Gabapentinoid use and the risk of fractures in patients with inflammatory arthritis: nested case-control study in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum.

Background: Gabapentinoids are increasingly prescribed in inflammatory arthritis (IA), despite no trial evidence for efficacy at managing pain in this population. Observational studies in non-IA populations suggest gabapentinoids are associated with fractures but are limited by methodological heterogeneity/potential residual confounding. Patients with IA generally have an increased risk of fracture so may be particularly vulnerable.

The relationship between obesity and patient-reported outcome measures in people with polymyalgia rheumatica.

Objective: To examine the association between obesity and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in a primary care-based cohort of people with PMR.

Methods: The PMR Cohort Study recruited people with incident PMR from 382 general practices. Self-completed questionnaires (0, 12, 24 months) captured a range of PROMs for pain, stiffness, anxiety, depression, fatigue, function and quality of life, alongside data on BMI.

Risk of adverse outcomes during gabapentinoid therapy and factors associated with increased risk in UK primary care using the clinical practice research datalink: a cohort study.

Growing evidence from pharmacovigilance data and postmortem toxicology reports highlights the misuse potential of gabapentinoids. This study aimed to investigate the risk of serious adverse outcomes (drug misuse, overdose, major trauma), and their risk factors, in primary care patients who are prescribed gabapentinoids. Using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a matched cohort study calculated adverse event rates separately for gabapentinoid-exposed and unexposed cohorts.

Prognostic factors for colchicine prophylaxis-related adverse events when initiating allopurinol for gout: retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: Colchicine is commonly used to prevent flares when starting urate-lowering therapy for gout. Patients with gout are frequently concurrently prescribed other medications (such as statins) that may interact with colchicine, increasing the risk of adverse events. The aim of this study was to describe potential prognostic factors for adverse events in patients prescribed colchicine when initiating allopurinol.

Identifying carers in general practice (STATUS QUO): a multicentre, cross-sectional study in England.

Objectives: To determine General Practice (GP) recording of carer status and the number of patients self-identifying as carers, while self-completing an automated check-in screen prior to a GP consultation.

Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study.

Setting: 11 GPs in the West Midlands, England.

Health literacy and gout characteristics in a primary care cohort.

Objectives: To examine the cross-sectional association between health literacy and gout characteristics.

Methods: In a primary care cohort of adults living with gout, the prevalence of poor health literacy was defined using the Single-Item Literacy Screener (SILS). Multiple logistic regression was used to obtain adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the cross-sectional associations between health literacy and individual gout characteristics (frequency of flares, age at gout onset, history of oligo-/polyarticular flares, allopurinol use, allopurinol dose and serum urate level) with 95% CIs and adjustment for age, sex, deprivation and further education.

MRI in patients with a cerebral aneurysm clip; review of the literature and incident databases and recommendations for the Netherlands.

Background: In the past ferromagnetic cerebral aneurysm clips that are contraindicated for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have been implanted. However, the specific clip model is often unknown for older clips, which poses a problem for individual patient management in clinical care.

Methods: Literature and incident databases were searched, and a survey was performed in the Netherlands that identified time periods at which ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic clip models were implanted.

Near-field coded-mask technique and its potential for proton therapy monitoring.

Prompt-gamma imaging encompasses several approaches to the online monitoring of the beam range or deposited dose distribution in proton therapy. We test one of the imaging techniques - a coded mask approach - both experimentally and via simulations.Two imaging setups have been investigated experimentally.

Safety of colchicine and NSAID prophylaxis when initiating urate-lowering therapy for gout: propensity score-matched cohort studies in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

Objectives: To determine the risk of adverse events associated with colchicine or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) prophylaxis when initiating allopurinol for gout.

Methods: We conducted two matched retrospective cohort studies in linked UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics datasets. Adults initiating allopurinol for gout with (1) colchicine or (2) NSAID prophylaxis were compared with those initiating without prophylaxis, individually matched by age, sex and propensity to receive the relevant prophylaxis.

The relationship between pain and depression and anxiety in patients with inflammatory arthritis: a systematic review protocol.

Pain is a major challenge for patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA). Depression and anxiety are common comorbidities in IA, associating with worse outcomes. How they relate to pain is uncertain, with existing systematic reviews (a) mainly considering cross-sectional studies, (b) focusing on the relationship between pain and mental health in the context of disease activity/quality of life, and (c) not specifically considering the impact of treating depression/anxiety on pain.

Test-retest reliability of pain VAS/NRS, stiffness VAS/NRS, HAQ-DI and mHAQ in polymyalgia rheumatica: An OMERACT study.

Objective: To examine the test-retest reliability of four measurement instruments in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR): pain severity visual analogue scale (VAS) / numerical rating score (NRS), stiffness severity VAS/NRS, the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) and the modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ).

Method: Two prospectively collected datasets were used. All participants had a diagnosis of PMR and only those with stable disease were included in analyses.

Trends in gabapentinoid prescribing in UK primary care using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink: an observational study.

Background: The UK government reclassified gabapentin and pregabalin as 'controlled drugs' from April 2019. This study aimed to describe the trends in gabapentinoid prescribing before and immediately after reclassification, in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, an electronic primary care health record broadly representative of the UK.

Methods: Separately for gabapentin and pregabalin, we calculated annual incident and prevalent prescribing rates from year of UK approval (April 1997 and 2004 respectively) to September 2019, and monthly incident and prevalent prescribing rates (October 2017-September 2019).

Exploring the longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental health of people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases: a cross-sectional survey.

Objective: To assess the longer term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the self-reported physical and mental health of people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs).

Methods: Two thousand twenty-four patients with IRDs were randomly selected from electronic health records. Survey invitations were sent (August 2021 coinciding with relaxation of UK COVID-19 restrictions) using SMS and postal approaches.

Understanding and predicting the performance of passive heat and moisture exchangers using a numerical model.

Background: To improve the understanding of the thermodynamics and performance of small passive hygroscopic Heat and Moisture Exchangers (HMEs), a computer model simulating HME function is required.

Methods: We developed a numerical HME model to calculate the HME's water and heat exchange. The model was tuned and verified with experimental data and validated by applying it to HME design variations.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and stringent social distancing measures on health-related quality of life and COVID-19 infection rates in patients with rheumatic disease: a longitudinal analysis through the pandemic.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and stringent social isolation measures on patients with rheumatic disease (RD) from the beginning of the pandemic (April 2020).

Methods: In this UK-based single-centre, prospective, observational cohort study, all RD follow-up patients at our centre were invited by SMS text message in April 2020 to participate in the study. Participants completed questionnaires at four time points between April 2020 and December 2021.

Digital exclusion as a potential cause of inequalities in access to care: a survey in people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

Objectives: COVID-19 led to rapid uptake of digital health care. We sought to examine digital access, health and digital literacy, and impact on confidence and satisfaction with remote consultations in people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs).

Methods: People with IRDs ( = 2024) were identified from their electronic health record and invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey, using short message service (SMS) and postal approaches.

Investigating the usefulness of Automated Check-in Data Collection in general practice (AC DC Study): a multicentre, cross-sectional study in England.

Objectives: To investigate the usefulness of using automated appointment check-in screens to collect brief research data from patients, prior to their general practice consultation.

Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional study.

Setting: Nine general practices in the West Midlands, UK.

Factors associated with change in health-related quality of life in people with gout: a 3-year prospective cohort study in primary care.

Objective: To describe factors associated with change in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in people living with gout in primary care.

Methods: In a UK prospective cohort study, adults with a diagnosis of gout registered with 20 general practices completed the Gout Impact Scale (GIS; scale 0-100), 36-item Short Form Physical Function subscale (PF-10; 0-100) and HAQ Disability Index (HAQ-DI; 0-3) via postal questionnaires at baseline and 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. Linear mixed modelling was used to investigate factors associated with changes in HRQOL over 3 years.

Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and axial spondyloarthritis epidemiology in England from 2004 to 2020: An observational study using primary care electronic health record data.

Background: Contemporary data on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and axial spondyloarthritits (SpA) epidemiology in England are lacking. This knowledge is crucial to planning healthcare services. We updated algorithms defining patients with diagnoses of RA, PsA, and axial SpA in primary care and applied them to describe their incidence and prevalence in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum, an electronic health record (EHR) database covering ∼20% of England.

The impact of polymyalgia rheumatica on intimate sexual relationships: findings from the PMR Cohort Study.

Objective: The aim was to determine the impact of PMR on intimate and sexual relationships over time.

Methods: The PMR Cohort study is a longitudinal study of patients with incident PMR in English primary care. Participants were sent questionnaires about their PMR symptoms, treatments and overall health, including an item about how their PMR symptoms affected intimate and sexual relationships.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the PMR-Impact Scale: a new patient reported outcome measure for polymyalgia rheumatica.

Objectives: PMR causes pain, stiffness and disability in older adults. Measuring the impact of the condition from the patient's perspective is vital to high-quality research and patient-centred care, yet there are no validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for PMR. We set out to develop and psychometrically evaluate a PMR-specific PROM.

Long-term use of glucocorticoids for polymyalgia rheumatica: follow-up of the PMR Cohort Study.

Objectives: PMR is a common inflammatory condition in older adults, characterized by bilateral hip and shoulder pain and stiffness. Reducing oral glucocorticoids, classically used for ≤2 years, are the mainstay of treatment. This study considers the factors early in the disease course that might be associated with prolonged treatment.