Abdominal discomfort in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is associated with physical and mental function, self-reported disease activity, and use of anti-inflammatory medication

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Austad ◽  
TK Kvien ◽  
T Uhlig
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinari Matsumoto ◽  
Nitin Shivappa ◽  
Yuko Sugioka ◽  
Masahiro Tada ◽  
Tadashi Okano ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The dietary inflammatory index (DII®), a quantitative measure of the inflammatory potential of daily food and nutrient intake, and associations between a variety of health outcomes have been reported. However, the association between DII score and disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unclear. Therefore, this study was designed to test whether higher DII score contributes to disease activity and as a corollary, whether reducing DII score helps to achieve or maintain low disease activity or remission in patients with RA. Methods We performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis using 6 years of data (from 2011 to 2017) in TOMORROW, a cohort study consisting of 208 RA patients and 205 gender- and age-matched controls started in 2010. Disease activity of RA patients was assessed annually using DAS28-ESR (disease activity score 28 joints and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate) as a composite measure based on arthritic symptoms in 28 joints plus global health assessment and ESR. Dietary data were collected in 2011 and 2017 using the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ). Energy-adjusted DII (E-DII™) score was calculated using 26 nutrients derived from the BDHQ. Data were analyzed with two-group comparisons, correlation analysis, and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results One hundred and seventy-seven RA patients and 183 controls, for whom clinical and dietary survey data were available, were analyzed. RA patients had significantly higher E-DII (pro-inflammatory) score compared to controls both in 2011 and 2017 (p < 0.05). In RA patients, E-DII score was not a factor associated with significant change in disease activity. However, anti-inflammatory change in E-DII score was associated maintaining low disease activity (DAS28-ESR ≤ 3.2) or less for 6 years (OR 3.46, 95% CI 0.33–8.98, p = 0.011). Conclusions The diets of RA patients had a higher inflammatory potential than controls. Although E-DII score was not a factor associated with significant disease activity change, anti-inflammatory change in E-DII score appeared to be associated with maintaining low disease activity in patients with RA. Trial registration UMIN Clinical Trials Registry, UMIN000003876. Registered 7 Aug 2010—retrospectively registered.


2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eman A. Baraka ◽  
Mona G. Balata ◽  
Shereen H. Ahmed ◽  
Afaf F. Khamis ◽  
Enas A. Elattar

Abstract Background This study aimed to measure the serum and synovial interleukin (IL)-37 levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients compared to patients with primary knee osteoarthritis (PKOA) and healthy controls and to detect its relation to RA disease activity. Results This cross-sectional study included 50 RA patients with a mean age of 40.24 ± 8.62 years, 50 patients with PKOA with a mean age of 56.69 ± 4.21, and 40 healthy controls with a mean age of 41.75 ± 7.38 years. The mean serum IL-37 level in the RA patients (382.6 ± 73.97 pg/ml) was statistically significantly (P < 0.001) the highest among the studied groups; however, it showed a non-significant difference between the PKOA patients (70.38 ± 27.49 pg/ml) and the healthy controls (69.97 ± 25.12 pg/ml) (P > 0.94). Both serum and synovial IL-37 levels were significantly positively correlated with disease activity scores (r = 0.92, P< 0.001 and r = 0.85, P < 0.001), tender joint counts (r = 0.83, P < 0.001 and r = 0.82, P < 0.001 ), swollen joint counts (r = 0.72, P < 0.001 and r = 0.60, P < 0.001), visual analog scale (r = 0.82, P < 0.001 and r = 0.82, P < 0.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = 0.75, P < 0.001 and r = 0.65, P < 0.001), and C-reactive protein (r = 0.93, P < 0.001 and r = 0.79, P < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion Serum and synovial IL-37 were significantly elevated in the RA patients, and they were closely correlated. Being less invasive, the serum IL-37 could be a marker of disease activity and could reflect the effective disease control by drugs. Having an anti-inflammatory effect could not suggest IL-37 as the key player to control inflammation alone, but its combination with other anti-proinflammatory cytokines could be investigated.


2011 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
pp. 1746-1751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed S Zayat ◽  
Philip G Conaghan ◽  
Mohammad Sharif ◽  
Jane E Freeston ◽  
Claire Wenham ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo determine whether non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have a significant effect on ultrasonographic (US) grey scale (GS) and power Doppler (PD) assessment of synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsPatients with RA taking NSAIDs were randomised to either stopping (for a minimum of 5 drug half-lives) or continuing the drug. All patients had a clinical assessment and US examination of both hands and wrists before and after stopping/continuing the NSAID. Changes at follow-up were compared between groups using Mann–Whitney U tests.ResultsA total of 58 patients with RA were recruited. All the clinical assessment parameters (including disease activity, pain, general state of health and physician global visual analogue score and tender and swollen joints count) showed an increase in the group who stopped their NSAID treatment. The total GS and PD score showed median (first to third quartiles) increase of 9.5 (5.75 to 19.0) and 4.0 (2.0 to 6.0) per patient, respectively, in the patients who stopped their NSAID in comparison with 1.0 (–1.0 to 2.25) and 0.0 (–2.0 to 3.0), respectively, in the patients who continued their NSAID (p<0.001). There was an increase in the number of joints scoring >0 for GS and PD in the patients who stopped the NSAID. The inter- and intrareader agreement was good to excellent for the US examination.ConclusionNSAID usage may mask the GS and PD signal and result in lower scoring despite continuing disease activity. Consideration should be given to the NSAID effect in designing clinical studies which use US to assess response to therapeutic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1829.2-1829
Author(s):  
A. Blanken ◽  
C. J. Van der Laken ◽  
M. Nurmohamed

Background:Optical spectral transmission imaging (OST) is a new imaging method that measures inflammation in the hands of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. OST might be used to assess disease activity instead of disease activity score 28 (DAS28) or ultrasonography (US). The advantage of OST is that it is fast and not operator dependent. Up to now OST has only been investigated cross-sectionally and it is unknown if and to what extent OST can detect inflammatory changes due to anti-inflammatory treatment for RA.Objectives:To compare OST measurements before and after 1 month of biological treatment for RA and to compare these OST changes with changes on US and disease activity.Methods:The HandScan device from Hemics, the Netherlands, was used to measure OST scores for 13 RA patients before and after 1 month of anti-inflammatory therapy. Treatment included tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (n=10), tocilizumab (n=2) and tofacitinib (n=1). OST scores range from 0-66 (one score for both hands) and are based on bilateral wrist, MCP and PIP joints. US was performed in the same joints as OST and semi-quantitatively scored on a scale of 0-3 for grey-scale (GS) synovitis and power Doppler (PD) signal. Joint scores of GS synovitis or PD were summed, resulting is a total GS synovitis score and a total PD score, both also ranging from 0-66. Furthermore, tender joint count 28 (TJC28), swollen joint count 28 (SJC28), DAS28, C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were determined. Response to therapy was defined as achieving the minimal clinically interesting improvement of DAS28 (DAS28 difference after 1 month > -1) as proposed by Ward et al. [1]Results:Baseline OST was 17.73 ± 6.10 and this significantly decreased to 16.01 ± 6.68 (difference -1.71, 95%CI 0.05-3.38, p=0.045) after 1 month of therapy. This decrease was only present in patients who responded to therapy (n=8; OST decreased from 17.24 ± 5.98 to 14.26 ± 5.65, p=0.01) and not in non-responders (n=5; OST increased from 18.52 ± 6.90 to 18.83 ± 7.87, p=0.03).In the total group, also DAS28 (difference -1.59, 95%CI 0.74-2.45, p=0.002), SJC28 (difference 4.62, 95%CI 1.50-7.73, p=0.007), ESR (Wilcoxon Rank p=0.008) and CRP (Wilcoxon Rank p=0.03) significantly decreased after 1 month of therapy, but TJC28 did not (difference 2.62, 95%CI -2.7-7.91, p=0.30).OST change after 1 month of therapy significantly correlated with TCJ28 change (table 1). For GS synovitis the correlation coefficient nearly reached statistical significance. Changes in all other disease activity parameters were not correlated with OST change.Table 1.Correlation of change in OST measurement with change in disease activity after 1 months of anti-inflammatory therapySpearman rp-valueTotal GS synovitis0.540.06Total PD0.220.47DAS280.350.25SJC280.290.33TJC280.630.02ESR-0.420.15CRP-0.230.45Conclusion:OST scores significantly decreased after 1 month of anti-inflammatory therapy and only in the RA group that responded well to this therapy. This indicates that OST is capable of detecting therapy induced inflammatory changes in the hands of RA patients. Larger studies are needed to further assess the monitoring value of OST for therapy efficacy in RA patients.References:[1]Ward et al. 2015 Clinically important changes in individual and composite measures of rheumatoid arthritis activity: thresholds applicable in clinical trials. Ann Rheum Dis 74(9): p. 1691-6.Disclosure of Interests:Annelies Blanken: None declared, C.J. van der Laken: None declared, Michael Nurmohamed Grant/research support from: Not related to this research, Consultant of: Not related to this research, Speakers bureau: Not related to this research


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-63
Author(s):  
A. E. Karateev ◽  
E. Yu. Pogozheva ◽  
V. N. Amirdzhanova ◽  
E. S. Filatova ◽  
V. A. Nesterenko

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used to control pain in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, many aspects of the therapeutic effect of NSAIDs in RA have not been sufficiently studied. In particular, this concerns the effect of NSAIDs on the inflammatory activity of the disease.Objective: to study the comparative efficacy and safety of NSAIDs in RA patients with moderate and low disease activity.Patients and methods. The study group consisted of 404 patients with RA, 69% women and 31% men, mean age 58.6±10.0 years, with moderate and low disease activity – DAS28<5.1 (mean value 3.7±1.5), who initially had moderate or severe pain: >4 cm on the visual analog scale (VAS) 0–10 cm. All patients received DMARDs, mostly methotrexate 15 to 25 mg weekly, 8.2% biological agents, 18.6% glucocorticoids. All patients were prescribed NSAIDs at the full therapeutic dose. The results of treatment were evaluated after 2 weeks, 1, 3 and 6 months. Criteria of efficacy were the dynamics of pain (10 cm VAS), Patient Global Health (PGH on a 10-cm VAS), the change in the tender joints count (TJC) and swollen joints count(SJC), and dynamics of RA activity (DAS28).Results and discussion. 54.2% of patients received aceclofenac, 19.8% nimesulide, 14.3% meloxicam, 9.1% diclofenac, 2.6% – other NSAIDs. After 2 weeks, the pain decreased from 6.3±1.2 cm to 4.5±1.5 cm on VAS (p<0.001). The severity of pain continued to decrease further, and after 6 months of observation was 4.0±1.2 (p< 001, compared with the baseline level). A similar result was observed for the TJC, SJC, and PGH: the dynamics of these indicators, in comparison with the baseline level, was statistically significant after 2 weeks and after 1, 3, and 6 months of observation (p< 0.05). There was a decrease in the disease activity by DAS28: from 3.7±1.5 to 3.4±1.1 after 3 months (p=0.041) and 3.1±0.9 after 6 months (p=0.02). The effectiveness of aceclofenac and other NSAIDs for pain reduction, TJC, SJC, PGH and DAS28 did not differ. The tolerability of aceclofenac was better than of other NSAIDs: the frequency of dyspepsia after 2 weeks was 23.3% and 36.2% (p=0.004). The frequency of arterial hypertension and edema in patients who used aceclofenac, after 2 weeks and 6 months was slightly lower than in patients treated with other NSAIDs, but the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusion. The use of NSAIDs can effectively control the pain and other symptoms of RA, as well as the disease activity by DAS28 in patients with moderate or low disease activity. Aceclofenac is not inferior to other NSAIDs in analgesic potential and exceeds them in tolerability.


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