Fatigue Assessment Using FACIT-F Scale in Spondyloarthropathy Patients and its Correlation with BASDAI and BASFI Scores.

OBJECTIVE: To measure fatigue in axial spondyloarthropathy patients and find its correlation with the disease activity measures. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Rheumatology Unit, Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital, from November 2021 to May 2022. METHODOLOGY: This study included 45 patients fulfilling the ASAS criteria for spondyloarthropathy. Bathankylosing spondylitis disease activity (BASDAI), Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), and functional assessment of chronic illness therapy- fatigue (FACIT-F) scores were measured for each patient. RESULTS: In this study, there were 9 (20%) female patients and 36 (80%) male patients. There were 39 (86.7%) patients who had ankylosing spondylitis, 4 (8.9%) had axial spondyloarthropathy with peripheral arthritis and 2 (4.4%) had enthesitis-related juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The mean duration of the disease was 5.45 ± 4.19 years. Active disease with a BASDAI score of ≥4 was found in 16 (35.6%) patients while 29 (64.4%) had a BASDAI score <4. Severe fatigue with a FACIT-F score of <30 was found in 31 (68.9%) of the patients while less fatigue with FACIT-F score >30 was found in 14 (31.1%). The mean BASFI score of the cohort was 3.23 ± 2.01. Spearman's rho correlation analysis showed a significant strong correlation between the FACIT-F score, BASDAI and BASFI scores (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with active disease and higher BASFI scores had a lower FACIT-F score suggesting more fatigue, thus correlating with the disease activity. KEY WORDS: Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity (BASDAI), Functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-fatigue (FACIT-F), Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), Assessment in ankylosing spondylitis (ASAS).

Assessment of the many faces of PsA: single and composite measures in PsA clinical trials.

PsA is a complex, heterogeneous disease that can place a large burden on patients' psychological and physical well-being. The multifaceted nature of PsA poses a significant assessment challenge, both in randomized control trials and in clinical practice. In recent years, there has been much progress in the development of unidimensional and composite measures of disease activity, as well as of questionnaires that capture the patient's perspective of the condition. Despite these advances, there remains uncertainty around which tools to implement within a research setting. This review aims to summarize the currently available clinical and patient-derived assessment tools, providing a practical and informative resource for the assessment of PsA. This review will also explore recent advancements in digital approaches to the assessment of rheumatological conditions. This will highlight the potential for digitalization in the assessment and monitoring of PsA, outlining innovative means of capturing disease activity and treatment response.

Ultrasound imaging for the rheumatologist. XLII. Assessment of hip pain in rheumatic patients: the radiologist's view.

Hip pain is a common complaint in daily practice and the identification of the underlying pathologic condition is the first step for an adequate treatment. In this review, we discuss the available evidence for the application of conventional radiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in rheumatologic patients with painful hip, presenting the main imaging findings due to osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritides), osteonecrosis and some other soft tissue involvement (bursitis and synovial cyst) that could be the cause of hip pain. Because different imaging techniques show different sensitivity and specificity, the choice of technique to use depends on the type and stage of the disease itself.

Validation of the Dudley Inflammatory Bowel Symptom Questionnaire for the assessment of bowel symptoms in axial SpA: prevalence of clinically relevant bowel symptoms and association with disease activity.

OBJECTIVES: To validate the Dudley Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (DISQ) for determining the presence and severity of bowel symptoms in axial SpA. METHODS: Seventy-seven SpA patients were assessed for disease activity using the BASDAI. All participants, including 32 healthy controls and 29 patients with Crohn's Disease (CD), completed the DISQ and an assessment of stool form and frequency. Validation of the DISQ was undertaken in accordance with OMERACT criteria. RESULTS: Validity of the DISQ for measuring bowel symptoms in SpA was confirmed (Cronbach's α 0.79). Mean DISQ scores (s.d.) were: controls 2.6 (2.6), SpA 8.7 (6.1) and CD 17.1 (10.2). Differences were significant between controls and SpA, and SpA and CD, and correlated with disease activity (ρ 0.27, P = 0.02). In SpA, DISQ scores of those taking NSAIDs (n = 59) did not differ from those not taking NSAIDs (n = 18) (P = 0.31). Stool form and frequency differed significantly between SpA patients and healthy controls (P < 0.001). Using the DISQ the prevalence of clinically relevant bowel symptoms in SpA is 31%, and 7.8% experience bowel symptoms equivalent to active CD. CONCLUSION: The DISQ is a valid measure of bowel symptoms in SpA. Bowel symptoms are prevalent in SpA and correlate with disease activity. Symptoms do not relate to treatment with NSAIDs. We conclude that bowel symptoms should be included as a domain in the clinical assessment of patients with SpA and that the DISQ has potential as an outcome measure in clinical trials.

Comparative assessment of vascular function in autoimmune rheumatic diseases: considerations of prevention and treatment.

Numerous autoimmune-inflammatory rheumatic diseases have been associated with accelerated atherosclerosis or other types of vasculopathy leading to increased cardio- and cerebrovascular disease risk. Traditional risk factors, as well as the role of systemic inflammation including cytokines, chemokines, proteases, autoantibodies, adhesion receptors and others have been implicated in the development of these vascular pathologies. The characteristics of vasculopathies may significantly differ depending on the underlying disease. While classical accelerated atherosclerosis has been associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or spondyloarthropathies (SpA), obliterative vasculopathy may rather be characteristic for systemic sclerosis (SSc) or mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). Antiphospholipid antibodies have been implicated in vasculopathies underlying SLE, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), RA and MCTD. There is also heterogeneity with respect to inflammatory risk factors. Cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) or interleukin 6 (IL-6) and immune complexes are primarily involved in arthritides, such as RA, SpA, as well as in SLE. On the other hand, autoantibodies including anti-oxLDL anti-cardiolipin and anti-ß2GPI are rather involved in SLE- and APS-associated vasculopathies. Regarding the non-invasive assessment of vascular function, endothelial dysfunction, overt atherosclerosis and vascular stiffness may be indicated by brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), common carotid intima-media thickness (ccIMT) and aortic pulse-wave velocity (PWV), respectively. These abnormalities have been described in most inflammatory rheumatic diseases. While ccIMT and stiffness are relatively stable, FMD may be influenced by many confounding factors. In addition to traditional vasculoprotection, immunosuppressive agents including corticosteroids, traditional and biologic DMARDs may have significant vascular and metabolic effects. The official EULAR recommendations on the assessment and management of cardiovascular disease in arthritides have just been published, and similar recommendations in connective tissue diseases are to be developed soon.

Reliability of high-resolution ultrasonography in the assessment of Achilles tendon enthesopathy in seronegative spondyloarthropathies.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was mainly aimed at investigating the interobserver and intraobserver reproducibility of ultrasound (US) results in the assessment of Achilles tendon enthesopathy in patients with seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SpA). METHODS: A total of 28 patients with a diagnosis of SpA according to the European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group criteria were included. The patient female/male ratio was 1.8 (18/10), mean age was 42 (range 25-75) years and mean disease duration was 9 (range 1-35) years. Mean (SD) Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) scores were 32.4 (14.5) and 26.3 (9.2), respectively. Bilateral Achilles tendon US examinations were carried out independently by three investigators using a MyLab70 XVG (Esaote Biomedica, Genoa, Italy), equipped with a broadband 6-18 MHz linear probe. Each Achilles tendon was scanned for assessing the presence/absence of US findings indicative of enthesopathy according to the Outcome Measures in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials (OMERACT) preliminary definition. The same findings were also scored on a 3-grade semiquantitative scoring system on which investigators reached a consensus prior to the study. Total additive scores per Achilles tendon were calculated. RESULTS: Moderate to excellent interobserver and intraobserver agreements were found for most of the US findings indicative of enthesopathy. Similar results were obtained using semiquantitative assessments, with weighted kappa values estimating the interobserver and intraobserver agreements for soft tissue inflammation of 0.696 and 0.816, respectively and for tissue damage 0.711 and 0.901, respectively. CONCLUSION: US assessment of Achilles tendon enthesopathy in patients with SpA, using the OMERACT preliminary definition, was found to be reliable. Bone irregularity and entheseal hypoechogenicity were the most difficult abnormalities to reach agreement on.

How to define a Minimal Clinically Individual State (MCIS) with pain VAS in daily practice for patients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders.

OBJECTIVES: Pain is frequently the primary variable in symptomatic clinical trials for the evaluation of rheumatological disorders. The protocol of such trials mention a minimum level of pain as an entry criterion [e.g. a level above the Patient Acceptable Symptoms State (PASS)] and the changes in pain as the primary variable. Usually, the results are expressed at a group level as the mean changes in pain. However, the presentation at an individual level and, in particular, the percentage of patients with a Low Disease Activity State at the end of the study seems more clinically relevant. Pain is usually evaluated using a continuous variable such as a 0-100 visual analogue scale. The cut-offs permitting one to define both the entry criterion and the LDAS are not well established. The objective of this study was to evaluate such cut-offs using a patient-derived perspective. STUDY DESIGN: cross-sectional study. PATIENTS: consecutive out patients suffering from chronic rheumatic diseases familiar with the use of a VAS to evaluate their level of pain. DATA COLLECTED: two questions were asked the patients at the end of the visit: "Based on the experience you have because of your chronic rheumatic disorder, could you please specify the level of pain below which you consider your disease as inactive ? Moreover, could you please also specify the level of pain above which you consider taking a pain killer?" Before answering the second question, it was explained to the patient that their answer to the second question could be similar to their response to the first one. For the two questions, the cumulative percentage of patients (disease inactive and pain killer intake) were calculated for each level of pain. RESULTS: The underlying disease of the 137 evaluated patients (mean age: 57+/-16 and female sex: 76%) was rheumatoid arthritis (n = 59), ankylosing spondylitis (n = 19), SLE (n = 2), back pain (n = 20), or peripheral osteoarthritis (n = 37). The mean disease duration was 12+/-10 years. At the time of the study, the current level of pain evaluated on a 0-100 VAS was 33+/-22. The LDAS was 49, 36 and 25 for our patient population at the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles, respectively. The pain killer intake level was 32, 48, 64 at the 25th, 50th, 75th percentile respectively. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that LDAS and PASS may be distinct concepts. The methodological approach adopted here could be of interest for specifying the minimum level of symptoms at entry in a symptomatic trial (PASS) and also to present results in terms of the percentage of patients in good condition (LDAS) at the end of a trial.

Imaging of sacroiliitis in early seronegative spondylarthropathy. Assessment of abnormalities by MR in comparison with radiography and CT.

PURPOSE: To analyze the type and frequency of abnormalities of the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) in early seronegative spondylarthropathy (SpA) by MR in comparison with CT and radiography, assess the most appropriate MR sequences to be used, and introduce a new way of grading MR abnormalities of the SIJ. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The SIJs of 41 patients with early SpA (median duration of inflammatory low back pain of 19 months) were evaluated by MR imaging using STIR, T1, T2, and T1 fat saturated (FS) sequences before and after i.v. Gd contrast medium followed by staging of abnormalities. The findings were compared with those obtained by CT and radiography. RESULTS: MR and CT had equal efficacy superior to radiography in staging of erosions and osseous sclerosis. Only MR allowed visualization and grading of active inflammatory changes in the subchondral bone and surrounding ligaments in addition to bone marrow fatty accumulations. T2-weighted sequences did not contribute to assessment of sacroiliitis. CONCLUSION: MR of the SIJs is reliable in its visualization of joint erosions in early SpA and allows differentiation between active and chronic sacroiliitis. We recommend the following sequences: semicoronal T1 and both semicoronal and semiaxial STIR. If these images are normal, the examination can be finished; otherwise additional semicoronal T1 FS before and after i.v. contrast has to be performed as well as semiaxial post-contrast T1 FS.