Factors Associated With Distress Related to Perceived Dignity in Patients With Rheumatic Diseases.

BACKGROUND: The loss of perceived dignity is an existential source of human suffering, described in patients with cancer and chronic diseases and hospitalized patients but rarely explored among patients with rheumatic diseases (RMDs). We recently observed that distress related to perceived dignity (DPD) was present in 26.9% of Mexican patients with different RMDs. The study aimed to investigate the factors associated with DPD. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed between February and September 2022. Consecutive patients with RMDs completed patient-reported outcomes (to assess mental health, disease activity/severity, disability, fatigue, quality of life [QoL], satisfaction with medical care, and family function) and had a rheumatic evaluation to assess disease activity status and comorbidity. Sociodemographic variables and disease-related and treatment-related variables were retrieved with standardized formats. DPD was defined based on the Patient Dignity Inventory score. Multivariate regression analysis was used. RESULTS: Four hundred patients were included and were representative of outpatients with RMDs, while 7.5% each were inpatients and patients from the emergency care unit. There were 107 patients (26.8%) with DPD. Past mental health-related comorbidity (Odds Ratio [OR]: 4.680 [95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.906-11.491]), the number of immunosuppressive drugs/patient (OR: 1.683 [95% CI: 1.015-2.791]), the physical health dimension score of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) (OR: 0.937 [95% CI: 0.907-0.967]), and the emotional health dimension score of the WHOQOL-BREF (OR: 0.895 [95% CI: 0.863-0.928]) were associated with DPD. CONCLUSIONS: DPD was present in a substantial proportion of patients with RMDs and was associated with mental health-related comorbidity, disease activity/severity-related variables, and the patient QoL.

Risk of cardiovascular comorbidities before and after the onset of rheumatic diseases.

OBJECTIVES: To elucidate the risk and temporal relationship of cardiovascular (CV) comorbidities in rheumatic diseases. METHODS: Patients in the FinnGen study diagnosed between 2000 and 2014 with seropositive (n = 2368) or seronegative (n = 916) rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS, n = 715), psoriatic arthritis (PsA, n = 923), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, n = 190), primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS, n = 412) or gout (n = 2034) were identified from healthcare registries. Each patient was matched based on age, sex, and birth region with twenty controls without any rheumatic conditions. Overall risk ratios (RR) were calculated by comparing the prevalence of seven CV diseases between patients and controls. Logistic regression models were used for estimating odds ratios (OR) for CV comorbidities before and after the onset of rheumatic diseases. RESULTS: The RR for 'any CVD' varied from 1.14 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.26) in PsA to 2.05 (95 % CI 1.67-2.52) in SLE. Patients with SLE or gout demonstrated over two-fold risks for several CV comorbidities. Among CV comorbidities, venous thromboembolism (VTE) showed the highest effect sizes in several rheumatic diseases. The ORs for CV comorbidities were highest within one year before and/or after the onset of the rheumatic disease. However, in gout the excess risk of CV disease was especially high before gout diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of CV comorbidities was elevated in all studied rheumatic diseases, with highest risks observed in SLE and gout. The risk for CV diseases was highest immediately before and/or after rheumatic disease diagnosis, highlighting the increased risk for CV comorbidities across all rheumatic diseases very early on the disease course.

Rehabilitation of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and comorbidities: unmet needs.

Comorbidities may contribute to inadequate response to therapy and accelerate disability in various rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Cardiovascular, oncological, and infectious comorbidities are common in rheumatic patients. The rehabilitation of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) with comorbidities requires a multidisciplinary approach to improving patients' functional mobility, slowing down the disease progression and minimizing the risks of complications. The evidence suggests that cardiac rehabilitation can be implemented in daily practice in patients with IRDs to reduce mortality for those with established risk factors. Physical exercises reduce the severity, improve the clinical course, and reduce hospitalization rates in patients with rheumatic diseases. A rehabilitation program with focused physical therapy can lead to functional improvements and reduction of disease activity in patients with lowered quality of life (QoL). Health professionals should provide evidence-based recommendations for patients with rheumatic diseases and comorbidities to initiate the self-management of their diseases and prevent complications.

Trends for opioid prescribing and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases between 2006 and 2021.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate opioid prescribing trends and assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on opioid prescribing in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). METHODS: Adult patients with RA, PsA, axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA), SLE, OA and FM with opioid prescriptions between 1 January 2006 and 31 August 2021 without cancer in UK primary care were included. Age- and gender-standardized yearly rates of new and prevalent opioid users were calculated between 2006 and 2021. For prevalent users, monthly measures of mean morphine milligram equivalents (MME)/day were calculated between 2006 and 2021. To assess the impact of the pandemic, we fitted regression models to the monthly number of prevalent opioid users between January 2015 and August 2021. The time coefficient reflects the trend pre-pandemic and the interaction term coefficient represents the change in the trend during the pandemic. RESULTS: The study included 1 313 519 RMD patients. New opioid users for RA, PsA and FM increased from 2.6, 1.0 and 3.4/10 000 persons in 2006 to 4.5, 1.8 and 8.7, respectively, in 2018 or 2019. This was followed by a fall to 2.4, 1.2 and 5.9, respectively, in 2021. Prevalent opioid users for all RMDs increased from 2006 but plateaued or dropped beyond 2018, with a 4.5-fold increase in FM between 2006 and 2021. In this period, MME/day increased for all RMDs, with the highest for FM (≥35). During COVID-19 lockdowns, RA, PsA and FM showed significant changes in the trend of prevalent opioid users. The trend for FM increased pre-pandemic and started decreasing during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The plateauing or decreasing trend of opioid users for RMDs after 2018 may reflect the efforts to tackle rising opioid prescribing in the UK. The pandemic led to fewer people on opioids for most RMDs, providing reassurance that there was no sudden increase in opioid prescribing during the pandemic.

Impact of Risk Factors on COVID-19 Outcomes in Unvaccinated People With Rheumatic Diseases: A Comparative Analysis of Pandemic Epochs Using the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance Registry.

OBJECTIVE: Approximately one third of individuals worldwide have not received a COVID-19 vaccine. Although studies have investigated risk factors linked to severe COVID-19 among unvaccinated people with rheumatic diseases (RDs), we know less about whether these factors changed as the pandemic progressed. We aimed to identify risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 in unvaccinated individuals in different pandemic epochs corresponding to major variants of concern. METHODS: Patients with RDs and COVID-19 were entered into the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance Registry between March 2020 and June 2022. An ordinal logistic regression model (not hospitalized, hospitalized, and death) was used with date of COVID-19 diagnosis, age, sex, race and/or ethnicity, comorbidities, RD activity, medications, and the human development index (HDI) as covariates. The main analysis included all unvaccinated patients across COVID-19 pandemic epochs; subanalyses stratified patients according to RD types. RESULTS: Among 19,256 unvaccinated people with RDs and COVID-19, those who were older, male, had more comorbidities, used glucocorticoids, had higher disease activity, or lived in lower HDI regions had worse outcomes across epochs. For those with rheumatoid arthritis, sulfasalazine and B-cell-depleting therapy were associated with worse outcomes, and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors were associated with improved outcomes. In those with connective tissue disease or vasculitis, B-cell-depleting therapy was associated with worse outcomes. CONCLUSION: Risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes were similar throughout pandemic epochs in unvaccinated people with RDs. Ongoing efforts, including vaccination, are needed to reduce COVID-19 severity in this population, particularly in those with medical and social vulnerabilities identified in this study.

Inflammatory rheumatic diseases and the risk of drug use disorders: a register-based cohort study in Sweden.

To investigate the association between chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (CIRD) and drug use disorder (DUD). Individuals aged ≥ 30 years in 2009 that met the following conditions were included: residing in the Skåne region, Sweden, with at least one healthcare contact in person and no history of DUD (ICD-10 codes F11-F16, F18-F19) during 1998-2009 (N = 649,891). CIRD was defined as the presence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), or systemic lupus erythematosus. Treating CIRD as a time-varying exposure, we followed people from January 1, 2010 until a diagnosis of DUD, death, relocation outside the region, or December 31, 2019, whichever occurred first. We used flexible parametric survival models adjusted for attained age, sociodemographic characteristics, and coexisting conditions for data analysis. There were 64 (95% CI 62-66) and 104 (88-123) incident DUD per 100,000 person-years among those without and with CIRD, respectively. CIRD was associated with an increased risk of DUD in age-adjusted analysis (hazard ratio [HR] 1.77, 95% CI 1.49-2.09). Almost identical HR (1.71, 95% CI 1.45-2.03) was estimated after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, and it slightly attenuated when coexisting conditions were additionally accounted for (1.47, 95% CI 1.24-1.74). Fully adjusted HRs were 1.49 (1.21-1.85) for RA, 2.00 (1.38-2.90) for AS, and 1.58 (1.16-2.16) for PsA. More stringent definitions of CIRD didn't alter our findings. CIRD was associated with an increased risk of DUD independent of sociodemographic factors and coexisting conditions. Key Points • A register-based cohort study including 649,891 individuals aged≥30 residing in the Skåne region, Sweden, was conducted. • Chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases were associated with higher risks of drug use disorder independent of sociodemographic factors and coexisting conditions.

Anemia and iron deficiency in pregnant women with rheumatic diseases.

INTRODUCTION: Anemia and iron deficiency are the most common pathologies in pregnancy and associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. As patients with rheumatic diseases are also at high risk for anemia, we aimed to investigate the frequency of anemia and iron deficiency during pregnancy in this group and whether anemia is a risk factor for adverse maternal or child outcome. METHODS: We analyzed 368 pregnancies from a German registry for pregnancies in patients with rheumatic diseases (TURIRE) from 2014-2022. Anemia and iron deficiency were defined according to the World Health Organization. Main outcome measures were prevalence of anemia, iron deficiency, and adverse outcomes. RESULTS: From the 368 patients 61% were diagnosed with a connective tissue disease, 16% with rheumatoid arthritis or juvenile idiopathic arthritis, 14% with spondyloarthritis, 3% with vasculitis and 7% with other. Prevalence of anemia/iron deficiency was 18%/28% in the first, 27%/51% in the second and 33%/62% in the third trimester. Low hemoglobin levels (OR 0.52) or iron deficiency (OR 0.86) had a negative impact on child outcome. However, lower hemoglobin levels were associated with a lower risk for maternal complications (OR 1.47). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency is high in pregnant women with rheumatic diseases. Compared to previously published cohorts of the general population from different countries, the prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency is distinctly higher. Furthermore, patients with rheumatic diseases already start with impaired iron storage and/or hemoglobin levels. Thus, iron supplementation should be initiated early on in this vulnerable in this patient group.

Cancer risk with biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs in patients with rheumatic diseases and previous malignancies: Results from the BIOBADASER register.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the occurrence and relative risk of incident malignancy in patients with rheumatic diseases and previous malignancies treated with biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs (b/tsDMARDs). METHODS: Cohort study of patients included in BIOBADASER 3.0 up to 2021, treated with b/tsDMARDs and history of a previous malignancy. Incident cancer was defined as any cancer (new primary, local recurrence or metastases) during the drug exposure. Incidence rate ratios of cancer per 1,000 patients-year (PY) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) were estimated. Rates of incident cancer in tsDMARDs and other bDMARDs versus TNFi were compared. RESULTS: A total of 352 patients from over 9,129 patients recorded in BIOBADASER 3.0 had a history of a previous malignancy. Overall, there were 47 incident malignancies (28 solid cancers, 18 non-melanoma skin cancers and 1 melanoma). The overall rate of incident malignancy was 47.4 (95 % CI 35.6-63.1) events/1,000 PY, ranging between 24.5 events/1000 PY in the anti-CD20 group to 93 events/1000 PY in the anti-CTLA-4 group. We did not find differences in the adjusted rate of incident cancer in patients exposed to JAKi [0.5 (95 % CI 0.2-1.7)], anti-CD20 [0.4(95 % CI 0.1-1)], or anti-IL6 [1.1(95 % CI 0.5-2.4)], anti-CTLA-4 [1.5 (95 % CI 0.7-3.1) or anti-IL17 [0.7 (95 % CI 0.2-2.4) versus TNFi therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find differences in the risk of incident cancer in patients with rheumatic diseases and a previous malignancy between TNFi and other b/tsDMARDs. While incident cancers in our cohort were limited, our data is reassuring, awaiting validation in future studies.

COVID-19 in patients with rheumatological diseases in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

The severity of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its effects remain unpredictable. Certain factors, such as obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, may increase the severity of the disease. Rheumatology experts suggest that patients with active autoimmune conditions and controlled autoimmune diseases on immunosuppressive therapy may be at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. In this retrospective observational study, we aimed to examine the patterns of COVID-19 in patients with underlying rheumatological diseases and their association with disease severity and hospital outcomes. A total of 34 patients with underlying rheumatological diseases who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were included between March 2020 and April 2021 at King Fahd Hospital of the University. The study population consisted of 76.47% female and 23.53% male patients, with a mean age ranging from 20 to 40 years. Female gender (p=0.0001) and younger age (p=0.004) were associated with milder disease. The most frequent rheumatological disease was systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (38.24%), which was associated with a milder infection (p=0.045). Patients treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) had a milder disease course (p=0.0037). Hypertension was significantly associated with severe COVID-19 disease (p=0.037). There was no significant relationship between SLE and the need for ICU admission. Patients on hydroxychloroquine and MMF tended to develop milder disease, and there was no association between the severity of the infection and the treatment with steroids.

Comparison of advanced glycation end products concentration in the skin among patients with rheumatic diseases, with and without comorbid depression: a case-control study.

Patients with rheumatic diseases suffer depression at a far greater rate than the general population. Aside from evident mental health degradation, in this group of patients depression can often lead to failures in the treatment of the basic disease. The aim of the study was to assess the concentration of advanced glycation end-products (AGE) in the skin autofluorescence (SAF) exam in patients with select rheumatic diseases depending on depression concomitance. 139 patients with rheumatic diseases were enrolled into the study-43 (39F/4 M) patients with RA, 31 (24F/7 M) patients with PsA, 27 (22F/5 M) patients with SLE and 38 (33F/5 M) patients with SSc. In all patients, the concentration of AGE was assessed using the AGE Reader device (DiagnOptics BV Groningen, The Netherlands). The Beck Depression Inventory II was used to assess depression in the patients. Patients who scored 14 points or more in the BDI-II were diagnosed with depression. In the studied group, depression was identified in 73 (53%) patients-25 with RA, 21 with PsA, 11 with SLE and 16 with SSc. Mean SAF in patients with depression was 2.8 ± 0.4, and in the group with no depression-2.2 ± 0.5 (p < 0.001). The study results indicate that in the course of rheumatic diseases, the presence of depression may influence the increase in AGE concentration in the skin. Therefore, evaluating AGE levels in the skin may be clinically relevant as it can help identify patients who may be at risk of developing depression.

Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases and multiple industrial air pollutant emissions: A large general population Canadian cohort analysis.

BACKGROUND: Past investigations of air pollution and systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) typically focused on individual (not mixed) and overall environmental emissions. We assessed mixtures of industrial emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) and SARDs onset in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: We assembled an open cohort of over 12 million adults (without SARD diagnoses at cohort entry) based on provincial health data for 2007-2020 and followed them until SARD onset, death, emigration, or end of study (December 2020). SARDs were identified using physician billing and hospitalization diagnostic codes for systemic lupus, scleroderma, myositis, undifferentiated connective tissue disease, and Sjogren's. Rheumatoid arthritis and vasculitis were not included. Average PM2.5, NO2, and SO2 industrial emissions from 2002 to one year before SARDs onset or end of study were assigned using residential postal codes. A quantile g-computation model for time to SARD onset was developed for the industrial emission mixture, adjusting for sex, age, income, rurality index, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (as a proxy for smoking), background (environmental overall) PM2.5, and calendar year. We conducted stratified analyses across age, sex, and rurality. RESULTS: We identified 43,931 new SARD diagnoses across 143,799,564 person-years. The adjusted hazard ratio for SARD onset for an increase in all emissions by one decile was 1.018 (95% confidence interval 1.013-1.022). Similar positive associations between SARDs and the mixed emissions were observed in most stratified analyses. Industrial PM2.5 contributed most to SARD risk. CONCLUSIONS: Industrial air pollution emissions were associated with SARDs risk.

Beliefs, Experiences, and Openness Regarding Dietary Interventions: Data From an Urban Hispanic Population With Rheumatic Disease in the US.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain descriptive data on the beliefs, behaviors, and openness regarding dietary changes for rheumatic diseases in an urban US Hispanic patient population with rheumatic disease as foundational data for future intervention design. METHODS: We distributed a voluntary survey to our primarily Hispanic population at an outpatient rheumatology clinic for 19 weeks. This survey queried individuals' behaviors as they related to dietary intake used for the treatment of rheumatic disease, perceptions of the effect of food groups on rheumatic disease activity, barriers to physician-recommended diets, and willingness to try future interventions. We used descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-square test to evaluate associations. RESULTS: More than 40% of survey respondents from our primarily (88%) Hispanic population noted a link between what they ate and their underlying rheumatic disease activity. More than one-third of patients had, at some point, modified dietary intake to affect their rheumatic disease. Vegetables, fruit, and white meats were commonly reported to improve disease, while red meat and processed foods were reported to worsen disease. Barriers to following a prespecified diet included cost and lack of knowledge. More than 70% of respondents indicated willingness to attempt certain eating patterns should it help their underlying rheumatic disease. CONCLUSION: In this primarily Hispanic rheumatic disease patient population, many have not only noted a correlation between dietary intake and rheumatic disease activity but are also open to future nutrition-related interventions. As this population experiences poor rheumatic disease outcomes and a high rate of lifestyle-related comorbidities, an intervention to optimize healthy eating patterns would likely be beneficial as well as acceptable.

Inflammatory rheumatic diseases developed after COVID-19 vaccination: presentation of a case series and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: An increasing number of new on-set autoimmune-inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRD) after COVID-19 vaccination has begun to be reported in the literature. In this article, we present our patients with new-onset AIRD after vaccination for COVID-19 and review the literature on the subject. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated the clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters of previously described "newly developed AIRD in individuals recently vaccinated for COVID-19", in 22 cases vaccinated with one of the COVID-19 vaccines (BNT162b2 or CoronaVac) approved in our country. RESULTS: We collected 22 cases (14 female, 63.6%) that developed an AIRD after COVID-19 vaccination. Mean age was 53±14.4 (24-87) years. The interval between the last dose of vaccination and the development of the first complaint was 23.9±19.5 (4-90) days. CoronaVac was administered to four patients, and the BNT162b2 to 18 patients. AIRD-related symptoms developed in 12 patients after the first dose, in 8 patients after the second dose, and in two patients after the third dose. Twelve out of the 22 (54.5%) cases were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, two with SLE, and the remaining eight patients each with leukocytoclastic vasculitis, Sjogren's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic sclerosis, mixed connective tissue disease, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and inflammatory myositis, respectively. Six patients had a history of documented antecedent COVID-19 infection. CONCLUSIONS: Autoimmune/inflammatory rheumatic diseases may develop after COVID-19 vaccinations. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination should be questioned carefully in newly diagnosed AIRD patients.

Cancer screening in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

Cancer is a major public health concern, and screening for cancer is a on-going issue in our practice. The risk of cancer in patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases varies according to their personal medical history, underlying rheumatic disease and its treatment. However, to date, no rheumatology learned society has established specific recommendations for cancer screening in patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases. In this review, we provide an overview of the risk of cancer in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (related to the disease itself or its treatment), cancer screening in the general population and in immunocompromised subjects, and cancer screening in patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

Identifying and Managing Nociplastic Pain in Individuals With Rheumatic Diseases: A Narrative Review.

Chronic pain is a burdensome and prevalent symptom in individuals with rheumatic disease. The International Association for the Study of Pain classifies pain into 3 descriptive categories: nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic. These categories are intended to provide information about the mechanisms underlying the pain, which can then serve as targets for drug or non-drug treatments. This review describes the 3 types of pain as they relate to patients seen by rheumatology health care providers. The focus is on identifying individuals with nociplastic pain, which can either occur in isolation as in fibromyalgia, or as a comorbidity in individuals with primary autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Practical information about how rheumatology health care providers can approach and manage chronic pain is also provided.

Clinical Visit Frequencies in Rheumatology: A Systematic Literature Review.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical visits are a fundamental aspect of rheumatic disease care, but recommendations for appropriate visit frequencies are largely absent from guidelines, scarcely studied, and inconsistently reported. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence pertaining to visit frequencies for major rheumatic diseases. METHODS: This systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Title/abstract screening, full-text screening, and extraction were carried out by 2 independent authors. Annual visit frequencies were either extracted or calculated and stratified by disease type and country of study. Weighted mean annual visit frequencies were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 273 relevant manuscript records were screened, and 28 were included after applying selection criteria. The included studies were equally divided between US and non-US and were published between 1985 and 2021. Most (n = 16) focused on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; n = 5), and fibromyalgia (FM; n = 4). For RA, the average annual visit frequencies were 5.25 for US rheumatologists, 4.80 for US non-rheumatologists, 3.29 for non-US rheumatologists, and 2.74 for non-US non-rheumatologists. For SLE, annual visit frequencies for non-rheumatologists were much higher than for US rheumatologists (12.3 versus 3.24). For FM, annual visit frequencies were 1.80 for US rheumatologists and 0.40 for non-US rheumatologists. There was a decreasing trend of visit frequency to rheumatologists from 1982 to 2019. CONCLUSION: Evidence for rheumatology clinical visits was limited and heterogeneous on a global scale. However, general trends suggest more frequent visits in the US and less frequent visits in recent years.

Cardiovascular health worsening in patients with autoimmune rheumatological diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rheumatic autoimmune diseases are associated with a myriad of comorbidities. Of particular importance due to their morbimortality are cardiovascular diseases. COVID-19 greatly impacted the world population in many different areas. Patients with rheumatic diseases had to face changes in their healthcare, in addition to unemployment, a decrease in physical activity, social isolation, and lack of access to certain medications. This review summarizes the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidities, and unhealthy behaviors in patients with rheumatic inflammatory autoimmune diseases, particularly focused on rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Searches were carried out in MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus from August to December 2022. Four reviewers screened the title and abstract of retrieved records. Potentially eligible reports were then reviewed in full text. Differences were reconciled by either consensus or discussion with an external reviewer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with rheumatic diseases showed an increase in the prevalence of mental health disorders (43.2-57.7%), reduced physical activity (56.8%), and a worsening in eating behaviors. Alcohol intake increased (18.2%), especially in early phases of the pandemic. Smoking prevalence decreased (28.2%). Dyslipidemia and hypertension showed no changes. The pandemic and lockdown affected rheumatic patients not only in disease-related characteristics but in the prevalence of their cardiovascular comorbidities and risk factors. Lifestyle changes, such as healthy eating, physical activity, and optimal management of their rheumatic diseases and comorbidities, are essential to manage the long-lasting consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak. Key Points • During the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety, depression, sedentarism, obesity, and a worsening in eating behaviors increased. •Patients with rheumatic diseases and comorbidities have worse clinical outcomes and a higher cardiovascular disease burden than those without them. •Comparative studies are necessary to precisely elucidate the pandemic's impact on the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, risk factors, and comorbidities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Factors associated with COVID-19 breakthrough infection among vaccinated patients with rheumatic diseases: A cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatic disease patients on certain immunomodulators are at increased risk of impaired humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. We aimed to identify factors associated with breakthrough infection among patients with rheumatic diseases. METHODS: We identified patients with rheumatic diseases being treated with immunomodulators in a large healthcare system who received at least two doses of either the mRNA-1273 (Moderna) or BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson-Janssen (J&J) vaccine. We followed patients until SARS-CoV-2 infection, death, or December 15, 2021, when the Omicron variant became dominant in our region. We estimated the association of baseline characteristics with the risk of breakthrough infection using multivariable Cox regression. RESULTS: We analyzed 11,468 patients (75% female, mean age 60 years). Compared to antimalarial monotherapy, multiple immunomodulators were associated with higher risk of infection: anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (aHR 5.20, 95% CI: 2.85, 9.48), CTLA-4 Ig (aHR 3.52, 95% CI: 1.90, 6.51), mycophenolate (aHR 2.31, 95% CI: 1.25, 4.27), IL-6 inhibitors (aHR 2.15, 95% CI: 1.09, 4.24), JAK inhibitors (aHR 2.02, 95% CI: 1.01, 4.06), and TNF inhibitors (aHR 1.70, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.66). mRNA-1273 recipients had a lower risk of breakthrough infection compared to BNT162b2 recipients (aHR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.86). There was no association of sex, body mass index, smoking status, race, or ethnicity with risk of breakthrough infection. CONCLUSION: Among patients with rheumatic diseases, multiple immunomodulators were associated with increased risk of breakthrough infection. These results highlight the need for additional mitigation strategies in this vulnerable population.

Comparative characteristics of ACR 1990, mACR 2010, ACR 2016 and AAPT 2019 criteria for diagnosing fibromyalgia in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Despite many approaches, diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM) remains a difficult clinical task, especially in the case of comorbidity of FM with other rheumatic diseases, such as ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The prevalence of FM among the population is 2.9-4.7%; whereas in patients with AS, it increases to 12.6-28.5%. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of FM in AS patients according to different criteria and to characterize them. 143 patients with AS, according to the modified New York Criteria, were examined. The FiRST used for screening of a possible FM. The FM was detected using the ACR 1990 criteria, mARC 2010, ACR 2016 and AAPT 2019 diagnostic criteria. All data were analyzed using IBM Statistics SPSS 22 software. The study was carried out in compliance with bioethical standards. According to ACR 1990, mACR 2010, ACR 2016, and AAPT 2019, the prevalence of FM in patients with AS ranged from 21.0% to 35.7%. The strongest correlation was observed in the mACR 2010 and ACR 2016 criteria (Cohen's κ = 0.871, p < 0.001); ACR 1990 and mACR 2010 as well as ACR 2016 criteria also demonstrated quite a strong level of agreement (Cohen's κ = 0.675 and 0.684, p < 0.001). Our results showed a high prevalence of FM in AS patients. mACR 2010 and ACR 2016 criteria are optimal for clinical practice to diagnose FM in AS patients.

Different COVID-19 outcomes among systemic rheumatic diseases: a nation-wide cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated risk of hospitalization and death in RA, AS, PsA, SLE and SSc in comparison with the general population during the first year of the pandemic, and compare their overall mortality with 2019. METHODS: Interlinking nationwide electronic registries, we recorded confirmed COVID-19-associated infections, hospitalizations and deaths, and all-cause deaths between 1 March 2020 and 28 February 2021 in all adults with RA, AS, PsA, SLE and SSc under treatment (n = 74 970, median age 67.5, 51.2, 58.1, 56.2 and 62.2 years, respectively) and in random comparators from the general population matched (1:5) on age, sex and region of domicile. Deaths from all causes during 2019 were also recorded. RESULTS: Compared with the general population, incidence rates (IR) for COVID-19-associated hospitalization were higher in RA [IR ratio (IRR) 1.71(1.50-1.95)], SLE [2.0 (1.4-2.7)] and SSc [2.28 (1.29-3.90)], while COVID-19-associated death rates were higher in RA [1.91 (1.46-2.49)]. When focusing only on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-infected subjects, after adjusting for age and gender, the odds ratio for COVID-19 associated death was higher in RA [1.47 (1.11-1.94)] and SSc [2.92 (1.07-7.99)] compared with the general population. The all-cause mortality rate compared with the general population increased in RA during the first year of the pandemic (IRR 0.71) with reference to 2019 (0.59), and decreased in SSc (IRR 1.94 vs 4.36). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 may have a more severe impact in patients with systemic rheumatic disease than in the general population. COVID-19-related mortality is increased in subgroups of patients with specific rheumatic diseases, underscoring the need for priority vaccination and access to targeted treatments.