Sex-specific differences and how to handle them in early psoriatic arthritis

Abstract Objectives The prevalence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is the same in men and women; however, the latter experience a higher burden of disease and are affected more frequently by polyarthritis. Here, we performed an early PsA cohort analysis to assess sex-related differences in demographics, disease characteristics, and evolution over 1 year including applied treatment strategies. Methods Our study is embedded in the Dutch south-west Early Psoriatic Arthritis cohoRt. We described patient characteristics and treatment decisions. For the comparison across sexes and baseline and 1 year follow-up, appropriate tests depending on the distribution were used. Results Two hundred seventy-three men and 294 women with no significant differences in age and ethnicity were included. Women reported significantly longer duration of symptoms before diagnosis and significantly higher tender joint count, a higher disease activity, higher levels of pain, and lower functional capacity. Although minimal disease activity (MDA) rates increased over time for both sexes, MDA remained significantly more prevalent among men at 1 year (58.1% vs 35.7%, p < 0.00). Initially, treatment strategies were similar in both sexes with methotrexate being the most frequently used drug during the first year. Women received methotrexate for a shorter period [196 (93–364) vs 306 (157–365), p < 0.00] and therefore received a lower cumulative dose compared to men. Retention time was shorter for all DMARDs, and women had a delayed start on b-DMARDs. Conclusion After 1 year of standard-of-care treatment, women did not surpass their baseline disadvantages. Despite the overall improvement, they still presented higher disease activity, higher levels of pain, and lower functional capacity score than men. The nature of these findings may advocate a need for sex specific adjustment of treatment strategies and evaluation in early PsA patients.

Download Full-text

Sex-Specific Differences and How to Handle Them in Early Psoriatic Arthritis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-434362/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Evangelia Passia ◽

Marijn Vis ◽

Laura Coates ◽

Anuska Soni ◽

Ilja Tchetverikov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psoriatic Arthritis ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Functional Capacity ◽

Cohort Analysis ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Patient Characteristics ◽

Tender Joint Count ◽

Tender Joint ◽

Duration Of Symptoms ◽

Early Psoriatic Arthritis

Abstract Objectives:The prevalence of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) is the same in men and women, however, the latter experience a higher burden of disease and are affected more frequently by polyarthritis. Here, we performed an early PsA cohort analysis to assess sex-related differences in demographics, disease characteristics and evolution over 1 year including applied treatment strategies. Methods:Our study is embedded in the Dutch south-west Early Psoriatic Arthritis cohoRt. We described patient characteristics and treatment decisions. For the comparison across sexes and baseline and 1 year follow up, appropriate tests depending on the distribution were used. Results:273 men and 294 women with no significant differences in age and ethnicity were included. Women reported significantly longer duration of symptoms before diagnosis and significantly higher tender joint count, a higher disease activity, higher levels of pain and lower functional capacity. Although minimal disease activity (MDA) rates increased over time for both sexes, MDA remained significantly more prevalent among men at one year (58.1% vs 35.7%, p<0.00). Initially, treatment strategies were similar in both sexes with Methotrexate being the most frequently used drug during the first year. Women received Methotrexate for a shorter period [196(93-364) vs 306(157-365), p<0.00] and therefore received a lower cumulative dose compared to men. Retention time was shorter for all DMARDs and women had a delayed start on b-DMARDs. Conclusion:After 1 year of standard-of-care treatment women didn’t surpass their baseline disadvantages. Despite the overall improvement, they still presented higher disease activity, higher levels of pain and lower functional capacity score than men. The nature of these findings may advocate a need for sex specific adjustment of treatment strategies and evaluation in early PsA patients.

Download Full-text

The Risk of Developing Diabetes Mellitus in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis: A Cohort Study

The Journal of Rheumatology ◽

10.3899/jrheum.160861 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 286-291 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Lihi Eder ◽

Vinod Chandran ◽

Richard Cook ◽

Dafna D. Gladman

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Psoriatic Arthritis ◽

General Population ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Cohort Analysis ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Tender Joint Count ◽

Event Analysis ◽

Tender Joint

Objective.To estimate the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in comparison with the general population and to assess whether the level of disease activity over time predicts the development of DM in these patients.Methods.A cohort analysis was conducted in patients followed in a large PsA clinic from 1978 to 2014. The prevalence of DM in the patients was compared with the general population of Ontario, Canada, and the age-standardized prevalence ratio (SPR) was calculated. For the assessment of risk factors for DM, time-weighted arithmetic mean (AM) levels of PsA-related disease activity measures were assessed as predictors for the development of DM. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to compute HR for incident DM after controlling for potential confounders.Results.A total of 1305 patients were included in the analysis. The SPR of DM in PsA compared with the general population in Ontario was 1.43 (p = 0.002). Of the 1065 patients who were included in the time-to-event analysis, 73 patients were observed to develop DM. Based on multivariable analyses, AM tender joint count (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.08–2.18, p = 0.02) and AM erythrocyte sedimentation rate (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.03–1.41, p = 0.02) predicted the development of DM.Conclusion.The prevalence of DM is higher in patients with PsA compared with the general population. Patients with elevated levels of disease activity are at higher risk of developing DM.

Download Full-text

FRI0277 EFFECTIVENESS OF BDMARDS IN AS AND NR-AXSPA PATIENT POPULATIONS: EXPERIENCE FROM THE CORRONA REGISTRY

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-eular.3318 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 725.1-726

Author(s):

T. Hunter ◽

T. Blachley ◽

W. Malatestinic ◽

L. Harrold ◽

B. Dube ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disease Activity ◽

Patient Characteristics ◽

Response Rates ◽

Tender Joint Count ◽

Research Support ◽

Tender Joint ◽

Clinical Registry ◽

Modest Improvement ◽

Asas Criteria ◽

Patient Reported

Background:Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) consists of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), also referred to as radiographic axSpA (r-axSpA) and non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA). AxSpA can lead to reduced mobility, pain, fatigue, and impact quality of life. While bDMARDs are available for treatment, the literature lacks studies exploring their real-world effectiveness in clinical registry patients with axSpA.Table 1.Demographic characteristics and clinical response rates of AxSpA patientsTable 2.TNFi drug survival rate results of early and late disease courseObjectives:To describe patient characteristics of bDMARD initiators among the AS and nr-axSpA populations and the effectiveness of bDMARDs at the 6-month (± 3) post-initiation follow-up (FU) visit in the Corrona PsA/SpA Registry.Methods:This study included patients aged ≥ 18 years with AS per modified NY criteria and nr-axSpA per ASAS criteria enrolled between 3/2013 and 9/2019. Concurrently diagnosed patients with PsA were excluded. Baseline characteristics, such as demographic, clinical, disease activity, treatment, and patient-reported outcomes (PRO), were collected for those initiating a bDMARD at enrollment or during FU; response rates and mean change in disease activity and PRO between initiation and 6-month FU were calculated.Results:The AS (n=179) and nr-axSpA (n=32) bDMARD initiators groups were similar at initiation for mean age (AS: 49.1 yrs, nr-axSpA: 48.9 yrs), ASDAS scores (AS: 2.9, nr-axSpA: 2.8) and patient global assessment (AS: 59.6, nr-axSpA: 60.0). The two groups were different for time from disease duration (AS 8.5 yrs, nr-axSpA, 6.6 yrs), current NSAID use (AS: 64.2%, nr-axSpA: 46.9%) and naivete to cDMARDS (AS: 70.4%, nr-axSpA: 40.6%), TNFs (AS: 47.5%, nr-axSpA: 21.9%), non-TNFs (AS: 96.1%, nr-axSpA: 93.8%) and bDMARDs (AS: 46.9%, nr-axSpA: 21.9%). Patients were similarly impacted by their condition for BASDAI (AS: 5.0, nr-axSpA, 5.6), pain (AS: 55.8, nr-axSpA, 60.8) and fatigue (AS: 51.6, nr-axSpA, 59.9), but there was an imbalance in tender joint count (AS: 2.6, nr-axSpA, 13.4).At 6-month FU, both populations experienced minimal or no change in ASDAS scores (AS: -0.3, nr-axSpA: 0.0) remaining in a high state of disease activity (ASDAS, ≥2.2). A small percent of both groups achieved ASAS20 (AS: 20.1%; nr-axSpA: 21.9%) and ASAS40 (AS: 14 %, nr-axSpA: 15.6%). Further, bDMARD initiators had minimal decreases in BASDAI (AS: -0.6, nr-axSpA: -0.8), pain (AS: -8.5, nr-axSpA: -12.2), and fatigue (AS: -5.0, nr-axSpA: -7.9) scores.Conclusion:AS and nr-axSpA bDMARD initiators had a modest improvement in outcomes at six months. Twenty percent or fewer patients achieved ASAS20 or ASAS40, with many having residual impairment based on ASDAS, BASDAI, pain, and fatigue outcomes at six months. While patients are initiating biologic agents, room for improvement exists as many are not achieving optimal treatment response of inactive (ASDAS, <1.3) or low disease activity (ASDAS, <2.1).Disclosure of Interests:Theresa Hunter Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Taylor Blachley Employee of: Corrona, LLC, William Malatestinic Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Leslie Harrold Shareholder of: Corrona, LLC – shareholder, Grant/research support from: Pfizer – grant/research support, Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Roche – consultant, Employee of: Corrona, LLC – employment, Blessing Dube Employee of: Corrona, LLC, Meghan Glynn Shareholder of: Corrona, LLC – shareholder, Grant/research support from: Pfizer – grant/research support, Employee of: Corrona, LLC – employment, Jeffrey Lisse Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Rebecca Bolce Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Philip J Mease Grant/research support from: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – grant/research support, Consultant of: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – consultant, Speakers bureau: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB – speakers bureau

Download Full-text

Significance of Clinical Evaluation of the Metacarpophalangeal Joint in Relation to Synovial/Bone Pathology in Rheumatoid and Psoriatic Arthritis Detected by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The Journal of Rheumatology ◽

10.3899/jrheum.080205 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 36 (12) ◽

pp. 2751-2757 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

MILLICENT A. STONE ◽

LAWRENCE M. WHITE ◽

DAFNA D. GLADMAN ◽

ROBERT D. INMAN ◽

SAM CHAYA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Psoriatic Arthritis ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Joint Line ◽

Tender Joint Count ◽

Kappa Statistics ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Tender Joint ◽

Joint Line Tenderness

Objective.Rheumatologists base many clinical decisions regarding the management of inflammatory joint diseases on joint counts performed at clinic. We investigated the reliability and accuracy of physically examining the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints to detect inflammatory synovitis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the gold standard.Methods.MCP joints 2 to 5 in both hands of 5 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 5 with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) were assessed by 5 independent examiners for joint-line swelling (visually and by palpation); joint-line tenderness by palpation (tender joint count, TJC) and stress pain; and by MRI (1.5 Tesla superconducting magnet). Interrater reliability was assessed using kappa statistics, and agreement between examination and corresponding MRI assessment was assessed by Fisher’s exact tests (p < 0.05 considered statistically significant).Results.Interrater agreement was highest for visual assessment of swelling (κ = 0.55–0.63), slight-fair for assessment of swelling by palpation (κ = 0.19–0.41), and moderate (κ = 0.41–0.58) for assessment of joint tenderness. In patients with RA, TJC, stress pain, and visual swelling assessment were strongly associated with MRI evaluation of synovitis. Visual swelling assessment demonstrated high specificity (> 0.8) and positive predictive value (= 0.8). For PsA, significant associations exist between TJC and MRI synovitis scores (p < 0.01) and stress pain and MRI edema scores (p < 0.04). Assessment of swelling by palpation was not significantly associated with synovitis or edema as determined by MRI in RA or PsA (p = 0.54–1.0).Conclusion.In inflammatory arthritis, disease activity in MCP joints can be reliably assessed at the bedside by examining for joint-line tenderness (TJC) and visual inspection for swelling. Clinical assessment may have to be complemented by other methods for evaluating disease activity in the joint, such as MRI, particularly in patients with PsA.

Download Full-text

Influence of IL-6 and TNF-α on clinical manifestations, activity and comorbidity in a group of patients with psoriatic arthritis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-49003/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Montilla ◽

Gómez-Lechón Luis ◽

Esther Toledano ◽

Elisa Acosta ◽

Olga Compán ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psoriatic Arthritis ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Tender Joint Count ◽

Hla B27 ◽

Tender Joint ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Biologic Dmard ◽

Clinical Variants

Abstract Objectives To relate the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) with the clinical variants, the disease activity and the presence of comorbidities. Methods Cross-sectional observational study that included 184 patients with PsA according to CASPAR criteria. IL-6 and TNF-α levels were determined. As clinical variables, the clinical form (peripheral, axial or mixed), the presence of dactylitis, the severity of psoriasis measured by PASI and HLA-B27 were determined. Disease activity was measured by the tender joint count, swollen joint count, entheses affected, the severity of psoriasis measured by PASI, ESR, and CRP. The minimum disease activity (MDA) was also measured. Cardiovascular risk markers such as waist /hip ratio (w/ h) and analytical variables: apolipoprotein A, apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein a, insulin, insulin resistance (HOMA-R) and microalbuminuria in urine 24 hours (MA) were included in comorbidity. The presence of fatty liver was measured by ultrasound and fatigue by the FACIT-F questionnaire. Results The mean age of the patients was 55.12 years (SD: 11.29). One hundred and one were men (54.89%). 14.67% of the patients were on treatment with biologic DMARD (bDMARD). One hundred and two patients had peripheral involvement (55.43%), 69 mixed (37.5%) and 13 (7.07%) exclusively axial. 17.93% of the patients had a positive HLA-B27. 53.26% of the patients achieved a MDA. In the analysis of IL-6, we found a correlation with CRP (R: 0.32; P = 0.001), in addition, in patients with positive HLA-B27 we found lower concentrations of IL-6 (3.25 + 2, 26 Vs 5.81 + 7.23) -p < 0.001). We found no association with other variables related to inflammatory activity and / or comorbidity. TNF-α concentrations were higher in patients receiving TNF-α inhibitors ((178.89 SD: 181.31 vs 10.42 SD: 11.15; P < 0.001). Excluding these patients, we only found a correlation with the MA (R: 0.39; p < 0.001). Conclusions In our patients, the presence of HLA-B27 influenced IL-6 concentrations. TNF-α could be considered as a marker of subclinical renal damage.

Download Full-text

Application and Modifications of Minimal Disease Activity Measures for Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis Treated with Adalimumab: Subanalyses of ADEPT

The Journal of Rheumatology ◽

10.3899/jrheum.120970 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 40 (5) ◽

pp. 647-652 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Philip J. Mease ◽

Michele Heckaman ◽

Sonja Kary ◽

Hartmut Kupper

Keyword(s):

Psoriatic Arthritis ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Global Assessment ◽

Health Assessment ◽

Severity Index ◽

Tender Joint Count ◽

Physician Global Assessment ◽

Minimal Disease Activity ◽

Tender Joint ◽

Minimal Disease

Objective.This posthoc analysis evaluated the percentage of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who achieved minimal disease activity (MDA) and compared the results with a modified MDA substituting the physician global assessment (PGA) for the Psoriasis Activity and Severity Index (PASI) using data from the ADalimumab Effectiveness in Psoriatic Arthritis Trial (ADEPT; NCT00646386).Methods.Patients with active PsA were randomized to receive adalimumab 40 mg or placebo every other week for 24 weeks. MDA was defined as achieving ≥ 5 of the following criteria: tender joint count ≤ 1; swollen joint count ≤ 1; PASI ≤ 1 or body surface area ≤ 3%; patient pain score ≤ 15 [1–100 mm visual analog scale (VAS)]; patient global assessment (PGA) of disease activity ≤ 20 (1–100 mm VAS); Health Assessment Questionnaire ≤ 0.5; and tender entheseal points ≤ 1 (only heels assessed). For modification of the MDA, PASI ≤ 1 was substituted with PGA “Clear” as MDAPGA1 and PGA “Clear” or “Almost clear” as MDAPGA2.Results.Sixty-seven patients were treated with adalimumab and 69 with placebo. At Week 24, MDA, MDAPGA1, and MDAPGA2 were achieved by 39%, 37%, and 39%, respectively, of patients treated with adalimumab versus 7%, 5%, and 8% of patients on placebo (p < 0.001). Kappa coefficients indicated good agreement between PASI and PGA at Week 24.Conclusion.ADEPT results indicated that significantly more patients treated with adalimumab achieved MDA by Week 24 compared with placebo. Modification of the MDA by replacing PASI ≤ 1 with PGA assessments did not alter the results, which may improve feasibility of practical use of the index.

Download Full-text

Measuring disease activity in psoriatic arthritis: PASDAS implementation in a tightly monitored cohort reveals residual disease burden

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/keaa766 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Michelle L M Mulder ◽

Tamara W van Hal ◽

Frank H J van den Hoogen ◽

Elke M G J de Jong ◽

Johanna E Vriezekolk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psoriatic Arthritis ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Disease Burden ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Inflammatory Back Pain ◽

Tender Joint Count ◽

Tender Joint ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Objectives We aimed to investigate the disease activity and overall disease burden of (subgroups of) patients with PsA using the Psoriatic Arthritis Disease Activity Score (PASDAS) in an already tightly monitored cohort. Methods This is a cross-sectional study evaluating data from the first visit of 855 PsA patients after implementation of the PASDAS in our tightly monitored cohort [e.g. DAS 28 (DAS28) was provided as an anchor]. Differences in clinical outcomes between subgroups of patients using established cut-offs for disease activity status [i.e. very low (VLDA), low (LDA), moderate (MDA), and high disease activity (HDA)] were examined. Results Based on the PASDAS, 53.1% of patients were in VLDA/LDA. 29.5% of patients had ≥1 swollen joint, 20.6% had ≥1 enthesitis index point and 3.0% had active dactylitis. Based on DAS28, 77.5% of the patients were in VLDA/LDA. Patients reaching both DAS28 VLDA/LDA status and PASDAS VLDA/LDA status [N = 445 (52.0%)] were compared with patients reaching only DAS28 VLDA/LDA status [N = 218 (25.5%)]. For these latter patients, significantly worse scores on separate parameters were found in measures used for PASDAS/DAS28 calculation (e.g. swollen and tender joint count and patient’s visual analogue scale global disease activity) as well as other disease measures (e.g. function and inflammatory back pain). This result remained, even when the stricter VLDA cut-off was used for the DAS28. Conclusion PASDAS implementation uncovered relevant residual disease activity in a quarter of patients previously assessed as being in DAS28 VLDA/LDA, underscoring the potential value of PASDAS measurements in PsA clinical care.

Download Full-text

Comparison of Different Remission and Low Disease Definitions in Psoriatic Arthritis and Evaluation of Their Prognostic Value

The Journal of Rheumatology ◽

10.3899/jrheum.180249 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 160-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Laura C. Coates ◽

Alice B. Gottlieb ◽

Joseph F. Merola ◽

Caroline Boone ◽

Annette Szumski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psoriatic Arthritis ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Activity Index ◽

Skin Lesions ◽

Tender Joint Count ◽

Tender Joint ◽

Clinical Trial Registration ◽

Low Disease Activity ◽

Link Type

Objective.There is no agreement on the optimal definitions for assessing disease state in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and some of the commonly used definitions do not include assessment of skin lesions. We investigated the performance of various definitions in patients with PsA and psoriasis.Methods.This was a posthoc analysis of data from the PRESTA study. The remission definitions analyzed were very low disease activity (VLDA) index, defined as 7/7 of the minimal disease activity (MDA) cutoffs; Disease Activity Index for PsA (DAPSA); and clinical (c-) DAPSA. The low disease activity (LDA) definitions analyzed were as follows: MDA defined as 5/7 cutoffs; MDA joint with both the tender joint count (TJC) and swollen joint count (SJC) cutoffs mandated; MDA skin where skin cutoff was mandated; MDA joint + skin where TJC, SJC, and skin cutoffs were mandated; DAPSA LDA; and cDAPSA LDA.Results.At Week 24, the proportions of patients achieving VLDA, DAPSA, and cDAPSA remission were 10%, 35%, and 37%, respectively. Of the patients achieving DAPSA and cDAPSA remission, 55% and 56%, respectively, had Psoriasis Area and Severity Index > 1. The proportions of patients achieving MDA 5/7, MDA skin, MDA joint, and MDA joint + skin were 44%, 19%, 36%, and 14%, respectively, versus 70% achieving DAPSA and cDAPSA LDA. Notable residual levels of psoriasis were observed in patients achieving the definitions that did not require skin disease control.Conclusion.VLDA and MDA definitions are more stringent than DAPSA and cDAPSA definitions for the assessment of PsA. The relevance of residual disease to patients, however, remains to be determined. [Clinical Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.govNCT00245960]

Download Full-text

Dactylitis is an indicator of a more severe phenotype independently associated with greater SJC, CRP, ultrasound synovitis and erosive damage in DMARD-naive early psoriatic arthritis

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-220964 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. annrheumdis-2021-220964

Author(s):

Sayam Dubash ◽

Oras A Alabas ◽

Xabier Michelena ◽

Leticia Garcia-Montoya ◽

Richard J Wakefield ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psoriatic Arthritis ◽

Disease Burden ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Power Doppler ◽

Tender Joint Count ◽

Tender Joint ◽

Bone Erosions ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

The Impact ◽

Early Psoriatic Arthritis

ObjectiveTo characterise the impact of dactylitis in disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)-naive early psoriatic arthritis (PsA).MethodsPatients with early PsA meeting the classification criteria for PsA (CASPAR) were recruited. Clinical outcomes were recorded, and ultrasonography was conducted to assess grey scale (GS) and power Doppler (PD) synovitis, periarticular cortical bone erosions and enthesitis. The cohort was dichotomised by the presence or absence of dactylitis.ResultsOf 177 patients with PsA, those with dactylitis (dactylitic PsA (81/177, 46%)) had higher tender joint count (p<0.01), swollen joint count (SJC) (p<0.001) and C reactive protein (CRP) (p<0.01) than non-dactylitic PsA. Dactylitis was more prevalent in toes (146/214 (68.2%)) than fingers (68/214 (31.8%)); ‘hot’ dactylitis was more prevalent than ‘cold’ (83.6% vs 16.4%). Ultrasound (US) synovitis and erosions were significantly more prevalent in dactylitic PsA (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). Exclusion of dactylitis in dactylitic PsA confirmed significantly greater SJC (3 vs 1, p=0.002), US synovitis (GS ≥2: 20.6% vs 16.1%, p<0.001, or PD ≥1: 5.1% vs 3.3%, p<0.001) and erosions (1.1% vs 0.5% joints, p=0.008; 26.1% vs 12.8% patients, p=0.035%) than non-dactylitic PsA. Synovitis (GS ≥2 and/or PD ≥1) occurred in 53.7% of dactylitis. No substantial differences were observed for US enthesitis.ConclusionDactylitis signifies a more severe disease phenotype independently associated with an increased disease burden with greater SJC, CRP, US-detected synovitis and bone erosions in DMARD-naive early PsA and may be a useful discriminator for early risk stratification.

Download Full-text

The efficacy and safety of apremilast in patients with psoriatic arthritis concurrent with comorbidity in clinical practice

Rheumatology Science and Practice ◽

10.14412/1995-4484-2019-299-306 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 57 (3) ◽

pp. 299-306

Author(s):

E. Yu. Loginova ◽

Yu. L. Korsakova ◽

A. D. Koltakova ◽

E. E. Gubar ◽

P. L. Karpova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psoriatic Arthritis ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Skin Lesions ◽

Tender Joint Count ◽

Psoriatic Skin ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Tender Joint ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Conventional Dmards ◽

Low Activity

Objective: to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of the targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) apremilast (AP; Otesla®) in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) at 14 and 26 weeks after starting the treatment and to identify the place of AP in the combination therapy of patients with PsA, by taking into consideration a comorbidity.Subjects and methods. Examinations were made in 20 patients (11 women and 9 men) with active PsA who had comorbidity, lack of efficiency of or intolerance to previous therapy with synthetic DMARDs or biologic agents, and contraindications to its use. The median baseline Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) score was 35.6 [24.8; 55.6]; those of DAS and DAS28 were 3.8 [3.2; 5.0] and 4.4 [4.0; 5.2], respectively. AP (Otesla®) was administered in tablets with a starting dose of 10 mg/day with a daily dose escalation of 10 mg to the therapeutic dose of 60 mg/day for 26 weeks. At baseline, 14 and 26 weeks, the disease activity and efficiency of AP were evaluated using DAPSA, DAS, and DAS28, as well as minimal disease activity (MDA) criteria (tender joint count ≤1; swollen joint count ≤1; PASI ≤1 or BSA ≤3%; a patient’s assessment of pain ≤15 mm; patient’s global assessment ≤ 20 mm; Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) ≤ 0.5; enthesitis ≤1). The investigators estimated the number of patients who had achieved remission (DAPSA≤4; DAS<1.6; DAS28<2.6), low activity (5≤DAPSA≤14; 1.6≤DAS<2.4; 2.6≤DAS28<3.2) or MDA (5 of the 7 criteria) during AP therapy at 26-week follow-up. The safety of therapy was evaluated, by analyzing the adverse events (AE): the frequency, severity, and time of their occurrence were studied.Results and discussion. At 26 weeks after AP therapy initiation, there was a significant decrease of all PsA activity scores as compared to the baseline ones to the following median values: DAPSA 25.9 [11.3; 35.2]; DAS 3.3 [1.8; 3.9], and DAS28 3.4 [2.3; 4.8]. The median BASDAI and ASDAS scores also significantly declined from 5.1 [2.5; 7.3] and 3.35 [2.3; 4.2] to 3.45 [2.15; 6.15] and 2.7 [1.8; 3.35], respectively. The median area of psoriatic skin lesions (body surface area (BSA)) significantly reduced from 2 [0.35; 6] to 1 [0.2; 2]. At 26 weeks after starting AP therapy, the low activity/remission according to DAPSA, DAS, and DAS28 was achieved by 20/10%, 20/15%, and 10/35% of patients, respectively. Three (15%) patients achieved MDA. Fifteen (75%) of the 20 patients completed an AP therapy course. In the period of 14 to 26 weeks, four patients dropped out of the study due to ineffective therapy and one because of a severe AE (pneumonia at 14 weeks of treatment); at 26 weeks, another patient was withdrawn due to lack of effect. At 14 weeks, ten patients had a moderate AE that did not required treatment discontinuation. The most common AE were diarrhea in 5 (25%) patients, headache in 4 (20%), nausea in 3 (15%), and insomnia in 3 (15%).Conclusion. AP is a safe and effective drug for the treatment of PsA patients with moderate and high inflammatory activity and various comorbidities that do not allow the use of conventional DMARDs.

Download Full-text