Radiographic Progression in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Clinical Remission or Low Disease Activity: Results from a Swiss National Registry (SCQM).

The therapeutic aim for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is to control disease activity and prevent radiographic progression. Various clinical scores are used to assess disease activity in RA patients. The DAS 28 score can define states of low disease activity (LDA) and remission.

Does the Change of Weather Influence Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: Patients' Self-Assessment via WebApp.

The aim was to evaluate the influence of weather parameters on disease activity assessed by Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data (RAPID) scores via a Web-based smartphone application (WebApp). Correlation of changes of temperature (change of temperature, °C) and air pressure (change of air pressure, hPa) two days prior to and weekly self-assessment of disease activity by RAPID-3 scores over three months. To define background noise and quadrants of weather changes, we defined a central quadrant ± 2 hPa and ± 2° C, called E1.

Serious infection risk of tofacitinib compared to biologics in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated in routine clinical care.

Recently, serious infections related to the use of tofacitinib (TOF) for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have raised considerable interest. This study aimed to compare the risk for serious infections in patients with RA upon receiving TOF versus biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) by age at treatment initiation. We identified adult RA patients exposed to TOF or bDMARDs using data collected by the Swiss registry for inflammatory rheumatic diseases (SCQM) from 2015 to 2018.

Teleconsultation in rheumatology: A literature review and opinion paper.

In this article, we review published literature on "telerheumatology", a term describing the use of telemedicine in rheumatology. This field has received considerable recent attention through the development of efficient digital technologies, resulting in a good level of satisfaction among patients and health care professionals. In 2020, the social distancing constraints during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated more widespread adoption worldwide.

Long-term persistence of antibodies after diphtheria/tetanus vaccination in immunosuppressed patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and healthy controls.

Many vaccines demonstrate high effectiveness for years. This prospective multicentre study was conducted in Switzerland to assess the long-term persistence of antibodies to the diphtheria/tetanus (dT)-vaccine in adult patients with rheumatic diseases (PRDs). 163 PRDs and 169 controls were included in the study.

Effect of dose adjustments on the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a post hoc analysis of an open-label, long-term extension study (ORAL Sequel).

Introduction/objectives: We assess the impact of switching versus staying on the same tofacitinib dose on efficacy and safety in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: ORAL Sequel was an open-label, long-term extension study of patients with RA receiving tofacitinib 5 or 10 mg BID for up to 9.5 years.

Torque Teno Virus quantification for monitoring of immunomodulation with biologic compounds in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: RA patients who fail to respond to MTX can receive biologic dMARDs (bDMARDs). The Torque Teno Virus (TTV) is a potential novel candidate for monitoring of immunosuppression. We explore TTV in these patients and its association with clinical response to bDMARDs.

Site-specific resolution of enthesitis in patients with axial spondyloarthritis treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors.

Background: Enthesitis is a hallmark of spondyloarthritis (SpA) with a substantial impact on quality of life. Reports of treatment effectiveness across individual enthesitis sites in real-world patients with axial SpA (axSpA) are limited. We investigated the evolution of enthesitis following tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) initiation in axSpA patients, both cumulatively and at specific axial and peripheral sites.

Analysis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and higher radiographic progression: association of very high radiographic progression but not of intermediately high with worsening of patient-related outcomes.

Objectives: To analyse rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-patients depending on their individual peak radiographic progression.

Methods: We selected for the individual peak radiographic progression (Δ Ratingen scores/time) in patients of the Swiss registry SCQM. The baseline disease characteristics were compared using standard descriptive statistics.

Rheumatoid Arthritis from Pathogenesis to Therapeutic Strategies.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to joint destruction [...

Effectiveness, Tolerability, and Safety of Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Retrospective Analysis of Real-World Data from the St. Gallen and Aarau Cohorts.

Tofacitinib is an oral JAK inhibitor indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The efficacy and safety of tofacitinib have been shown in several randomized clinical trials. The study presented here aimed to assess the clinical tolerability and effectiveness of tofacitinib among RA patients in real life.

Clinical outcomes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus treated with belimumab in clinical practice settings: a retrospective analysis of results from the OBSErve study in Switzerland.

Aims Of The Study: To describe patterns of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) care and the clinical effectiveness of belimumab plus standard of care therapy in a real-world clinical setting in Switzerland.

Methods: This multicentre, observational, retrospective cohort study included adults with SLE who initiated belimumab as part of their usual care at least six months before data analysis. The primary outcome was the overall clinical response, assessed by a physician on a Physician’s Global Assessment-like scale, to six months’ treatment with belimumab.

Superiority of a Treat-to-Target Strategy over Conventional Treatment with Fixed csDMARD and Corticosteroids: A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial in RA Patients with an Inadequate Response to Conventional Synthetic DMARDs, and New Therapy with Certolizumab Pegol.

Background: Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) includes the use of conventional (cs), biologic (b) disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and oral, intramuscularly, intravenous, or intraarticular (IA) glucocorticoids (GCs). In this paper, we analysed whether a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy optimizing csDMARD, oral, and IA-GC treatment as an adjunct new therapy to a new certolizumab pegol (CZP) therapy improves the effectivity in RA patients.

Methods: 43 patients with active RA (≥6 tender, ≥6 swollen joints, ESR ≥ 20 mm/h or CRP ≥ 7mg/L) despite csDMARD treatment for ≥ 3 months and naïve to bDMARDs were randomized to CZP (200 mg/2 weeks after loading with 400 mg at weeks 0⁻2⁻4) plus a treat-to-target strategy (T2T, = 21), or to CZP added to the established csDMARD therapy (fixed regimen, = 22).

Clinical and radiographic course of early undifferentiated arthritis under treatment is not dependent on the number of joints with erosions at diagnosis: results from the Swiss prospective observational cohort.

Objective: To analyse whether early arthritis patients who do not fulfil the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) 2010 classification criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a different course of the disease dependent on whether they can or cannot be classified as RA because of radiographic disease (EULAR task force) at diagnosis.

Methods: For this observational study within the Swiss RA cohort SCQM, we included patients with early undifferentiated arthritis (disease duration ≤1 year), who had not received any previous disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria negative patients were separated into two groups (radiographic vs non-radiographic arthritis) depending on whether or not they had radiographic changes defined as erosive disease by a EULAR task force (≥3 joints with erosions).

Disease activity dynamics in rheumatoid arthritis: patients' self-assessment of disease activity via WebApp.

Objectives: The aim was to evaluate patient self-assessment of RA disease activity in terms of Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data (RAPID) scores via a Web-based smartphone application (WebApp).

Methods: In this prospective, multicentre study, adult RA patients were examined by a rheumatologist at baseline and after 3 months. Patients were asked to complete WebApp questionnaires weekly.

Treatment with Biologicals in Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Overview.

Management and therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been revolutionized by the development and approval of the first biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) targeting tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α at the end of the last century. Today, numerous efficacious agents with different modes of action are available and achievement of clinical remission or, at least, low disease activity is the target of therapy. Early therapeutic interventions aiming at a defined goal of therapy (treat to target) are supposed to halt inflammation, improving symptoms and signs, and preserving structural integrity of the joints in RA.

Median time to low disease activity is shorter in tocilizumab combination therapy with csDMARDs as compared to tocilizumab monotherapy in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate responses to csDMARDs and/or TNF inhibitors: sub-analysis of the Swiss and Austrian patients from the ACT-SURE study.

To analyse efficacy and safety of tocilizumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and an inadequate response to conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) and/or tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors of the Swiss and Austrian patients from the ACT-SURE study. This is a sub-analysis of RA patients from Switzerland and Austria, who participated in the international phase 3b, open-label, ACT-SURE study. Patients with an inadequate response to csDMARDs or TNF antagonists receiving 8 mg/kg of IV tocilizumab every 4 weeks during a 24-week time period were included into the study.

An assessment of the current treatment landscape for rheumatology patients in Qatar: Recognising unmet needs and moving towards solutions.

Objective This study assessed the mode of application (oral, intravenous or subcutaneous (SC)) currently employed in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients from Qatar in comparison with patients' individual preferences for the mode of application of their treatment. Methods This study included 294 RA patients visiting three clinics at the main referral hospital in Qatar who were interviewed using a standard questionnaire to determine their preference of mode of application for their disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment in relation to their currently employed mode of application. Results The majority of patients were female (76%), and 93% of male patients and 61% of female patients in the study clinics were of a nationality other than Qatari.

The prevalence of anticitrullinated protein antibodies increases with age in healthy individuals at risk for rheumatoid arthritis.

Transition from genetic risk to the development of systemic autoimmunity associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered a key step for the development of RA and often referred to as the immune onset of the disease. The aim of this study is to identify predictors for the presence of anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) as a marker of systemic autoimmunity associated with RA in a high-risk population, an ongoing cohort of first-degree relatives of patients with RA. We assessed the presence of ACPA in individuals without clinical evidence of RA.

Does addition of glucocorticoids to the initial therapy influence the later course of the disease in patients with early RA? Results from the Swiss prospective observational registry (SCQM).

The main goal of this study was to analyse whether initial addition of glucocorticoid to DMARD therapy influences the long-term course of the disease in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. All patients from the Swiss RA cohort SCQM with recent-onset arthritis (disease duration ≤1 year) were analysed. The exposure of interest was the use of glucocorticoids (GCs) at baseline.

Change from subcutaneous to intravenous abatacept and back in patients with rheumatoid arthritis as simulation of a vacation: a prospective phase IV, open-label trial (A-BREAK).

Background: Vacation can present a major problem to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with weekly subcutaneous biologics, including subcutaneous (SC) abatacept. Therefore, the replacement of four SC doses of abatacept by a single dose of intravenous (IV) abatacept may present an acceptable alternative to cover a 4-week interval needed for vacations. In the study presented, we analyzed the efficacy and safety of this intervention followed by a switch back to SC abatacept after 4 weeks.

Rheumatoid arthritis secondary non-responders to TNF can attain an efficacious and safe response by switching to certolizumab pegol: a phase IV, randomised, multicentre, double-blind, 12-week study, followed by a 12-week open-label phase.

Objective: To study the efficacy and safety of certolizumab pegol (CZP) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had discontinued an initially effective TNF inhibitor (TNF-IR).

Methods: A randomised 12-week double-blind trial with CZP (n=27) or placebo (n=10) followed by an open-label 12 week extension period with CZP.

Results: Baseline characteristics of the 2 groups were similar.