Publications by authors named "Rojas-Villarraga A"

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) predominantly affects women, especially during their reproductive years, leading to increased risks during pregnancy. Latina women develop SLE at a younger age, which increases their susceptibility to pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia, preterm birth and fetal growth restriction.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to systematically review maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant Latina women with SLE and to perform a meta-analysis to assess specific risks associated with the disease.

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Purpose: To describe the effectiveness and persistence of treatment with three anti-TNFα drugs, Infliximab, Etanercept, and Adalimumab, in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in a rheumatology center.

Patients And Methods: A longitudinal, retrospective cohort study was conducted. Data were obtained from the health records of patients with RA who were followed up in a rheumatology center between 2011 and 2019 under a multidisciplinary healthcare model (MCM).

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Article Synopsis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic condition that requires patient education and health literacy for effective follow-up and self-management.
  • The study investigated the differences between clinician evaluations and patient-reported outcomes in RA, particularly focusing on the effects of educational interventions on these assessments.
  • Findings revealed that patients with education had similar assessments to medical professionals, while those without education showed significant differences, highlighting the importance of patient education in managing RA.
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Introduction: Timely diagnosis and proper recognition of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is essential to establish early management in inpatients and outpatients. There are different classification scales to identify SLE, which include various clinical and serological aspects. In 2021, the SLE Risk Probability Index (SLERPI) was published, which focuses predominantly on the clinical characteristics of patients with suspected SLE and uses a simple algorithm for early recognition of the disease.

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Background And Objective: To determine the operational characteristics of salivary gland ultrasound (SGU) in the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) in a population of colombian patients with dry symptoms.

Materials And Methods: Study of diagnostic tests in patients with dry symptoms who consecutively attended the rheumatology consultation (2018-2020). Sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained through a survey, paraclinical and ophthalmological tests, minor salivary gland biopsy, unstimulated salivary flow and SGU (score 0-6 based on De Vita) were done.

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Purpose: To determine the value of lung ultrasound (LUS) compared to high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in the early diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Patients And Methods: An observational prospective study was performed. Were included patients with respiratory symptoms or/and, patients with crackles in auscultation during medical consultation.

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Objective: To describe the results from the Global Burden Disease (GBD) study 2019 on the burden of other musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from all LAC region in the GBD study from 1990 to 2019. Other MSK (other than rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, low back pain, and neck pain) burden was measured as prevalence, mortality, years lived with disability (YLD), and disability-adjusted life (DALY), by year, sex, and country.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate how often polyautoimmunity (PolyA) occurs in Colombian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and identify related factors.
  • A total of 463 SLE patients were analyzed, revealing that 34.7% had PolyA, with common conditions including antiphospholipid syndrome and Sjögren's syndrome, while notable associated factors included age, xerophthalmia, and deep vein thrombosis.
  • Findings indicate that certain factors increase the likelihood of PolyA among SLE patients, but lupus nephritis was less common in those with PolyA, suggesting a need for further understanding of this relationship.
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  • The study aimed to evaluate how a comprehensive care model (CCM) affects treatment adherence in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving subcutaneous anti-TNF drugs.
  • An observational study of 131 RA patients showed an increase in adherence from 87.8% at the start to 96.2% after 24 months of implementing the CCM.
  • Results indicated that the CCM contributed to a 9.4% increase in overall adherence, with patients using golimumab showing 4.5% higher adherence compared to those on etanercept and adalimumab.
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Purpose: To describe clinical characteristics and effectiveness of health care in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as part of a multidisciplinary care model (MCM) in a specialized rheumatology center, compared with the results of a national registry of RA (NARRA) as evidence of real-world management.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a real-world study (July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019) based on an analysis of electronic health records of a cohort of RA patients managed with the "Treat-to-Target" strategy in a specialized rheumatology center in Colombia with an MCM, compared with the NARRA that includes different models of usual care.

Results: We have analyzed 7053 subjects with RA treated at a specialized rheumatology center and 81,492 patients from the NARRA.

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Aim: Rheumatoid arthritis is a prevalent worldwide disease, associated with an increased risk of multiple metabolic abnormalities that generate a higher disease burden.

Objective: To gather the available evidence on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, current perspectives, clinical implications and prognosis of metabolic abnormalities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: This is a narrative literature review.

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Introduction And Objective: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is an anti-inflammatory drug with an unclear role in the treatment of patients with lupus nephritis (LN). This systematic review evaluates the evidence for IVIg in the care of patients with LN.

Methodology: A systematic search was done in the PubMed, EMBASE, BVS and OVID databases - All EBM Reviews following the PRISMA methodology (registration in PROSPERO CRD42021236662).

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Introduction: The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is 1.5-2 times higher than the general population. The fundamental risk factor for CVD is age, related to alterations at the arterial level.

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Article Synopsis
  • Tofacitinib is effective for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients after conventional DMARDs, showing promising results in a Colombian study comparing first-line and second-line treatments.
  • A total of 152 RA patients were analyzed, revealing that those starting with tofacitinib after failing conventional DMARDs achieved higher remission rates than those starting after biologics, though overall improvements in disease activity were similar.
  • The study suggests that baseline disease severity impacts long-term response, indicating the need for further research on tofacitinib's role across different RA treatment lines and patient demographics.
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Background: Convalescent plasma (CP) has been widely used to treat COVID-19 and is under study. However, the variability in the current clinical trials has averted its wide use in the current pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CP in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the early stages of the disease.

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Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) assessed by coronary computed tomography (CT) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been investigated in several studies, but with conflicting results. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature was synthesize the evidence on this topic.

Methods: The relevant literature was identified and evaluated from inception until January 2021 in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane library.

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Background/objective: The diagnostic delay of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is globally reported to be between 3 and 11 years. Early diagnosis and treatment have long-term benefits for patients and the health care system. Several international studies have evaluated some factors associated with diagnostic delay, but there are no known studies in the Colombian population.

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This study evaluated a non-face-to-face-multidisciplinary consultation model in a population with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an analytical observational study of a prospective cohort with simple random sampling. RA patients were followed for 12 weeks (Jul-Oct 2020).

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is a gram-negative bacterium that adapts to the gastric mucosa and provokes symptoms associated with gastritis. Chronic infection in patients with a genetic predisposition can trigger autoimmune diseases due to the immune interaction of cellular and humoral responses. Infections are a triggering factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and Sjögren syndrome (SS), although the association between and these diseases is unclear.

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Background: : Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease with a wide range of clinical manifestations. The latest classification criteria, EULAR/ACR 2019, have not been validated in a Latin American population of Amerindian ancestry. The objective of this study is to compare the sensitivity of the EULAR/ACR 2019 and SLICC 2012 classification criteria in a group of SLE patients with the above ancestry.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the effectiveness of certolizumab as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, comparing its use as monotherapy against its use in combination with methotrexate (MTX) or leflunomide (LFN).
  • Conducted in a Colombian RA management center, the research followed 181 patients over 12 months to assess improvements in their Disease Activity Score (DAS28).
  • Results indicated that certolizumab was effective even as a standalone treatment, with a 94.4% positive response at 12 months for those on monotherapy, compared to lower response rates in combination groups.
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Background: It is not clear whether patients with some degree of immunosuppression have worse outcomes in SARS-CoV-2 infection, compared to healthy people.

Objective: To carry out a narrative review of the information available on infection by SARS-CoV-2 in immunosuppressed patients, especially patients with cancer, transplanted, neurological diseases, primary and secondary immunodeficiencies.

Results: Patients with cancer and recent cancer treatment (chemotherapy or surgery) and SARS-CoV-2 infection have a higher risk of worse outcomes.

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Background And Aims: Autoimmune diseases (AID) share various clinical signs and symptoms and pathophysiological mechanisms including the increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is potentially useful in improving the cardiovascular risk assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate CACS in six AIDs analyzed as a group compared with controls through a systematic literature review (SLR) and meta-analysis.

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Objective: Autoimmune diseases generate an impact on the morbidity and mortality of patients and are a burden for the health system through hospital admissions and readmissions. The prevalence of readmission of patients with these diseases has not yet been described as a group, but rather as sub-phenotype. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of hospital readmissions in a Colombian population with autoimmunity and the factors related to readmission.

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