Exploring Reproductive Experiences With Women Enrolled in the International Vasculitis Pregnancy Registry.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the reproductive journeys of women with vasculitis, including their conversations with healthcare providers, disease activity, medication changes, and delivery experiences. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with women registered in the Vasculitis Pregnancy Registry (VPREG), an online patient-reported registry of pregnant women with vasculitis. A team of physicians, patients, and qualitative researchers developed a qualitative interview guide. Participant responses were evaluated using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Eighteen patients with vasculitis who had experienced pregnancy were interviewed (10 antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis, 4 Takayasu arteritis, 2 Behçet disease, 1 IgA vasculitis, 1 relapsing polychondritis). Thematic analysis revealed common experiences in the decision-making process during pregnancy planning, including accessing information from multiple sources, communicating with medical professionals, and changing treatment for vasculitis. Women sought information about vasculitis and pregnancy from various sources, including social media; however, opinions from their physicians and family members were most influential. Patients were more likely than providers to initiate conversations regarding family planning. Balancing differing opinions from subspecialists was challenging as many patients recalled acting as a liaison between multiple physicians during pregnancy. The need for self-advocacy was a common experience among patients. Most women had pregnancies that resulted in live births with delivery at term. CONCLUSION: When making decisions about pregnancy, women of reproductive age with vasculitis used multiple resources. Patients consistently valued their medical provider's opinion over alternative sources of information. To ensure comprehensive medical care, half of women relied on self-advocacy to coordinate communication among subspecialists. Most women had pregnancies that resulted in live births with delivery at term.

Reproductive Outcomes for Women With Vasculitis.

OBJECTIVE: There are limited data on the reproductive health of women with vasculitis. This study used a prospective, international vasculitis pregnancy registry to survey women during and after pregnancy. METHODS: The Vasculitis Pregnancy Registry (VPREG) is imbedded within the Vasculitis Patient-Powered Research Network, an international online research infrastructure. Any pregnant woman with a diagnosis of vasculitis can self-enroll. After enrollment, women are invited to complete online surveys at study entry, once per trimester, and postpartum. Descriptive statistics are reported here. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2022, 147 women with 149 pregnancies enrolled in VPREG from 16 countries. Data on 78 pregnancies with known outcomes were included in this analysis. During pregnancy, women on average experienced low levels of pain related to vasculitis (scale 0-10, median 2 [IQR 1-5]) and preserved feelings of wellness (scale 0-10, median 3 [IQR 1-5]). Thirty-six percent of women reported their vasculitis was active during pregnancy. Of the 14 women requiring hospitalization during pregnancy outside of delivery, 4 cited active vasculitis as the indication. Most women (54/73, 74%) were prescribed medications for vasculitis during pregnancy. Seventy-six (97%) pregnancies resulted in live births, with 64% delivering vaginally and 21% experiencing a preterm delivery. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that most women with vasculitis can experience pregnancies that result in live births delivered at term. During pregnancy, a minority of women reported flares of vasculitis or the need for hospitalization due to vasculitis. These data are useful to rheumatologists and patients to inform and facilitate discussions about reproductive health and vasculitis.

Impact of vasculitis on employment and income.

OBJECTIVES: Work disability associated with rheumatic diseases accounts for a substantial financial burden. However, few studies have investigated disability among patients with vasculitis. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of vasculitis on patient employment and income. METHODS: Patients enrolled in the Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium (VCRC) Patient Contact Registry, living in the USA or Canada, and followed for >1 year post-diagnosis, participated in an online survey-based study. RESULTS: 421 patients with different systemic vasculitides completed the survey between June and December 2015. The majority of patients were female (70%) and Caucasian (90%); granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) was the most common type of vasculitis (49%), and the mean age at the time of diagnosis was 53 years. At the time of their diagnosis of vasculitis 76% of patients were working a paid job, 6% were retired, and 2% were on disability. Over the course of their disease, and with a mean follow-up of 8±6.4 years post-diagnosis, 26% of participants became permanently work disabled or had to retire early due to vasculitis. Variables that were independently associated with permanent work disability included work physicality, less supportive work environment, and symptoms such as respiratory disease, pain, and cognitive impairment. Overall, patients reported a mean productivity loss of 6.9% and income was reduced by a median of 45%. CONCLUSIONS: Due to their vasculitis, patients frequently suffer substantial limitations in work and productivity, and personal income loss.

Experience With Direct-to-Patient Recruitment for Enrollment Into a Clinical Trial in a Rare Disease: A Web-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: The target sample size for clinical trials often necessitates a multicenter (center of excellence, CoE) approach with associated added complexity, cost, and regulatory requirements. Alternative recruitment strategies need to be tested against this standard model. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to test whether a Web-based direct recruitment approach (patient-centric, PC) using social marketing strategies provides a viable option to the CoE recruitment method. METHODS: PC recruitment and Web-based informed consent was compared with CoE recruitment for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of continuing versus stopping low-dose prednisone for maintenance of remission of patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). RESULTS: The PC approach was not as successful as the CoE approach. Enrollment of those confirmed eligible by their physician was 10 of 13 (77%) and 49 of 51 (96%) in the PC and CoE arms, respectively (P=.05). The two approaches were not significantly different in terms of eligibility with 34% of potential participants in the CoE found to be ineligible as compared with 22% in the PC arm (P=.11) nor in provider acceptance, 22% versus 26% (P=.78). There was no difference in the understanding of the trial as reflected in the knowledge surveys of individuals in the PC and CoE arms. CONCLUSIONS: PC recruitment was substantially less successful than that achieved by the CoE approach. However, the PC approach was good at confirming eligibility and was as acceptable to providers and as understandable to patients as the CoE approach. The PC approach should be evaluated in other clinical settings to get a better sense of its potential.

Protocol for a randomized multicenter study for isolated skin vasculitis (ARAMIS) comparing the efficacy of three drugs: azathioprine, colchicine, and dapsone.

BACKGROUND: Skin-limited forms of vasculitis, while lacking systemic manifestations, can persist or recur indefinitely, cause pain, itch, or ulceration, and be complicated by infection or scarring. High-quality evidence on how to treat these conditions is lacking. The aim of this comparative effectiveness study is to determine the optimal management of patients with chronic skin-limited vasculitis. METHODS: ARAMIS is a multicenter, sequential, multiple assignment randomized trial with an enrichment design (SMARTER) aimed at comparing the efficacy of three drugs-azathioprine, colchicine, and dapsone-commonly used to treat various forms of isolated skin vasculitis. ARAMIS will enroll patients with isolated cutaneous small or medium vessel vasculitis, including cutaneous small vessel vasculitis, immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis (skin-limited Henoch-Schönlein purpura), and cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa. Patients not responding to the initial assigned therapy will be re-randomized to one of the remaining two study drugs (Stage 2). Those with intolerance or contraindication to a study drug can be randomized directly into Stage 2. Target enrollment is 90 participants, recruited from international centers affiliated with the Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium. The number of patients enrolled directly into Stage 2 of the study will be capped at 10% of the total recruitment target. The primary study endpoint is the proportion of participants from the pooled study stages with a response to therapy at month 6, according to the study definition. DISCUSSION: ARAMIS will help identify effective agents for skin-limited forms of vasculitis, an understudied group of diseases. The SMARTER design may serve as an example for future trials in rare diseases. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02939573. Registered on 18 October 2016.

Arterial lesions in giant cell arteritis: A longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate large-vessel (LV) abnormalities on serial imaging in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) and discern predictors of new lesions. METHODS: Clinical and imaging data from patients with GCA (including subjects diagnosed by LV imaging) enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, longitudinal study and/or a randomized clinical trial were included. New arterial lesions were defined as a lesion in a previously unaffected artery. RESULTS: The study included 187 patients with GCA, 146 (78%) female, mean (±SD) age at diagnosis 68.5 ± 8.5 years; 39% diagnosed by LV imaging. At least one arterial lesion was present in 123 (66%) on the first study. The most frequently affected arteries were subclavian (42%), axillary (32%), and thoracic aorta (20%). In 106 patients (57%) with serial imaging, new arterial lesions were noted in 41 patients (39%), all of whom had a baseline abnormality, over a mean (±SD) follow-up of 4.39 (2.22) years. New abnormalities were observed in 33% patients by year 2; clinical features of active disease were present at only 50% of these cases. There were no differences in age, sex, temporal artery biopsy positivity, or disease activity in patients with or without new lesions. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of patients with GCA, LV abnormalities on first imaging were common. Development of new arterial lesions occurred in patients with arterial abnormalities at first imaging, often in the absence of symptoms of active disease. Arterial imaging should be considered in all patients with GCA at diagnosis and serial imaging at least in patients with baseline abnormalities.

A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial of Abatacept (CTLA-4Ig) for the Treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of abatacept to that of placebo for the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA). METHODS: In this multicenter trial, patients with newly diagnosed or relapsing GCA were treated with abatacept 10 mg/kg intravenously on days 1, 15, and 29 and week 8, together with prednisone administered daily. At week 12, patients in remission underwent a double-blinded randomization to continue to receive abatacept monthly or switch to placebo. Patients in both study arms received a standardized prednisone taper, with discontinuation of prednisone at week 28. All patients remained on their randomized assignment until meeting criteria for early termination or until 12 months after enrollment of the last patient. The primary end point was duration of remission (relapse-free survival rate). RESULTS: Forty-nine eligible patients with GCA were enrolled and treated with prednisone and abatacept; of these, 41 reached the week 12 randomization and underwent a blinded randomization to receive abatacept or placebo. Prednisone was tapered using a standardized schedule, reaching a daily dosage of 20 mg at week 12 with discontinuation in all patients at week 28. The relapse-free survival rate at 12 months was 48% for those receiving abatacept and 31% for those receiving placebo (P = 0.049). A longer median duration of remission was seen in those receiving abatacept compared to those receiving placebo (median duration 9.9 months versus 3.9 months; P = 0.023). There was no difference in the frequency or severity of adverse events, including infection, between the treatment arms. CONCLUSION: In patients with GCA, the addition of abatacept to a treatment regimen with prednisone reduced the risk of relapse and was not associated with a higher rate of toxicity compared to prednisone alone.

A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial of Abatacept (CTLA-4Ig) for the Treatment of Takayasu Arteritis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of abatacept to that of placebo for the treatment of Takayasu arteritis (TAK). METHODS: In this multicenter trial, patients with newly diagnosed or relapsing TAK were treated with abatacept 10 mg/kg intravenously on days 1, 15, and 29 and week 8, together with prednisone administered daily. At week 12, patients in remission underwent a double-blinded randomization to continue to receive abatacept monthly or switch to placebo. Patients in both study arms received a standardized prednisone taper, reaching a dosage of 20 mg daily at week 12, with discontinuation of prednisone at week 28. All patients remained on their randomized assignment until meeting criteria for early termination or until 12 months after enrollment of the last patient. The primary end point was duration of remission (relapse-free survival). RESULTS: Thirty-four eligible patients with TAK were enrolled and treated with prednisone and abatacept; of these, 26 reached the week 12 randomization and underwent a blinded randomization to receive either abatacept or placebo. The relapse-free survival rate at 12 months was 22% for those receiving abatacept and 40% for those receiving placebo (P = 0.853). Treatment with abatacept in patients with TAK enrolled in this study was not associated with a longer median duration of remission (median duration 5.5 months for abatacept versus 5.7 months for placebo). There was no difference in the frequency or severity of adverse events, including infection, between the treatment arms. CONCLUSION: In patients with TAK, the addition of abatacept to a treatment regimen with prednisone did not reduce the risk of relapse.