Publications by authors named "Peter Bartz-Bazzanella"
Background: Safety recommendations for Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) issued by the European Medical Agency (EMA) in 2023 could potentially influence treatment patterns for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drugs, but little is known about the impact of these recommendations in routine clinical care.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the German RHADAR rheumatology database for adult patients with RA and documentation of a new therapy with a JAKi, tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi), or interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor (IL-6Ri). Data were grouped into half-yearly intervals from quarter (Q)2/2020 to Q3/2023.
Analysis of the shorter drug survival times for Janus kinase inhibitors and interleukin-17 inhibitors compared with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in a real-world cohort of axial spondyloarthritis patients - a retrospective analysis from the RHADAR network.
Rheumatol Int
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) have recently been approved alongside tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and interleukin-17 inhibitors (IL-17i) as treatment options for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), yet their real-world drug survival is under-studied.
- A retrospective analysis of 1,222 axSpA patients, focusing on treatment initiation timing from January 2015 to October 2023, reveals median drug survival rates of 31 months for TNFi, 25 months for IL-17i, and 18 months for JAKi.
- Higher discontinuation rates were seen for JAKi and IL-17i compared to TNFi, with
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the diagnostic accuracy of two digital tools, an AI-based symptom checker (Ada) and a web-based self-referral tool (Rheport), for identifying inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) among patients at three rheumatology centers.
- A total of 600 patients participated, with results showing that Rheport and Ada had varying levels of success in correctly identifying IRDs, achieving diagnostic accuracies of 52% and 58% respectively.
- The tools notably had better performance in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis compared to other IRDs, with Ada showing a higher sensitivity for this specific condition.
Drug survival superiority of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and interleukin-17 inhibitors over Janus kinase inhibitors and interleukin-12/23 inhibitors in German psoriatic arthritis outpatients: retrospective analysis of the RHADAR database.
Front Immunol
June 2024
Article Synopsis
- Treatment options for psoriatic arthritis have expanded to include various biologic DMARDs and Janus kinase inhibitors, but real-world data on their persistence in patients is limited.
- A study analyzed 1352 prescriptions and found that the 5-year survival rates were highest for IL-17 inhibitors (67.8%) and lowest for IL-12/23 inhibitors (46.0%), with JAKi showing a higher likelihood of discontinuation.
- The findings suggest that patients in Germany may stick with TNFi and IL-17i longer than IL-12/23i or JAKi, potentially influenced by disease severity and other health conditions like osteoarthritis.
Radiographic and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis are not routinely distinguished in everyday clinical care: an analysis of real-world data from rheumatology practices.
Rheumatol Int
April 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study explored the differentiation between radiographic (r-axSpA) and non-radiographic (nr-axSpA) axial spondyloarthritis in a real-world clinical setting, analyzing data from 371 patients in Germany.
- Findings showed that nearly half of the patients were classified as having definite r-axSpA, with those in this category receiving more aggressive treatment options like disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) compared to nr-axSpA patients.
- The availability of radiographic imaging was limited, with only about 58% of patients having the necessary imaging documentation, and follow-up imaging was rare; however, it confirmed r-axSpA in approximately 40
Article Synopsis
- * Patients with axSpA displayed greater impairments in selective attention compared to matched healthy individuals, while the PsA group showed better episodic short-term memory performance.
- * Further research is needed to explore factors influencing cognitive changes; the current study suggests that impairments in selective attention could affect information processing in these patients.
Article Synopsis
- Effective triage of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) is crucial for timely treatment and preventing long-term damage, as shown by a study of 600 patients in rheumatology clinics.
- The study found that the median time from symptom onset to seeing a rheumatologist was 30 weeks, with shorter delays for IRD patients (26 weeks) compared to non-IRD patients (35 weeks).
- Only a small percentage of patients had a delay of less than 12 weeks, and improvements in triage methods and pre-diagnosis treatment are recommended to reduce these delays and enhance patient care.
Article Synopsis
- Rheport is an online system designed for rheumatology that triages patient referrals to assess the likelihood of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD), but its current accuracy is limited.
- A study tested nine machine learning models using a dataset from a national rheumatology registry to improve this accuracy, with results showing that ML models significantly outperformed the existing algorithm.
- Key factors influencing IRD classification were identified, including finger joint pain and inflammatory markers, suggesting that enhancing the system with more lab data could further improve its performance.
Article Synopsis
- A study was conducted to assess patient experiences with two digital diagnostic decision support systems (DDSS): an AI-based symptom checker (Ada) and an online self-referral tool (Rheport).
- The trial involved 600 patients from rheumatology clinics in Germany, who were randomly assigned to use either tool and provide feedback on usability and helpfulness, with Rheport scoring higher than Ada in usability.
- Results indicated that while a significant number of patients found both tools helpful for assessing symptoms, older patients rated both systems lower in usability compared to younger users, highlighting potential demographic differences in tool effectiveness.
This longitudinal analysis compares the prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with psoriatic arthritis in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from a national patient register in Germany were analyzed regarding the Patient Health Questionnaire 2 (PHQ-2) to identify cases suspicious for depression at two time points, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReal-world data are crucial to continuously improve the management of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). The German RheumaDatenRhePort (RHADAR) registry encompasses a network of rheumatologists and researchers in Germany providing pseudonymized real-world patient data and allowing timely and continuous improvement in the care of RMD patients. The RHADAR modules allow automated anamnesis and adaptive coordination of appointments regarding individual urgency levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Timely diagnosis and treatment are essential in the effective management of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs). Symptom checkers (SCs) promise to accelerate diagnosis, reduce misdiagnoses, and guide patients more effectively through the health care system. Although SCs are increasingly used, there exists little supporting evidence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRituximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in routine practice (GERINIS): six-year results from a prospective, multicentre, non-interventional study in 2,484 patients.
Arthritis Res Ther
March 2014
Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of rituximab (RTX) in a large cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in routine care, and to monitor changes in daily practice since the introduction of RTX therapy.
Methods: This was a multicentre, prospective, non-interventional study conducted under routine practice conditions in Germany. Efficacy was evaluated using Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI).