Objective
To investigate the role of rheumatoid factor (RF) status and anti–citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) status as predictors of abatacept (ABA) effectiveness in patients with rheumatoid ...arthritis (RA).
Methods
We conducted a pooled analysis of data from 9 observational RA registries in Europe (ARTIS Sweden, ATTRA Czech Republic, BIOBADASER Spain, DANBIO Denmark, GISEA Italy, NOR‐DMARD Norway, ORA France, Reuma.pt Portugal, and SCQM‐RA Switzerland). Inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of RA, initiation of ABA treatment, and available information on RF and/or ACPA status. The primary end point was continuation of ABA treatment. Secondary end points were ABA discontinuation for ineffectiveness or adverse events and response rates at 1 year (good or moderate response according to the European League Against Rheumatism criteria with LUNDEX adjustment for treatment continuation). Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the study end points in relation to RF and ACPA status were calculated.
Results
We identified 2,942 patients with available data on RA‐associated autoantibodies; data on RF status were available for 2,787 patients (77.0% of whom were RF positive), and data on ACPA status were available for 1,903 patients (71.3% of whom were ACPA positive). Even after adjustment for sociodemographic and disease‐ and treatment‐related confounders, RF and ACPA positivity were each associated with a lower risk of ABA discontinuation for any reason (HR 0.79 95% CI 0.69–0.90, P < 0.001 and HR 0.78 95% CI 0.68–0.90, P < 0.001, respectively), compared to RF‐negative and ACPA‐negative patients. Similar associations with RF and ACPA were observed for discontinuation of ABA treatment due to ineffectiveness, with HRs of 0.72 (95% CI 0.61–0.84) and 0.74 (95% CI 0.62–0.88), respectively (both P < 0.001).
Conclusion
Our results strongly suggest that positivity for RF or ACPA is associated with better effectiveness of ABA therapy.
Background:
Biologic or targeted synthetic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARD) may be stopped for several reasons such as non-response, adverse events, remission, or other reasons (e.g. ...major surgery). Understanding the reasons and consequences of b/tsDMARD therapy cessation may contribute towards therapy decision guidance. Moreover, identifying patient characteristics leading to the re-start of b/tsDMARD therapy may guide decision-making as to which patients should remain on continuous b/tsDMARD therapy versus who may potentially stop b/tsDMARD therapy.
Objectives:
To describe and follow rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who stopped b/tsDMARD therapy, stratified by cessation reason.
Methods:
We conducted a descriptive cohort study among adult RA patients in the longitudinal Swiss Clinical Quality Management in Rheumatic Diseases (SCQM) between 1997 and 2019. RA patients who stopped their first b/tsDMARD therapy were eligible, with therapy stop date defining cohort entry. We followed all eligible patients from cohort entry until b/tsDMARD re-start (the outcome) or censoring due to end of patient record. All analyses were carried out stratified by cessation reason (non-response, adverse events, remission, other reasons, unknown reasons). We described patient characteristics (demographics, lifestyle factors, clinical information, other medication use, relevant comorbidities) at cohort entry. Furthermore, we estimated Kaplan Meier curves to describe differences in cumulative incidences of b/tsDMARD re-start. Finally, we assessed patient characteristics at b/tsDMARD re-start and compared them with those at cohort entry.
Results:
Among 2559 eligible RA patients, the majority stopped their b/tsDMARD due to non-response (982, 38%), followed by adverse events (475, 19%), other reasons (445, 17%), unknown reasons (444, 17%), and remission (213, 8%). Mean age at b/tsDMARD stop was around 56.2 years except in patients who stopped due to remission (mean age of 58.1 years). The majority of patients were women (78%), stopping due to an adverse event had the highest proportion of women (84%), stopping due to remission had the lowest proportion of women (70%). Compared to patients who stopped b/tsDMARD therapy due to non-response or adverse events, patients who stopped due to remission were generally more physically active, better educated, less likely to have a family history of rheumatic diseases, and had shorter median disease duration. A total of 2086 patients (82%) re-started b/tsDMARD therapy during follow-up. Of these, the majority did so after stopping due to non-response (94%), followed by adverse events (82%), unknown reasons (79%), other reasons (74%), and remission (47%). The median cumulative incidence of re-starting b/tsDMARD therapy was shortest after non-response (30 days), followed by unknown reasons (31 days), adverse events (94 days), other reasons (212 days), and remission (1597 days). The population who stopped b/tsDMARD therapy due to remission or other reasons yielded increased RA disease activity and an increase in proportions of women, cardiac diseases, degenerative joint disease, other auto-immune diseases, and of patients with family history of rheumatic diseases at the date of b/tsDMARD re-start. However, among patients who stopped b/tsDMARD therapy due to non-response or adverse events, patient characteristics at b/tsDMARD re-start were unchanged compared to those at b/tsDMARD stop.
Conclusion:
Observed differences in patient characteristics at b/tsDMARD stop may yield insight into why the patient was not responding, had an adverse event, or achieved remission. Observed changes in patient characteristics from the date of b/tsDMARD stop to re-start identified which ones may lead to a worsening of RA activity in the absence of b/tsDMARD therapy.
Acknowledgements:
We would like to thank Dr. Almut Scherer, Monika Hebeisen, and Eleftherios Papagiannoulis from SCQM for providing the data and answering questions thereto. A list of rheumatology offices and hospitals that are contributing to the SCQM registries can be found on
www.scqm.ch/institutions
. The SCQM is financially supported by pharmaceutical industries and donors. A list of financial supporters can be found on
www.scqm.ch/sponsors
.
Disclosure of Interests:
Theresa Burkard: None declared, Enriqueta Vallejo-Yagüe: None declared, Thomas Hügle Consultant of: Pfizer, Abbvie, Novartis, Grant/research support from: GSK, Jansen, Pfizer, Abbvie, Novartis, Roche, MSD, Sanofi, BMS, Eli Lilly, UCB, Axel Finckh Speakers bureau: Pfizer, Eli-Lilly, Paid instructor for: Pfizer, Eli-Lilly, Consultant of: Pfizer, BMS, Novartis, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, AB2Bio, BMS, Gilead, Pfizer, Viatris, Andrea Michelle Burden: None declared
Objectives To compare the effectiveness of rituximab versus an alternative tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor (TNFi) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with an inadequate response to one ...previous TNFi. Methods SWITCH-RA was a prospective, global, observational, real-life study. Patients non-responsive or intolerant to a single TNFi were enrolled ≤4 weeks after starting rituximab or a second TNFi. Primary end point: change in Disease Activity Score in 28 joints excluding patient's global health component (DAS28-3)–erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) over 6 months. Results 604 patients received rituximab, and 507 an alternative TNFi as second biological therapy. Reasons for discontinuing the first TNFi were inefficacy (n=827), intolerance (n=263) and other (n=21). A total of 728 patients were available for primary end point analysis (rituximab n=405; TNFi n=323). Baseline mean (SD) DAS28-3–ESR was higher in the rituximab than the TNFi group: 5.2 (1.2) vs 4.8 (1.3); p<0.0001. Least squares mean (SE) change in DAS28-3–ESR at 6 months was significantly greater in rituximab than TNFi patients: −1.5 (0.2) vs −1.1 (0.2); p=0.007. The difference remained significant among patients discontinuing the initial TNFi because of inefficacy (−1.7 vs −1.3; p=0.017) but not intolerance (−0.7 vs −0.7; p=0.894). Seropositive patients showed significantly greater improvements in DAS28-3–ESR with rituximab than with TNFi (−1.6 (0.3) vs −1.2 (0.3); p=0.011), particularly those switching because of inefficacy (−1.9 (0.3) vs −1.5 (0.4); p=0.021). The overall incidence of adverse events was similar between the rituximab and TNFi groups. Conclusions These real-life data indicate that, after discontinuation of an initial TNFi, switching to rituximab is associated with significantly improved clinical effectiveness compared with switching to a second TNFi. This difference was particularly evident in seropositive patients and in those switched because of inefficacy.
To measure the long-term rate of radiographic progression in a cohort of patients treated early vs late with conventional DMARDs.
The long-term rate of radiographic progression in patients included ...in the Swiss clinical quality management in rheumatoid arthritis (SCQM-RA) registry who initiated treatment with conventional DMARDs within the first year of symptom onset (early DMARD) vs patients who initiated treatment 1-5 years after symptom onset (late DMARD). Radiographic progression was assessed in 38 joints using a validated score (Ratingen Score). The rate of progression was calculated using a multivariate regression model for longitudinal data, adjusting for potential confounders.
A total of 970 RA patients were included. The 368 patients in the early DMARD group started therapy after a median symptom duration of 6 months, whereas the 602 patients in the late DMARD group initiated therapy after median 2.5 years. RF, MTX use and other risk factors for erosive disease progression were similar between the two groups. However, the estimated rate of radiographic progression at baseline was higher in the early DMARD vs the late DMARD group (1.8 vs 0.6, P < 0.01). In spite of this, the long-term rate of radiographic progression was significantly lower in the early DMARD group after adjustment for confounding factors (-0.35 at 5 years, P = 0.012).
This result supports the concept of a therapeutic window of opportunity early in the disease course and suggests that early initiation of DMARD therapy results in a long-lasting reduction of radiographic damage.
Recent diagnostic advances allow to identify persons in a pre‐symptomatic stage of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), opening the way for a preventive therapeutic intervention, which may potentially be ...curative. We review and discuss existing biomarkers predictive of future onset of RA. A responsible use of biomarkers in clinical settings will require an integration of blood‐based tests, imaging techniques, clinical history, environmental risk factors, and family history.
BackgroundMultiple biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying rheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) are approved for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including TNF inhibitors (TNFi), ...bDMARDs with other modes of action (bDMARD-OMA) and Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi). Combination of b/tsDMARDs with conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) is recommended, yet monotherapy is common in practice.ObjectiveTo compare drug maintenance and clinical effectiveness of three alternative treatment options for RA management.MethodsThis observational cohort study was nested within the Swiss RA Registry. TNFi, bDMARD-OMA (abatacept or anti-IL6 agents) or the JAKi tofacitinib (Tofa) initiated in adult RA patients were included. The primary outcome was overall drug retention. We further analysed secondary effectiveness outcomes and whether concomitant csDMARDs modified effectiveness, adjusting for potential confounding factors.Results4023 treatment courses of 2600 patients were included, 1862 on TNFi, 1355 on bDMARD-OMA and 806 on Tofa. TNFi was more frequently used as a first b/tsDMARDs, at a younger age and with shorter disease duration. Overall drug maintenance was significantly lower with TNFi compared with Tofa HR 1.29 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.47), but similar between bDMARD-OMA and Tofa HR 1.09 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.24). TNFi maintenance was decreased when prescribed without concomitant csDMARDs HR: 1.27 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.49), while no difference was observed for bDMARD-OMA or Tofa maintenance with respect to concomitant csDMARDs.ConclusionTofa drug maintenance was comparable with bDMARDs-OMA and somewhat higher than TNFi. Concomitant csDMARDs appear to be required for optimal effectiveness of TNFi, but not for bDMARD-OMA or Tofa.
Background: Severity of rheumatoid arthritis and progression of radiographic joint damage have decreased over the last decades. Aim: To examine whether this trend is attributable to an underlying ...trend towards milder disease or to improved treatment. Methods: The study used an inception cohort of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis seen at the Wichita Arthritis Center, Wichita, Kansas, USA, since 1973 and monitored prospectively since their first clinic visit through clinical, radiographic, laboratory, demographic and self-reported data. The radiographic disease progression in patients with disease onset in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s was compared using a multivariate regression model for longitudinal data. The analysis was adjusted for differences in baseline predictors, type of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and steroid use. Results: 418 patients with rheumatoid arthritis with radiographic follow-up were included. Patients in earlier decades used fewer DMARDs, had longer disease durations and higher tender joint counts at their first visit. Other important predictors of disease progression did not differ significantly between decades of disease onset. The unadjusted rates of radiographic progression differed between decades (analysis of variance, p = 0.01), with a significant trend towards less radiographic progression in more recent times (trend, p<0.001). However, after adjusting for DMARD use, steroid use and baseline predictors, differences between decades vanished (analysis of variance, p = 0.40) and the trend towards less radiographic progression disappeared (trend, p = 0.45). Conclusion: These results suggest that the observed trend towards milder disease in rheumatoid arthritis is attributable to more effective antirheumatic treatment and not to a secular trend.
There is a need to better define symptom characteristics associated with arthritis development in individuals at risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We investigated whether reported symptoms in ...at-risk individuals could predict arthritis development and whether predictive symptoms differed between seropositive and seronegative at-risk individuals.
At-risk individuals from four cohorts (Netherlands, UK, Sweden, and Switzerland) completed the Symptoms in Persons At Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis (SPARRA) questionnaire. Participants had either (i) anti-citrullinated protein antibodies and/or rheumatoid factor, or (ii) relevant symptoms with or without RA antibodies. Follow up was ≥ 24 months or until clinical arthritis development. Stepwise forward selection created SPARRA prediction models for the combined group and for a seropositive subgroup.
Of 214 participants, the mean age was 50 years, 67% were female, and 27% (n = 58) developed clinical arthritis after a median time of 7 months. Four symptoms predicted arthritis development: self-reported joint swelling, joint pain moving from side to side (combined group only), feeling pins and needles in the joints, and often feeling fatigued (predicting non-arthritis).
Specific symptoms can provide useful information to estimate a person's RA risk. Differences in predictive symptoms between seropositive and seronegative at-risk individuals need to be further investigated. Future research is needed to determine whether changes in symptoms over time improve prediction and to determine the value of SPARRA in optimizing the selection of individuals who need to consult a rheumatologist.
Objectives
Outcomes obtained using different physical function patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are difficult to compare. To facilitate standardization of physical function outcome ...measurement and reporting we developed an item response theory (IRT) based standardized physical function score metric for ten commonly used physical function PROMs.
Methods
Data of a total of 16,386 respondents from representative cohorts of patients with rheumatic diseases as well as the Dutch general population were used to map the items of ten commonly used physical function PROMs on a continuous latent physical function variable. The resulting IRT based common metric was cross-validated in an independent dataset of 243 patients with gout, osteoarthritis or polymyalgia in which four of the linked PROMs were administered.
Results
Our analyses supported that all 97 items of the ten included PROMs relate to a single underlying physical function variable and that responses to each item could be described by the generalized partial credit IRT model. In the cross-validation analyses we found congruent mean scores for four different PROMs when the IRT based scoring procedures were used.
Conclusions
We showed that the standardized physical function score metric developed in this study can be used to facilitate standardized reporting of physical function outcomes for ten commonly used make physical function PROMs.
RA can be categorized into late-onset RA (LORA, >60-65 years) and young-onset RA (YORA, 30-55 years), depending on the patient's age at disease onset. Since the average age of the population is ...continuously increasing, LORA will most probably gain in importance in the future. Despite this growing importance, LORA has not been the focus of much interest in the past. The aim of this study was to analyse radiographic damage progression of early disease in LORA compared with YORA patients.
We included all patients from the Swiss RA registry, Swiss Clinical Quality Management in RA, with recent-onset arthritis, either RA (disease duration ≤1 year) or undifferentiated arthritis, as diagnosed by the data-entering physician. Patients were followed for 5 years. The cut-off between YORA and LORA was operationally set at 60 years of age. The primary outcome of this study was disease progression and activity, which was assessed based on the 28-joint DAS (DAS28) and the progression of joint erosions using a validated scoring system (Ratingen score).
A total of 592 patients with early disease were analysed. The age at disease onset had a Gaussian distribution, with a single peak at 54 years of age; 366 patients were categorized as YORA and 226 as LORA at disease onset. DAS28 scores were significantly higher among LORA as compared with YORA patients (4.8 vs 4.5, P = 0.049). Corticosteroids were used in 68% of LORA patients as a first-line treatment, compared with 25.4% in YORA patients (χ(2) test: 54.58; P < 0.0001). In contrast, DMARDs were used in 100% of the YORA patients as first-line treatment, compared with 91.2% of the LORA patients. During follow-up, new glucocorticoids, synthetic DMARDs or biologic DMARDs were initiated in 32.8%, 61.1% and 14.1% of all YORA patients and 17.5%, 54.6% and 6.6% of LORA patients, respectively (χ(2) test: 7.08, 22.53, 54.4; all P < 0.01). The DAS28 scores decreased in both groups during the observed time period, and the initial differences in disease activity vanished after 6 months and during the subsequent follow-up. The Ratingen score was higher in LORA than in YORA patients at inclusion (12.7 vs 5.6, P < 0.0001). The rate of radiographic progression at 5 years was similar when comparing LORA and YORA (3.3 vs 2.6, respectively, P = 0.64). The Ratingen scores at onset and during follow-up over 5 years did not clearly separate LORA and YORA into two groups, but rather, increased linearly when comparing the patients in groups per decade from 20 to 92 years of age.
Our results did not show LORA as a separate subgroup of RA with a different prognosis with regard to radiographic progression.
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