Serum alarmins and the risk of incident interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify associations of serum alarmins with risk of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). METHODS: Using serum collected at enrolment, three alarmins (interleukin [IL]-33, thymic stromal lymphopoietin [TSLP], and IL-25) were measured in a multicentre prospective RA cohort. ILD was classified using systematic medical record review. Cross-sectional associations of log-transformed (IL-33, TSLP) or quartile (IL-25) values with RA-ILD at enrolment (prevalent RA-ILD) were examined using logistic regression, while associations with incident RA-ILD developing after enrolment were examined using Cox proportional hazards. Covariates in multivariate models included age, sex, race, smoking status, RA disease activity score, and anti-cyclic citrullinated antibody positivity. RESULTS: Of 2,835 study participants, 115 participants (4.1%) had prevalent RA-ILD at baseline and an additional 146 (5.1%) developed incident ILD. There were no associations between serum alarmin concentrations and prevalent ILD in unadjusted or adjusted logistic regression models. In contrast, there was a significant inverse association between IL-33 concentration and the risk of developing incident RA-ILD in unadjusted (HR 0.73 per log-fold increase; 95% CI 0.57-0.95; p= 0.018) and adjusted (HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.59-1.00, p= 0.047) models. No significant associations of TSLP or IL-25 with incident ILD were observed. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we observed a significant inverse association between serum IL-33 concentration and the risk of developing incident RA-ILD, but no associations with prevalent ILD. Additional investigation is required to better understand the mechanisms driving this relationship and how serum alarmin IL-33 assessment might contribute to clinical risk stratification in patients with RA.

Associations Between Adiponectin and the Development of Diabetes in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

PURPOSE: We evaluated associations between adiponectin and the risk of diabetes among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a systemic inflammatory disease associated with metabolic disturbance. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included adults with RA from the Veterans Affairs Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry. Adiponectin and inflammatory cytokines/chemokines were measured at enrollment on stored serum samples. Adiponectin levels were categorized, and clinical variables were described across categories (<10 µg/mL; 10-40 µg/mL; >40 µg/mL). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models evaluated associations between adiponectin and incident diabetes adjusting for age, sex, race, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), disease-modifying therapy use, calendar year, and comorbidity. Testing for modification of effect in the context of elevated cytokines/chemokines was performed. RESULTS: Among 2595 patients included in the analysis, those with adiponectin levels >40 µg/mL (N = 379; 15%) were older and had lower BMI. There were 125 new cases of diabetes among 1689 patients without prevalent disease at enrollment. There was an inverse association between adiponectin and incident diabetes; however, the association was positive among patients with adiponectin levels >40 µg/mL. Patients with levels >40 µg/mL were at higher risk compared to those with levels 10-40 µg/mL (HR: 1.70 [1.34, 2.16] P < .001). Those with adiponectin levels >40 µg/mL had significantly higher levels of inflammatory cytokines with evidence of a modified effect of adiponectin on diabetes risk in the setting of inflammation. CONCLUSION: The relationship between adiponectin and incident diabetes risk is U-shaped in RA. Patients with very high adiponectin levels have greater systemic inflammation and an altered relationship between adiponectin and diabetes risk.

Telemedicine Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Resilient Rheumatology Providers: A National Veterans Affairs Follow-up Survey.

OBJECTIVE: To assess rheumatology provider experience and practices at Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: We performed an anonymized follow-up national cross-sectional survey (November 5, 2020 to January 1, 2021) to assess provider resilience, experience, practices, views, and opinions about changes to medications and laboratory monitoring of veterans with rheumatic diseases. RESULTS: Of the 143 eligible VA rheumatology providers, 114 (80%) responded. Compared to the original survey, fewer providers reported using telephone visits (78% vs 91%, P = 0.009), and more used clinical video telehealth (CVT; 16% vs 7%, P = 0.04) or in-person visits (76% vs 59%, P = 0.007). Most providers were somewhat or very comfortable with the quality of clinical encounters for established but not new patients for telephone, video-based VA Video Connect (VVC), and CVT. The mean 2-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale score was 6.85 (SD 1.06, range 0-8), significantly higher than the original April-May 2020 survey score of 6.35 (SD 1.26; P = 0.004). When adjusted for age, sex, and ethnicity, high provider resilience was associated with significantly higher odds of comfort with technology and the quality of the VVC visit for the following: (1) established patients (odds ratio [OR] 1.72, 95% CI, 0.67-4.40 and OR 4.13, 95% CI 1.49-11.44, respectively) and (2) new patients (OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.11-7.05, and OR 2.69, 95% CI 1.06-6.82, respectively). CONCLUSION: Reassuringly, VA rheumatology providers became increasingly comfortable with video visits during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. High provider resilience, and its association with better quality CVTs, raise the possibility that video visits might be an acceptable substitute for in-person visits under appropriate circumstances.

Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in patients with concomitant chronic hepatitis C infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is present in 1.8% of the general US population and its prevalence worldwide is estimated at 2-3%. HCV infected patients with concomitant rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pose a particular challenge to the rheumatologist because of the risks of treatment with disease-modifying medications in patients with chronic liver infection. In this paper the difficulties of diagnosing RA in HCV patients and the safety of RA treatment in patients with both conditions are discussed.