spondylitis.

Objective: We sought to test the hypothesis that Polygenic Risk Scores (PRSs) have strong capacity to discriminate cases of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) from healthy controls and individuals in the community with chronic back pain.

Methods: PRSs were developed and validated in individuals of European and East Asian ethnicity, using data from genome-wide association studies in 15 585 AS cases and 20 452 controls. The discriminatory values of PRSs in these populations were compared with other widely used diagnostic tests, including C-reactive protein (CRP), and sacroiliac MRI.

Osteoarthritis Care and Risk of Total Knee Arthroplasty Among Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population-Based Study of Regional Covariation.

Objective: To examine health care utilization among patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and assess whether utilization differs among residents of regions with high and low rates of total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of US Medicare beneficiaries with knee OA enrolled from 2005 to 2010. Health care utilization data for knee complaints, including rates of physician visits, physical therapy, knee injections, and arthroscopy, were abstracted from claims files until time of TKA or the end of the study in 2015.

Repeated Spinal Mobility Measures and Their Association With Radiographic Damage in Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Objective: We sought to explore the relationship between changes in repeated mobility measures and spinal structural progression in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) over time.

Methods: We studied patients with AS from the PSOAS (Prospective Study of Outcomes in AS) cohort and performed longitudinal multivariable regression modeling to assess the relationship of structural damage measured by their regional (cervical or lumbar) modified Stoke AS Spinal Score(mSASSS) and selected cervical (eg, cervical rotation, lateral bending, and occiput-to-wall distance) and lumbar spinal mobility measures (eg, Schöber's test and lumbar lateral bending) that were collected at least every 2 years from 2003 to 2019.

Results: The median length of follow-up for our 518 patients with cervical mSASSS measurements and 573 with lumbar mSASSS measurements was 4.