Blockades in the Pathway of Specialty Care in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Report Based on Indian Rheumatology Association Database.

Aim: The study aims to identify factors influencing referral patterns and delays in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients across clinical settings in India.

Materials And Methods: A prospective, multicenter, observational study collected data from eight centers using the Indian Rheumatology Association (IRA) database. Patient-related factors and referral factors were determined based on patient narration.

Exploratory clinical subgroup clustering in systemic sclerosis: Results from the Indian Progressive Systemic Sclerosis Registry.

Objective: To conduct an exploratory cluster analysis of systemic sclerosis patients from the baseline data of the Indian systemic sclerosis registry.

Methods: Patients satisfying American College of Rheumatology-European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for systemic sclerosis were included. The clusters formed using clinical and immunological parameters were compared.

Co prescription of anti-acid therapy reduces the bioavailability of mycophenolate mofetil in systemic sclerosis patients: A crossover trial.

Objective: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an effective treatment option for interstitial lung disease (ILD) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Many patients require co-administration of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) or H2 receptor blockers (HRB) because of various gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations in SSc. Co-treatment with PPI or HRB have shown to reduce serum drug levels in post-transplant patients.

Efficacy and safety of curcumin in maintaining remission during disease-modifying antirheumatic drug withdrawal in rheumatoid arthritis at 52 weeks: a phase III double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties but current evidence is limited to advocate its use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We explored whether curcumin could maintain remission in patients with RA while tapering conventional synthetic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (csDMARD). In this patient-and investigator-blinded trial, adults with RA in sustained remission for more than six months were randomized to oral curcumin (1 g) with piperine (5 mg) twice daily or matching placebo.

Delay in diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis: reasons and trends over a decade.

Introduction: Delay in diagnosis and treatment initiation often lead to poorer outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Most of the data on delay in diagnosis and management are from western population with no data from India. Additionally, with improved health care services, whether the delay has changed over years is not known.

Postvaccination antibody titres predict protection against COVID-19 in patients with autoimmune diseases: survival analysis in a prospective cohort.

Introduction: To assess the incidence and risk factors for breakthrough COVID-19 infection in a vaccinated cohort of patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) and determine whether antibodies to receptor binding domain of spike protein (anti-RBD) serve as a reliable predictor of susceptibility to such infections.

Methods: Patients with AIRDs who had completed two doses of SARS-CoV2 vaccines were included and anti-RBD antibodies were determined 4-6 weeks post the second vaccine dose and stratified into good responders (GR) (>212 IU), inadequate responders (IR) (0.8-212 IU) and non-responders (NR) (<0.

The emerging role of mycophenolate mofetil in interstitial lung diseases.

Introduction: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), initially approved to prevent rejection in solid organ allograft, is now being increasingly used for other conditions. Over the last decade, MMF has emerged as a useful therapy for a variety of immune-mediated diseases.

Areas Covered: There has been a growing interest in the clinical use of MMF in the treatment of ILDs due to its versatile anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-fibrotic and anti-proliferative properties.

Antibody responses after documented COVID-19 disease in patients with autoimmune rheumatic disease.

Patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRD) are suspected to have less robust immune responses during COVID-19 due to underlying immune dysfunction and the use of immune-suppressive drugs. Fifty consecutive patients with a diagnosis of AIRD on disease-modifying drugs were included at around 30 days after a confirmatory test for COVID-19. Fifty controls matched one to one for age, sex, and severity of COVID-19 were also included at around 30 days after testing positive for COVID-19.

Safety of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and the BBV152 vaccines in 724 patients with rheumatic diseases: a post-vaccination cross-sectional survey.

Patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal (RMD) diseases may be at higher risks for COVID-19 infection. Data on the safety of the adenoviral vector-borne ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and the heat-inactivated BBV152 Vaccines in this group are limited. 724 patients with RMD who had received at least one dose of either the ChAdOx1 or the BBV152 were audited to find out post-vaccination adverse effect (AE) or disease flares.

Clinical and psychosocioeconomic impact of COVID-19 pandemic on patients of the Indian Progressive Systemic Sclerosis Registry (IPSSR).

Objectives: The aim was to determine the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on access to health care among patients with scleroderma and to analyse the economic and psychosocial impacts and the infection prevention measures taken by them during the pandemic.

Methods: A 25-item questionnaire designed to assess the components of the objectives was tele-administered between October 2020 and January 2021 to the patients enrolled in the Indian Progressive Systemic Sclerosis Registry.

Results: Of the 428 patients in the registry, 336 took part in the study.

Low-dose rituximab protocol in rheumatoid arthritis-outcome and economic impact.

Objectives: A significant proportion of RA patients, particularly those associated with poor prognostic factors, fail on conventional DMARDs (cDMARDs). Although rituximab (RTX) has been effective in these patients, the cost of therapy makes it unaffordable, particularly in poor and developing countries. Numerous, albeit small, studies using lower doses have shown contradictory results.

Switching to teleconsultation for rheumatology in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: feasibility and patient response in India.

The emergent COVID-19 pandemic dictates an urgent switch to teleconsultation. India has high patient to rheumatologist ratio, and patients have limited concepts about telemedicine. Thus, we attempted to find the feasibility and acceptance of patients in switching to teleconsultation.

Arthropathy in Dermatology: A Comprehensive Review.

Dermatology and rheumatology are two specialties that deal with significant overlap. In this context, it is important that the dermatologists acquaint themselves with conditions presenting with arthropathy. As the first step, it is essential to know whether the origin of musculoskeletal symptom is articular or extra-articular; inflammatory or noninflammatory; acute or chronic; oligo- or poly-articular.