Biological treatment in elderly and young patients with ankylosing spondylitis: TURKBIO real-life data results.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effect of age on disease activity and biological treatment in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Patients and methods: A total of 811 AS patients registered in the TURKBIO registry database between 2011 and 2019 were categorized according to their age at the time of entry into the registry and assigned to one of two groups: young patients, defined as <60 years of age (n=610), and those aged ≥60 years (n=201) were recorded as elderly patients. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics, along with disease activity markers and other follow-up parameters, as well as current and prior treatments, were electronically recorded during each visit using open-source software. Results: The mean age of the elderly patients was 67±5.8 years, while the mean age of the younger patients was 49.2±10.9 years. Male predominance was lower in the older AS group compared to the younger AS group (p=0.002). During follow-up period, 397 patients (comprising 318 young and 79 elderly individuals) had a history of using at least one biological disease-modifying agent (bDMARD). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of DMARD and bDMARD-use distributions. First tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) retention rates were found to be similar in both groups over 10 years of follow-up. Adverse events were found to be similar in young (19.9%) and elderly (26.8%) AS patients. Conclusion: Research in the TURKBIO cohort reveals that both older and younger patients with AS exhibited similar disease activity levels with comparable treatment approaches. Moreover, the results of TNFi treatments in elderly patients were the same as those observed in younger patients, with no notable increase in safety concerns.

Assessing safety and efficacy of TNFi treatment in late onset ankylosing spondylitis: a TURKBIO registry study.

Clinical data on the use of tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) in late-onset ankylosing spondylitis (LoAS) are limited. The present study aimed to evaluate efficacy, safety, and treatment adherence associated with the initial use of TNFi therapy in biologic naive patients diagnosed with LoAS. Patients whose age of onset was ≥ 45 years and < 45 years were classified as having LoAS and YoAS, respectively, based on the age of symptom onset. There were 2573 patients with YoAS and 281 LoAS. Baseline disease activity measures were similar between the groups. No significant differences were seen between the two groups in response to treatment and in remaining on the first TNFi at 6, 12 and 24 months. In the LoAS group, the analysis showed that TNFi discontinuation was linked to VAS pain score (HR 1.04; 95% CI 1.01-1.06). Patient groups had similar rates of adverse events (YoAS: 8.7% vs. LoAS: 11.7%). In both biologic naive LoAS and YoAS patients, the study showed that the initial TNFi therapy was equally effective and safe.

Does obesity affect treatment response to secukinumab and survival in ankylosing spondylitis? Real-life data from the TURKBIO Registry.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of obesity on the treatment response to secukinumab and drug survival rate in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: We performed an observational cohort study that included AS patients based on the biological drug database in Turkey (TURKBIO) Registry between 2018 and 2021. The patients were divided into three groups: normal [body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2], overweight (BMI: 25-30 kg/m2), and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Disease activity was evaluated at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Drug retention rates at 12 months were also investigated. RESULTS: There were 166 AS patients using secukinumab (56.6% male, mean age: 44.9 ± 11.6 years). The median follow-up time was 17.2 (3-33.2) months. Forty-eight (28.9%) patients were obese. The mean age was higher in the obese group than in others (P = .003). There was no statistically significant difference in Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index 50, Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society 20 (ASAS20), ASAS40, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) low disease activity, and ASDAS clinically important improvement responses between the three groups at 3, 6, and 12 months, although they were numerically lower in obese patients. Drug retention rates at 12 months were similar in all groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that obesity did not affect secukinumab treatment response and drug retention in AS patients.

The impact of smoking on response to tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor treatment in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the impact of smoking on disease activity, treatment retention, and response in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) treated with their first tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor (TNFi). METHODS: AS patients who started their first TNFi treatment for the active axial disease (BASDAI ≥ 4) from TURKBIO Registry were included. Treatment response of smoker (current and ex-smokers) and nonsmoker (never smoker) patients were primarily evaluated as achievement of BASDAI50 or improvement in BASDAI at least 20 mm at 3 months and 6 months compared to baseline. RESULTS: There were 322 patients with AS (60% male, 59% smoker, mean age: 38.3 years). The median follow-up time was 2.8 years (Q1- Q3: 1.3-3.8), and disease duration was 3.5 years (Q1-Q3: 0.7-8.2). Smokers had male predominance (p < 0.001), lower ESR (p = 0.03), higher BASDAI (p = 0.02), BASFI (p = 0.05), HAQ-AS (p = 0.007), and ASDAS-CRP (p = 0.04) compared with nonsmokers at baseline. In the multivariate analysis, male gender [OR 2.7 (95%CI 1.4-5), p = 0.002], and concomitant conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug use [OR 2.4 (95%CI 1.1-5.2), p = 0.03] were associated with better treatment response. There was an association of male gender [HR 2.4 (95%CI 1.6-3.7), p < 0.001], older age (≥30years) [HR 1.8 (95%CI 1.1-2.8), p = 0.01], and response to treatment [HR 1.8 (95%CI 1.2-2.9), p = 0.008] with better treatment retention. No impact of smoking status was found on treatment retention and response in univariate and multivariate analyses. DISCUSSION: This study suggested that smoking was associated with poorer patient-reported outcomes in biologic naïve AS patients initiating their first TNFi treatment, but it had no impact on the TNFi treatment response and retention rate.

Musculoskeletal manifestations in children with Behçet's syndrome: data from the AIDA Network Behçet's Syndrome Registry.

This study aims to describe musculoskeletal manifestations (MSM) in children with Behçet's syndrome (BS), their association with other disease manifestations, response to therapy, and long-term prognosis. Data were retrieved from the AIDA Network Behçet's Syndrome Registry. Out of a total of 141 patients with juvenile BS, 37 had MSM at disease onset (26.2%). The median age at onset was 10.0 years (IQR 7.7). The median follow-up duration was 21.8 years (IQR 23.3). Recurrent oral (100%) and genital ulcers (67.6%) and pseudofolliculitis (56.8%) were the most common symptoms associated with MSM. At disease onset, 31 subjects had arthritis (83.8%), 33 arthralgia (89.2%), and 14 myalgia (37.8%). Arthritis was monoarticular in 9/31 cases (29%), oligoarticular in 10 (32.3%), polyarticular in 5 (16.1%), axial in 7 (22.6%). Over time, arthritis became chronic-recurrent in 67.7% of cases and 7/31 patients had joint erosions (22.6%). The median Behçet's Syndrome Overall Damage Index was 0 (range 0-4). Colchicine was inefficacious for MSM in 4/14 cases (28.6%), independently from the type of MSM (p = 0.46) or the concomitant therapy (p = 0.30 for cDMARDs, p = 1.00 for glucocorticoids); cDMARDs and bDMARDs were inefficacious for MSM in 6/19 (31.4%) and 5/12 (41.7%) cases. The presence of myalgia was associated with bDMARDs inefficacy (p = 0.014). To conclude, MSM in children with BS are frequently associated with recurrent ulcers and pseudofolliculitis. Arthritis is mostly mono- or oligoarticular, but sacroiliitis is not unusual. Prognosis of this subset of BS is overall favorable, though the presence of myalgia negatively affects response to biologic therapies. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05200715 (registered on December 18, 2021).

Comparative Efficacy of Biologic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs for Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis: A Systematic Literature Review and Bucher Indirect Comparisons.

INTRODUCTION: Biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), including certolizumab pegol (CZP), are effective treatment options for the management of non-radiographic spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA). In the absence of head-to-head comparisons in nr-axSpA, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) and indirect treatment comparison (ITC) to better understand the comparative efficacy of CZP vs. other bDMARDs. METHODS: Literature searches were conducted in October 2020 in MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify randomized controlled trials in patients with nr-axSpA who had failed at least one non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and were treated with bDMARDs. Outcomes of interest included the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis international Society (ASAS), Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) and Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), and spinal pain score. Comparative efficacy was examined using a series of Bucher ITCs in subgroups matched by prior exposure to bDMARDs, disease duration, baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) levels/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) status, and timepoints, to ensure comparability between studies. RESULTS: At 12-16 weeks, treatment with CZP was significantly more likely to achieve ASAS20/40 response and ASDAS-inactive disease status vs. etanercept (ETN), ixekizumab (IXE), and secukinumab (SEC). CZP showed statistically significant improvement in BASDAI, BASFI, and total spine pain score over adalimumab (ADA), ETN, and IXE, and in BASFI over SEC. Among patients with objective signs of inflammation (OSI; elevated CRP levels and/or inflammation on MRI at baseline), CZP had a statistically significant advantage over ETN and SEC (with or without loading dose) in achieving ASAS40, whereas the comparisons with other bDMARDs did not show any statistically significant differences. CONCLUSION: In the overall matched population, CZP performed significantly better than most comparators in improving the clinical outcomes. Among patients with OSI, CZP was found to be superior to SEC (in the MRI-/CRP + and MRI + /CRP- subgroups) and ETN (in the MRI + /CRP- subgroup) and it was comparable to golimumab and IXE across the different OSI subgroups.

Body mass index does not affect response of rituximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results from the TURKBIO registry.

Background/aim: Adipose tissue produces several inflammatory mediators. Thus, obesity affects the disease course and the responses to the antirheumatic agents in inflammatory diseases. The aim of the study was to determine whether the body mass index (BMI) is involved in the response to rituximab in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Materials and methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 206 RA patients who received rituximab from the Turkish Biologic (TURKBIO) registry between 2011 and the end of May 2017. Demographic and clinical data including age, sex, disease type, disease duration, and previous or current treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biological drug durations are stored in the database. Patients with a BMI ≥30 kg/m2 were classified as obese, and patients with a BMI <30 kg/m2 were classified as nonobese. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to estimate the drug survival. The subgroups were compared using the log-rank test. Results: The mean BMI of 206 patients included in the study was 27.05 (17.2-43.4) kg/m2. There were 59 (28.6%) patients in the obese group and 147 (71.4%) patients in the nonobese group. The mean age, female percentage, and baseline disease activity score 28 (DAS28) were higher in the obese group than in the nonobese group. However, the ΔDAS28 at both 6 and 12 months were not significantly different between the groups (p = 0.785 and p = 0.512, respectively). Patient pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), patient fatigue VAS, and patient global VAS scores were also significantly higher at baseline in the obese group (p = 0.003, p = 0.006, and p = 0.006, respectively). However, no significant difference was found in terms of changes in patient pain VAS, patient fatigue VAS, patient global VAS and physician global VAS scores at 6 and 12 months compared to those at baseline. Rituximab treatment was ongoing for 71.2% of the obese and 63.3% of the nonobese patients (p = 0.279). The median drug survival duration was 77 months in the obese group and 62 months in the nonobese group (p = 0.053). The estimated drug survival rates for rituximab were not statistically significantly different in the obese and nonobese groups. Rituximab-related side effects were also similar between the groups. Conclusion: In obese and nonobese patients with RA, rituximab treatment exhibits similar side effects and similar long-term efficacy. These results suggest that obesity does not alter drug survival for rituximab and response rates, in RA and rituximab may be a favorable treatment agent in patients with RA and obesity.

Predictors of ASDAS-CRP inactive disease in axial spondyloarthritis during treatment with TNF-inhibitors: Data from the EuroSpA collaboration.

OBJECTIVES: In patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) initiating their first tumor necrosis factor alpha-inhibitor (TNFi), we aimed to identify common baseline predictors of Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS-CRP) inactive disease (primary objective) and clinically important improvement (CII) at 6 months, and drug retention at 12-months across 15 European registries. METHODS: Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were collected. Outcomes were investigated per registry and in pooled data using logistic regression analyses on multiply imputed data. RESULTS: The consistency of baseline predictors in individual registries justified pooling the data. In the pooled dataset (n = 21,196), the 6-month rates for ASDAS inactive disease and ASDAS CII were 26% and 51%, and the 12-month drug retention rate 65% in patients with available data (n = 9,845, n = 6,948 and n = 21,196, respectively). Nine common baseline predictors of ASDAS inactive disease, ASDAS CII and 12-month drug retention were identified, and the odds ratios (95%-confidence interval) for ASDAS inactive disease were: age, per year: 0.97 (0.97-0.98), men vs. women: 1.88 (1.60-2.22), current vs. non-smoking: 0.76 (0.63-0.91), HLA-B27 positive vs. negative: 1.51 (1.20-1.91), TNF start year 2015-2018 vs. 2009-2014: 1.24 (1.06-1.45), CRP>10 vs. ≤10 mg/l: 1.49 (1.25-1.77), one unit increase in health assessment questionnaire (HAQ): 0.77 (0.58-1.03), one-millimeter (mm) increase in Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) fatigue and spinal pain: 0.99 (0.99-1.00) and 0.99 (0.99-1.99), respectively CONCLUSION: Common baseline predictors of treatment response and adherence to TNFi could be identified across data from 15 European registries, indicating that they may be universal across different axSpA populations.

Development and implementation of the AIDA International Registry for patients with Behçet's disease.

Purpose of the present paper is to point out the design, development and deployment of the AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance (AIDA) International Registry dedicated to pediatric and adult patients with Behçet's disease (BD). The Registry is a clinical physician-driven non-population- and electronic-based instrument implemented for the retrospective and prospective collection of real-life data about demographics, clinical, therapeutic, laboratory, instrumental and socioeconomic information from BD patients; the Registry is based on the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) tool, which is thought to collect standardised information for clinical real-life research, and has been realised to change over time according to future scientific acquisitions and potentially communicate with other existing and future Registries dedicated to BD. Starting from January 31st, 2021, to February 7th, 2022, 110 centres from 23 countries in 4 continents have been involved. Fifty-four of these have already obtained the approval from their local Ethics Committees. Currently, the platform counts 290 users (111 Principal Investigators, 175 Site Investigators, 2 Lead Investigators, and 2 data managers). The Registry collects baseline and follow-up data using 5993 fields organised into 16 instruments, including patient's demographics, history, clinical manifestations and symptoms, trigger/risk factors, therapies and healthcare access. The development of the AIDA International Registry for BD patients will facilitate the collection of standardised data leading to real-world evidence, enabling international multicentre collaborative research through data sharing, international consultation, dissemination of knowledge, inclusion of patients and families, and ultimately optimisation of scientific efforts and implementation of standardised care.Trial registration NCT05200715 in 21/01/2022.

A real-life analysis of patients with rheumatologic diseases on biological treatments: Data from TURKBIO Registry.

OBJECTIVE: TURKBIO registry, established in 2011, is the first nationwide biological database in Turkey. This study aimed to provide an overview of TURKBIO data collected by June 2018. METHODS: The registry included adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-AxSpA), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Demographic and clinical features, disease activity markers, and other follow-up parameters, current and previous treat- ments, and adverse events were registered electronically at each visit using open-source software. The registration of patient-reported outcome measures was carried out electronically by the patients using touch screens. RESULTS: TURKBIO registry included a total of 41,145 treatment series with biologicals. There were 2,588 patients with axSpA (2,459 AS and 129 nr-axSpA), 2,036 with RA, and 428 with PsA. The total number of patients, including those with other diagnoses, was 5,718. In the follow-up period, the number of patients and also visits steadily increased by years. The yearly mean number of visits per patient was found to be 2.3. Significant improvements in disease activity and health assessment parameters were observed following the biological treatments. Biologics were often given in combination with a con- ventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug in patients with RA. Infections were the most commonly seen adverse events, followed by allergic reactions. Tuberculosis was observed in 12 patients, malignancy in 18, and treatment-related mortality in 31. CONCLUSION: TURKBIO provided a valuable real-life experience with the use of biologics in rheumatic diseases in Turkey.

The impact of a csDMARD in combination with a TNF inhibitor on drug retention and clinical remission in axial spondyloarthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Many axial spondylarthritis (axSpA) patients receive a conventional synthetic DMARD (csDMARD) in combination with a TNF inhibitor (TNFi). However, the value of this co-therapy remains unclear. The objectives were to describe the characteristics of axSpA patients initiating a first TNFi as monotherapy compared with co-therapy with csDMARD, to compare one-year TNFi retention and remission rates, and to explore the impact of peripheral arthritis. METHODS: Data was collected from 13 European registries. One-year outcomes included TNFi retention and hazard ratios (HR) for discontinuation with 95% CIs. Logistic regression was performed with adjusted odds ratios (OR) of achieving remission (Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)-CRP < 1.3 and/or BASDAI < 2) and stratified by treatment. Inter-registry heterogeneity was assessed using random-effect meta-analyses, combined results were presented when heterogeneity was not significant. Peripheral arthritis was defined as ≥1 swollen joint at baseline (=TNFi start). RESULTS: Amongst 24 171 axSpA patients, 32% received csDMARD co-therapy (range across countries: 13.5% to 71.2%). The co-therapy group had more baseline peripheral arthritis and higher CRP than the monotherapy group. One-year TNFi-retention rates (95% CI): 79% (78, 79%) for TNFi monotherapy vs 82% (81, 83%) with co-therapy (P < 0.001). Remission was obtained in 20% on monotherapy and 22% on co-therapy (P < 0.001); adjusted OR of 1.16 (1.07, 1.25). Remission rates at 12 months were similar in patients with/without peripheral arthritis. CONCLUSION: This large European study of axial SpA patients showed similar one-year treatment outcomes for TNFi monotherapy and csDMARD co-therapy, although considerable heterogeneity across countries limited the identification of certain subgroups (e.g. peripheral arthritis) that may benefit from co-therapy.

European bio-naïve spondyloarthritis patients initiating TNF inhibitor: time trends in baseline characteristics, treatment retention and response.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate time trends in baseline characteristics and retention, remission and response rates in bio-naïve axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients initiating TNF inhibitor (TNFi) treatment. METHODS: Prospectively collected data on bio-naïve axSpA and PsA patients from routine care in 15 European countries were pooled. Three cohorts were defined according to year of TNFi initiation: A (1999-2008), B (2009-2014) and C (2015-2018). Retention, remission and response rates were assessed at 6, 12 and 24 months. RESULTS: In total, 27 149 axSpA and 17 446 PsA patients were included. Cohort A patients had longer disease duration compared with B and C. In axSpA, cohort A had the largest proportion of male and HLA-B27 positive patients. In PsA, baseline disease activity was highest in cohort A. Retention rates in axSpA/PsA were highest in cohort A and differed only slightly between B and C. For all cohorts, disease activity decreased markedly from 0 to 6 months. In axSpA, disease activity at 24 months was highest in cohort A, where also remission and response rates were lowest. In PsA, remission rates at 6 and 12 months tended to be lowest in cohort A. Response rates were at all time points comparable across cohorts, and less between-cohort disease activity differences were seen at 24 months. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that over the past decades, clinicians have implemented more aggressive treatment strategies in spondyloarthritis. This was illustrated by shorter disease duration at treatment initiation, decreased retention rates and higher remission rates during recent years.

Do mobility exercises in different environments have different effects in ankylosing spondylitis?

AIMS: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) reduces spinal mobility, which results in structural and functional impairments. Pulmonary problems eventually occur in most AS patients due to interstitial lung disease or as a result of chest wall abnormalities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects on pulmonary functions and disease related scales of aquatic and land-based multidimensional functional mobility exercises on pulmonary functions in patients with AS. METHODS: In this randomized controlled study, 57 patients with definite AS according to the modified New York criteria were randomly allocated to an aquatic (AG), land-based (LG), or home (HG) exercise group and performed multidimensional mobility exercise sessions twice a week for 8 weeks. The Bath indices were used to measure disease activity, functional limitation, and spinal mobility, and a 10-cm visual analog scale assessed pain during activity and at rest. Pulmonary function tests, maximal inspiratory mouth pressure (MIP), and maximal expiratory mouth pressure (MEP) were measured before and after the intervention. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03667625 (27/08/2018). RESULTS: Forty-six patients (30.4% female) with a mean age of 42.0 years completed the study. Multidimensional exercises improved disease-related symptoms such as pain, spinal mobility, and functionality, but there were no significant changes in HG. Patients in AG showed significant improvements in peak expiratory flow (p=0.004), vital capacity (p=0.025), maximum voluntary ventilation (p=0.006), and MIP (p=0.001), while those in LG showed significant increases in forced expiratory volume during the first second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio (p=0.049), peak expiratory flow (p=0.007), and maximum voluntary ventilation (p=0.004). There were no significant changes in HG. CONCLUSIONS: Multidimensional functional mobility exercises performed either in water or on land are important in the management of pulmonary manifestations of AS.

Polygenic Risk Scores have high diagnostic capacity in ankylosing spondylitis.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to test the hypothesis that Polygenic Risk Scores (PRSs) have strong capacity to discriminate cases of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) from healthy controls and individuals in the community with chronic back pain. METHODS: PRSs were developed and validated in individuals of European and East Asian ethnicity, using data from genome-wide association studies in 15 585 AS cases and 20 452 controls. The discriminatory values of PRSs in these populations were compared with other widely used diagnostic tests, including C-reactive protein (CRP), HLA-B27 and sacroiliac MRI. RESULTS: In people of European descent, PRS had high discriminatory capacity with area under the curve (AUC) in receiver operator characteristic analysis of 0.924. This was significantly better than for HLA-B27 testing alone (AUC=0.869), MRI (AUC=0.885) or C-reactive protein (AUC=0.700). PRS developed and validated in individuals of East Asian descent performed similarly (AUC=0.948). Assuming a prior probability of AS of 10% such as in patients with chronic back pain under 45 years of age, compared with HLA-B27 testing alone, PRS provides higher positive values for 35% of patients and negative predictive values for 67.5% of patients. For PRS, in people of European descent, the maximum positive predictive value was 78.2% and negative predictive value was 100%, whereas for HLA-B27, these values were 51.9% and 97.9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PRS have higher discriminatory capacity for AS than CRP, sacroiliac MRI or HLA-B27 status alone. For optimal performance, PRS should be developed for use in the specific ethnic groups to which they are to be applied.

JAK Inhibitors for Axial Spondyloarthritis: What does the Future Hold?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To discuss the potential role of JAK inhibitors (JAKis) as a new therapeutic class for the treatment of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA, including ankylosing spondylitis [AS] and non-radiographic axSpA [nr-axSpA]). RECENT FINDINGS: A phase III randomized controlled trial of tofacitinib (a "pan JAKi") in patients with active AS was found to be superior to placebo in achieving the ASAS20 primary endpoint at week 16 (56.4% and 29.4%, p < 0.0001, phase II trials of AS). Upadacitinib, a JAK1 inhibitor, has also been evaluated in a phase III trial for its efficacy and safety in AS. The primary endpoint, ASAS40 at week 16, was reached by 52% of the patients randomized to upadacitinib and 26% of the patients receiving placebo (p = 0·0003). All the important secondary endpoints also improved with both agents. No new changes in their safety profile were noted. However, the more frequent occurrence of cardiovascular and cancer adverse events associated with tofacitinib than with TNFi observed in the very recent post-marketing "ORAL surveillance" safety study, the results of which were released on January 27, 2021, may lead to safety concerns swirling around the whole class of JAKis. JAKis seem to be effective in treating signs and symptoms of AS but have not been studied in nr-axSpA. Both tofacitinib and upadacitinib have been pre-registered with the FDA for the treatment of AS. Upadacitinib has just recently received approval for this indication in the European Union..

The prevalence of Sjögren's syndrome and sicca symptoms in patients with systemic sclerosis and alpha-smooth muscle actin expression in biopsy specimens from minor salivary glands

Background/aim: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of sicca symptoms and secondary Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Also this study aimed to evaluate the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α­SMA) in minor salivary gland (MSG) specimens, a possible marker of fibrosis responsible for myofibroblastic transformation. Materials and methods: Patients with SSc who were followed in Rheumatology outpatient clinic at a university hospital evaluated. The questionnaire of sicca symptoms and classification of SjS were evaluated according to the American­European Consensus Group (AECG) criteria. Histopathologic evaluations were done in MSG specimens investigating the presence of focal lymphocytic sialadenitis and glandular fibrosis, also assessing the expression of α­SMA. Results: This cross-sectional study included 102 patients with SSc [91 females (89%), mean age 52.5 ± 12 years]. In this cohort 76 (75%) patients had sicca symptoms and 36 (35.3%) patients fulfilled the AECG criteria for SjS; all with limited form. Having SjS found to be associated with older age and the presence of positive anti-SS-A antibodies. On histopathologic examinations, glandular fibrosis was observed in 67 (80%) and lymphocytic sialadenitis was detected in 38 (45%) patients; but only 7 samples were positive for α­SMA. Conclusion: This study suggested sicca symptoms were found to be very common among patients with SSc. Also secondary SjS was detected in nearly one-third of patients with SSc; especially in limited subtype. Anti SS-A positivity and older age were detected as predictors for SjS. Histopathologic evaluations showed significant glandular fibrosis but rare α-SMA staining in patients with SSc.

Bilateral Paraneoplastic Vitritis: A Case Report.

This report describes the case of a patient who presented with bilateral vitritis that led to a diagnosis of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). A 70-year-old man was examined due to bilateral gradual visual deterioration. Symmetrical vitritis was observed in both eyes with no evidence of other fundus pathology. The opthalmological diagnosis was bilateral paraneoplastic vitritis. The patient was an active smoker and had a short history of weight loss. A systemic evaluation resulted in a diagnosis of SCLC. The appropriate cancer treatment was provided, as well as a short-term oral steroid. The vitritis responded well to steroid treatment. Ocular manifestations can be an early sign of malignancy, and ophthalmologists should be aware of this possibility.

Assessing rheumatologists' attitudes and utilization of classification criteria for ankylosing spondylitis and axial spondyloarthritis: a global effort.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess rheumatologists' perceptions, utilization patterns, and attitudes towards the modified New York (mNY) criteria for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). METHODS: Members of the national rheumatology societies in five countries (United States of America (USA), Canada, India, Turkey, and Brazil) were invited to participate in a survey containing questions regarding rheumatologists' familiarity, and use of AS and axSpA classification criteria in daily practice, perceived specificity of spondyloarthritis features in making the diagnosis, patterns of imaging tests performed in daily practice, and their opinion about the need for modification of current classification criteria. The responses were analyzed by gender, age, years in practice, as well as by country of practice. Descriptive statistics, t test, and chi-square test were used for comparison of groups. RESULTS: Approximately 6% rheumatologists (478 out of 8021 professional association members) from five countries completed the survey. The country-specific response rates were Brazil 4%, USA 4.3%, India 11%, Canada 14%, and Turkey 29%, though the overall contributions from individual countries were USA 47%, India 14.9%, Brazil 13.8%, Turkey 12.8%, and Canada 8.8%. The mean age of respondents was 50 years (± 11.8), 31% were females and 90% spent majority (> 75%) of their time in clinical practice. The mNY and ASAS criteria were regularly used in clinical practice by 44 and 66% of responders, respectively. Those reporting "always" using ASAS criteria were more likely to be women (p = 0.006), and within 5 years of completing rheumatology training. Vast majority (74%) regarded Inflammatory Back Pain (IBP) as a specific feature for axSpA. Majority (50 and 60%, respectively) regarded uveitis and dactylitis as "very specific" features helping them make the diagnosis of axSpA, whereas heel enthesitis, peripheral inflammatory arthritis, and response to NSAIDs were considered "somewhat specific" by 50% of the responders. Less than half (47%) of the responders used the mNY grading for X-ray of SI joints. In the case of normal X-ray of SI joint, the use of MRI was more frequent than CT scan (83.6 vs. 10.9%) in assessing for sacroiliitis. If sacroiliitis was not seen on X-rays, the likelihood of ordering MRI was significantly higher among rheumatologists completing training within < 15 years versus > 25 years prior (90 vs. 75%, p = 0.007). Overall, 70% thought that ASAS criteria were adequately specific for clinical trials. However, 42% respondents still felt a need to modify ASAS classification criteria for axSpA. Also, 46% respondents felt that mNY criteria should be modified. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of diagnostic criteria, majority of rheumatologists are using the classification criteria for diagnosis of axSpA. Though axSpA classification criteria are perceived to be specific for clinical trials, 40% rheumatologists feel the need to modify these criteria. Key Points • This study informs how rheumatologists in five countries spread over four different continents diagnose axSpA in clinical practice. • Since majority rheumatologists among survey respondents across the countries use ASAS criteria for diagnosis of axSpA, more specific criteria may be required to avoid overdiagnosis. • MRI is commonly used to rule out sacroiliitis in case of normal X-ray of sacroiliac joints.