Safety profile and low risk of disease relapse after BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-COV-2 vaccination in patients with rare rheumatic diseases

Vaccination today represents the first defence against the effects of the Coronavirus disease 2019, mainly in rheumatic patients, where an increased risk for hospitalization and death has been reported (1,2). The previous studies on the safety and tolerability of BNT162b2 mRNA-SARS-CoV-2 (3) vaccine in patients affected with rheumatic diseases(RDs) included predominantly patients with inflammatory arthritis (4-6). This study was focused on patients affected with rare RDs and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to assess the safety of the BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and possible disease flares after vaccination.

Awareness and Knowledge of Oral Diseases Associated with Rheumatic Patients Among Dentists in Saudi Arabia

Rheumatic diseases are autoimmune and inflammatory conditions that make the immune system attack the body’s joints, muscles, bones, and organs. Oral health is proven to be associated with overall systemic health. Patients with rheumatic diseases present with multiple oral manifestations that might be the first clinical signs and symptoms of a systemic disease. The aim of this study was to assess the awareness and knowledge of dentists of the oral diseases associated with rheumatic patients in Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed aimed at the different specialties and degrees of dentistry. The total number of participants in this study was 235. The majority of participants (68.1%) agreed that there is a relationship between oral health and rheumatic disease, but only 31.1% agreed (or strongly agreed) that they have sufficient information about this association. Additionally, 34.9% agreed that there was enough information about medications that can be used in rheumatic patients and their possible side effects on the oral cavity. Almost half of the participants (46.8%) disagreed that rheumatic disease lecture(s) that have been covered at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, enough to manage rheumatic patients. The majority (64.7%) never attended any form of continuous education lecture(s) or course(s) regarding the management of oral conditions in rheumatic patients. We concluded that most of the participants agreed that there is a relation between oral health and rheumatic diseases. At the same time, they think that they do not have enough information on the association between oral health and rheumatic diseases. This is in addition to information on the medication used in rheumatic patients and their possible side effects in the oral cavity.

Clinical characteristics of Chilean patients with rheumatic diseases and COVID-19: data from the Covid-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician-reported registry

ObjectiveThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2), has registered more than 234 million confirmed cases and more than 4.7 million deaths throughout the world until October 2, 2021. During the last few months, a significant number of reports of COVID-19 in patients with rheumatic diseases have been published. In this study the objective is to report the clinical characteristics of Chilean patients with rheumatic diseases and COVID-19 reported in the “Global Rheumatology Alliance” (GRA) physician registration platform.MethodsChilean patients with rheumatic diseases and COVID-19 were included in the Covid-19 GRA physician-reported registry.Results54 patients were included. The most common primary rheumatic disease was rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with 28 cases (51.9%). 30 patients (55.6%) used corticosteroids, of which 20 (66.7%) used a dose of 10 mg or less. 33 patients (61.1%) only used conventional DMARDs, 4 (7.4%) only biological, and 6 (11.1%) the combination. A total of 35 patients (64.8%) had to be hospitalized. 2 patients (3.7%) died. 26 patients of the 35 hospitalized (74.2%) required some type of ventilatory support, of which 5 (19.2%) required non-invasive and 8 (30.8%) invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).DiscussionMost of included Chilean rheumatic patients were hospitalized, with a low mortality rate but with a high percentage of patients requiring at least non-invasive mechanical ventilation.Key Points-The most common primary rheumatic disease was rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed by lupus (LES)-Most of the included Chilean rheumatic patients were hospitalized, with a high percentage of patients requiring at least non-invasive mechanical ventilation, but with a low mortality rate.-Worsening of arthralgias or activation of the rheumatic disease was not reported.

Epidemiology, mortality and effectiveness of prophylaxis for Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia among rheumatic patients: a territory-wide study

Background Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PJP) is an opportunistic infection affecting immunocompromised individuals. However, evidence regarding the burden and effectiveness of prophylaxis among rheumatic patients remains limited. Delineating the epidemiology and efficacy of prophylaxis among rheumatic patients is urgently needed. Methods We performed a territory-wide cohort study of rheumatic patients in Hong Kong. All patients with a diagnosis of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV), immune-mediated myositis (IMM), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), or spondyloarthritis (SpA) between 2015 and 2019 were included. Prevalence, frequency of prophylaxis and mortality of PJP were calculated. Number needed to treat (NNT) analysis was also performed. Results Out of 21,587 patients (54% RA, 25% SLE, 13% SpA, 5% IMM, 2% AAV and 1% SSc), 1141 (5.3%) patients were prescribed PJP prophylaxis. 48/21,587 (0.2%) developed PJP. No patients who developed PJP received prophylaxis prior to infection. The incidence of PJP was highest among SSc, AAV, and IMM patients. Among these diseases, the majority of PJP occurred while patients were on glucocorticoids at daily prednisolone-equivalent doses of 15 mg/day (P15) or above. PJP prophylaxis was effective with NNT for SSc, AAV and IIM being 36, 48 and 114 respectively. There were 19 PJP-related mortalities and the mortality rate was 39.6%. Conclusion PJP is an uncommon but important infection among rheumatic patients, PJP prophylaxis is effective and should be considered in patients with SSc, AAV and IMM, especially those receiving glucocorticoid doses above P15.

Rheumatic Diseases and Biosimilars: Evidence about Switch from Originators to Biosimilars in the Real Life

Biosimilars are broadly available for the treatment of several diseases including inflammatory arthritis. Thanks to biosimilars it has been possible to treat a greater number of rheumatic patients who previously were undertreated due to the high cost of originators, in several countries. There are a lot of data from double blind, randomized, controlled clinical trials, especially on TNF inhibitors (TNFi), concerning the maintenance of clinical efficacy after switching from originators to biosimilars; therefore, such a transition is increasingly encouraged both in the US and Europe mainly for economic reasons. However, despite the considerable saving, such shifts to biosimilar drugs are still being debated, principally over their ethical implications. Since the drugs are similar but not identical, the main issues are related to the possibility to compare the adverse events and/or the lack of efficacy and, to date, the variability in effectiveness for a single patient remains an unpredictable datum before effecting the switch. Despite encouraging data about the maintenance of efficacy and safety after the switch, there are many reports of discontinuation due both lack of efficacy or and adverse events. In this chapter we aim at showing the disease activity trend and the safety after the transition to TNF-i biosimilars in patients with rheumatic diseases in real life..

Transcatheter Valve-in-Valve Procedures for Bioprosthetic Valve Dysfunction in Patients With Rheumatic vs. Non-Rheumatic Valvular Heart Disease

Background: Bioprosthetic heart valve has limited durability and lower long-term performance especially in rheumatic heart disease (RHD) patients that are often subject to multiple redo operations. Minimally invasive procedures, such as transcatheter valve-in-valve (ViV) implantation, may offer an attractive alternative, although data is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes in rheumatic vs. non-rheumatic patients undergoing ViV procedures for severe bioprosthetic valve dysfunction.Methods: Single center, prospective study, including consecutive patients undergoing transcatheter ViV implantation in aortic, mitral and tricuspid position, from May 2015 to September 2020. RHD was defined according to clinical history, previous echocardiographic and surgical findings.Results: Among 106 patients included, 69 had rheumatic etiology and 37 were non-rheumatic. Rheumatic patients had higher incidence of female sex (73.9 vs. 43.2%, respectively; p = 0.004), atrial fibrillation (82.6 vs. 45.9%, respectively; p < 0.001), and 2 or more prior surgeries (68.1 vs. 32.4%, respectively; p = 0.001). Although, device success was similar between groups (75.4 vs. 89.2% in rheumatic vs. non-rheumatic, respectively; p = 0.148), there was a trend toward higher 30-day mortality rates in the rheumatic patients (21.7 vs. 5.4%, respectively; p = 0.057). Still, at median follow-up of 20.7 [5.1–30.4] months, cumulative mortality was similar between both groups (p = 0.779).Conclusion: Transcatheter ViV implantation is an acceptable alternative to redo operations in the treatment of patients with RHD and severe bioprosthetic valve dysfunction. Despite similar device success rates, rheumatic patients present higher 30-day mortality rates with good mid-term clinical outcomes. Future studies with a larger number of patients and follow-up are still warranted, to firmly conclude on the role transcatheter ViV procedures in the RHD population.