Brazilian recommendations for the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in patients with axial spondyloarthritis

Abstract Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of chronic inflammatory systemic diseases characterized by axial and/or peripheral joints inflammation, as well as extra-articular manifestations. Over some decades, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been the basis for the pharmacological treatment of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). However, the emergence of the immunobiologic agents brought up the discussion about the role of NSAIDs in the management of these patients. The objective of this guideline is to provide recommendations for the use of NSAIDs for the treatment of axSpA. A panel of experts from the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials for 15 predefined questions. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology to assess the quality of evidence and formulate recommendations were used, and at least 70% agreement of the voting panel was needed. Fourteen recommendations for the use of NSAIDs in the treatment of patients with axSpA were elaborated. The purpose of these recommendations is to support clinicians' decision making, without taking out his/her autonomy when prescribing for an individual patient.(AU)

The Brazilian Society of Rheumatology guidelines for axial spondyloarthritis - 2019

Abstract Spondyloarthritis is a group of chronic inflammatory systemic diseases characterized by axial and/or peripheral joints inflammation, as well as extra-articular manifestations. The classification axial spondyloarthritis is adopted when the spine and/or the sacroiliac joints are predominantly involved. This version of recommendations replaces the previous guidelines published in May 2013. A systematic literature review was performed, and two hundred thirty-seven studies were selected and used to formulate 29 recommendations answering 15 clinical questions, which were divided into four sections: diagnosis, non-pharmacological therapy, conventional drug therapy and biological therapy. For each recommendation the level of evidence supporting (highest available), the strength grade according to Oxford, and the degree of expert agreement (inter-rater reliability) is informed. These guidelines bring evidence-based information on clinical management of axial SpA patients, including, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

Avaliação da fadiga em pacientes com artrite reumatoide e sua relação com qualidade de vida, capacidade funcional, sintomas de ansiedade e depressão e atividade de doença / Fatigue evaluation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and its relationship with quality of life, functional capacity, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and disease activity

Fadiga é um sintoma subjetivo de difícil definição. Extremamente comum em pacientes com Artrite Reumatoide. O objetivo deste estudo é estudar a fadiga numa amostra de pacientes brasileiros de dois hospitais de grande porte na cidade do Rio de Janeiro e analisar sua correlação com outras variáveis freqüentes da doença como a Qualidade de Vida, Capacidade Funcional, Ansiedade, Depressão e atividade inflamatória da doença.Um protocolo padrão foi prospectivamente aplicado a 371 pacientes como diagnóstico de AR de acordo com os critérios de classificação do American College of Rheumatology de 1987. Achados clínicos, demograficos e laboratoriais foram coletados.Os dados laboratoriais incluíram a velocidade de sedimentação das hemácias e dosagem da proteína C reativa. O número de juntas dolorosas foi obtido atraves do terceiro item do questionário de atividade inflamatória da doença DAS 28. Idade, gênero, índice de massa corporal, tempo de doença, qualidade de vida avaliada pelos domínios físico e mental do questionário Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36P e SF-36M), a capacidade funcional avaliada pelo Health Assessment Questionaire - Disability Index (HAQ DI). A ansiedade e a depressão foi mensurada pelo Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD a/d). A fadiga foi avaliada pela utilização da subscalaprópria para mensuração das queixas de fadiga do questionário Fatigue Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (Facit FS). Foi aplicado o intervalo de confiança de 95% como medida de precisão. O valor médio de fadiga mensurado pelo Facit FS foi 39.88 ± 8.64. O escore da fadiga correlacionou-se com capacidade funcional mensurada pelo HAQ DI (-0.507; p < 0.0000), a ansiedade e depressão mensurada pelo HAD a/d (-0.542 e -0.545; p < 0.0000 respectivamente) e com a qualidade de vida mensuradapor ambos domínios do SF-36, porém predominantemente com o seu domínio físico (SF-36P: 0.584; p < 0.0000 e 0.405; p < 0,05 respectivamente...

Fatigue is a highly subjective symptom that is, difficult to characterize and define. Fatigue is extremely common among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The aim of this study was to assess fatigue in a cohort of Brazilian patients with RA and to analyze the relationship between fatigue and disease-specific variables. A common protocol of investigation was prospectively applied to 371 Brazilian patients diagnosed with RA according to the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) RA classification criteria. Clinical, demographic and laboratorial data were obtained. The laboratory data included the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). The number of painful joints was evaluated using the third item of the Disease Activity Index 28 (DAS 28). Age, gender, bone mass index (BMI), disease duration, quality of life (QoL) assessed by the physical and mental domains of the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36P and SF-36M) and the functional capacity (FC) assessed by the Health Assessment Questionnaire - Disability Index (HAQ DI) were recorded. Anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD a/d). Fatigue was evaluated using the subscale of Fatigue Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy who only scores fatigue complaints (FACIT-Fatigue). A confidence interval of 95% were applied as a measure of precision. The mean FACIT-Fatigue score was 39.88 ± 8.64. The fatigue scores were correlated with FC as measured by the HAQ DI (-0.507; p < 0.0000), anxiety and depression as measured by the HAD a/d (-0.542 and -0.545; p < 0.0000 respectively) and with QoL as measured by the both domains of SF-36 correlated predominantly with physical domain (SF-36P: 0.584; p < 0.0000 and 0.405; p < 0,05 respectively)...

Uso de infliximabe na policondrite recidivante / Infliximab in relapsing polychondritis

Policondrite Recidivante (PR) é uma doença sistêmica rara de etiologia desconhecida, que se caracteriza por inflamação recorrente da cartilagem e de outros tecidos conjuntivos, incluindo orelhas, nariz, articulações e trato respiratório. Devido à riqueza de sinais e sintomas, a biópsia local raramente é necessária para o estabelecimento do diagnóstico. O tratamento inclui glicocorticoides, eventualmente associado a agentes imunossupressores, mas, mesmo assim, casos refratários são descritos. Relatos recentes sugerem que agentes anti-TNF como infliximabe podem ser de valia em pacientes que não respondem ao tratamento convencional, mas a experiência ainda é limitada. Neste trabalho, os autores discutem o caso de uma paciente com PR que se mostrará refratária à combinação de corticoide e imunossupressores que apresentou boa resposta ao infliximabe.

Relapsing Polychondritis (RP) is a rare systemic disease of unknown etiology, characterized by recurrent inflammation of cartilaginous structures and other connective tissues, including the ears, nose, joints, respiratory tract, and others. Due to the presence of typical signs and symptoms, biopsy is seldom necessary. Treatment includes corticosteroids, occasionally associated with immunosuppressive agents, but refractory cases are described. Recent reports suggest that anti-TNF agents, such as infliximab, may be of value in patients who do not respond to conventional therapy, but experience with this treatment is scarce. In this paper, the authors report the case of a patient with RP refractory to combined treatment with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents, who showed a good response to infliximab.