Abatacept retention and clinical effectiveness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in a real-world setting in Taiwan.

AIM: To evaluate real-world abatacept retention and clinical outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Taiwan. METHODS: This prospective, observational study enrolled patients with rheumatoid arthritis aged ≥20 years who received abatacept in real-world practice. The primary endpoint was the abatacept retention rate at 24 months. Patients were categorized into subgroups based on abatacept treatment status and previous biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) therapy. Risk factors affecting abatacept retention were determined by regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 212 patients were enrolled. The overall abatacept retention rate at 24 months among all patients was 59.9% (95% confidence interval 53.0%-66.6%). Patients who were ongoing users of abatacept and bDMARD-naïve had the highest retention rate (76.3%); of these, 31.6% achieved low disease activity or remission after 2 years. Previous treatment with bDMARDs was associated with an increased risk of abatacept discontinuation (hazard ratio 1.99; p = .002). The most common reasons for abatacept discontinuation were drug switch (11.3%) and loss to follow-up (6.1%). Abatacept was well-tolerated with no new safety signals. CONCLUSION: The 24-month retention rate of abatacept was 59.9%; abatacept was associated with improved clinical outcomes and was well-tolerated in the real-world setting in Taiwan.

Decomposing and simplifying the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool-a module from the Taiwan-specific calculator.

The Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®) is a widely utilized country-specific calculator for identifying individuals with high fracture risk; its score is calculated from 12 variables, but its formulation is not publicly disclosed. We aimed to decompose and simplify the FRAX® by utilizing a nationwide community survey database as a reference module for creating a local assessment tool for osteoporotic fracture community screening in any country. Participants (n = 16384; predominantly women (75%); mean age = 64.8 years) were enrolled from the Taiwan OsteoPorosis Survey, a nationwide cross-sectional community survey collected from 2008 to 2011. We identified 11 clinical risk factors from the health questionnaires. BMD was assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in a mobile DXA vehicle, and 10-year fracture risk scores, including major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) and hip fracture (HF) risk scores, were calculated using the FRAX®. The mean femoral neck BMD was 0.7 ± 0.1 g/cm2, the T-score was -1.9 ± 1.2, the MOF was 8.9 ± 7.1%, and the HF was 3.2 ± 4.7%. Following FRAX® decomposition with multiple linear regression, the adjusted R2 values were 0.9206 for MOF and 0.9376 for HF when BMD was included and 0.9538 for MOF and 0.9554 for HF when BMD was excluded. The FRAX® demonstrated better prediction for women and younger individuals than for men and elderly individuals after sex and age stratification analysis. Excluding femoral neck BMD, age, sex, and previous fractures emerged as 3 primary clinical risk factors for simplified FRAX® according to the decision tree analysis in this study population. The adjusted R2 values for the simplified country-specific FRAX® incorporating 3 premier clinical risk factors were 0.8210 for MOF and 0.8528 for HF. After decomposition, the newly simplified module provides a straightforward formulation for estimating 10-year fracture risk, even without femoral neck BMD, making it suitable for community or clinical osteoporotic fracture risk screening.

Development and Comparison of Treatment Decision Tools for Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis.

Long-term Glucocorticoid (GC) use results in compromised bone strength and fractures, and several treatment recommendations have been developed to prevent fractures, but none have been validated in a real-world setting. This study aims to create a treatment decision tool and compares this tool to the treatment suggestions from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), International Osteoporosis Foundation and European Calcified Tissue Society (IOF-ECTS), and GC-adjusted Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (GC-FRAX), above the intervention threshold. We utilized registry data gathered at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, between September 2014 and April 2021. This research is a single-center, observational, and case-controlled study. We recruited participants using prednisone for at least 2.5 mg/day or the equivalent dose for over 3 months, excluding those younger than 40, those with malignancies, or those currently undergoing anti-osteoporosis therapy. The primary endpoint was new fragility fractures within 3 years, including morphometric vertebral fractures detected at baseline and with a follow-up thoracic-lumbar spine X-ray. Participants were randomly allocated into derivation and validation sets. We developed the Steroid-Associated Fracture Evaluation (SAFE) tool in the derivation cohort by assessing the weights of exploratory variables via logistic regression. Prediction performance was compared in the validation set by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the area under the curve (AUC), and sensitivity and specificity. A total of 424 treatment-naïve subjects were enrolled, and 83 (19.6%) experienced new fractures within 3 years. The final formula of the SAFE tool includes osteoporosis (1 point), an accumulated GC dose ≥ 750 mg within 6 months (or equivalent prednisolone of ≥4.5 mg/day for 6 months) (1 point), a BMI ≥ 23.5 (1 point), previous fractures (1 point), and elderliness of ≥70 years (2 points). In the validation set, a treatment decision based on the SAFE ≥ 2 points demonstrated an AUC of 0.65, with a sensitivity/specificity/accuracy of 75.9/54.0/58.9, with an ACR of 0.56 (100.0/11.0/31.0), IOF-ECTS 0.61 (75.9/46.0/52.7), and GC-FRAX 0.62 (82.8/42.0/51.2). Among current GIOP recommendations, the SAFE score serves as an appropriate treatment decision tool with increased accuracy and specificity.

Establish and validate the reliability of predictive models in bone mineral density by deep learning as examination tool for women.

While FRAX with BMD could be more precise in estimating the fracture risk, DL-based models were validated to slightly reduce the number of under- and over-treated patients when no BMD measurements were available. The validated models could be used to screen for patients at a high risk of fracture and osteoporosis. PURPOSE: Fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) is useful in classifying the fracture risk level, and precise prediction can be achieved by estimating both clinical risk factors and bone mineral density (BMD) using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). However, DXA is not frequently feasible because of its cost and accessibility. This study aimed to establish the reliability of deep learning (DL)-based alternative tools for screening patients at a high risk of fracture and osteoporosis. METHODS: Participants were enrolled from the National Bone Health Screening Project of Taiwan in this cross-sectional study. First, DL-based models were built to predict the lowest T-score value in either the lumbar spine, total hip, or femoral neck and their respective BMD values. The Bland-Altman analysis was used to compare the agreement between the models and DXA. Second, the predictive model to classify patients with a high fracture risk was built according to the estimated BMD from the first step and the FRAX score without BMD. The performance of the model was compared with the classification based on FRAX with BMD. RESULTS: Approximately 10,827 women (mean age, 65.4 ± 9.4 years) were enrolled. In the prediction of the lumbar spine BMD, total hip BMD, femoral neck BMD, and lowest T-score, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) was 0.099, 0.089, 0.076, and 0.68, respectively. The Bland-Altman analysis revealed a nonsignificant difference between the predictive models and DXA. The FRAX score with femoral neck BMD for major osteoporotic fracture risk was 9.7% ± 6.7%, whereas the risk for hip fracture was 3.3% ± 4.6%. Comparison between the classification of FRAX with and without BMD revealed the accuracy rate, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 78.8%, 64.6%, and 89.9%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), accuracy rate, PPV, and NPV of the classification model were 0.913 (95% confidence interval: 0.904-0.922), 83.5%, 71.2%, and 92.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: While FRAX with BMD could be more precise in estimating the fracture risk, DL-based models were validated to slightly reduce the number of under- and over-treated patients when no BMD measurements were available. The validated models could be used to screen for patients at a high risk of fracture and osteoporosis.

Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs associated with different diabetes risks in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are prone to developing diabetes, which may lead to various sequelae and even cardiovascular diseases, the most common cause of death in such patients. Previous research has shown that some rheumatoid arthritis treatments may help prevent the development of diabetes. This study aimed to investigate whether patients using disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) may have different levels of risk for diabetes and to analyse other risk factors for diabetes. METHODS: This cohort study used data from the Chang Gung Research Database. 5530 adults with rheumatoid arthritis but without diabetes were eligible for the analysis. The endpoint of this study was new-onset diabetes, defined as an HbA1c value ≥7% during follow-up. The entire follow-up period was divided into monthly subunits. These 1-month units were then divided into methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy, any biological DMARDs (bDMARDs), MTX combination, other conventional DMARDs (cDMARDs) and non-DMARDs. RESULTS: A total of 546 participants (9.87%) developed diabetes between 2001 and 2018. The risk of diabetes was significantly lower in the bDMARD periods (HR 0.51; 95% CI 0.32 to 0.83), MTX combination periods (HR 0.50; 95% CI 0.32 to 0.78) and other cDMARD periods (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.37 to 0.84) than in the MTX monotherapy periods. Individual drug analysis showed that hydroxychloroquine (HR 0.52; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.65) reduced the risk of diabetes. Tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitors (HR 0.69; 95% CI 0.46 to 1.03) tended to be protective. CONCLUSION: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may have different levels of risk of diabetes depending on the treatment options.

Factors associated with subclinical inflammation of wrist joints in rheumatoid arthritis patients with low or no disease activity- a RA ultrasound registry study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the factors to predict subclinical inflammation of wrist joints in patients with RA who are in clinical remission or low disease activity. METHODS: Gray scale and power Doppler ultrasound were performed on the dorsal radio-lunate of both wrists. The presence of synovitis, comorbidities, and use of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were recorded. A Multivariable forward logistical regression model was used to identify factors associated with subclinical inflammation. RESULTS: There were 1248 patients (1010 females, 238 males; mean age: 60.0 ± 10.5 years ). 57.4% of patients in complete remission and low disease activity had sonographic inflammation. Multivariable forward logistic regression analysis indicated that male sex, smoking are positively associated with inflammation and that age, alcohol consumption, and use of methotrexate, glucocorticoid, or a biological therapy are negatively associated with inflammation. Use of biological agents decreased the risk of inflammation by 40.9%. CONCLUSIONS: There was evidence of subclinical inflammation in most patients who were in low or no disease activity, those with biological therapy had lower risk of subclinical inflammation.

Refracture risk and all-cause mortality after vertebral fragility fractures: Anti-osteoporotic medications matter.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures may predict the future occurrence of fractures and increase mortality. Treating underlying osteoporosis may prevent second fractures. However, whether anti-osteoporotic treatment can reduce the mortality rate is not clear. The aim of this population study was to identify the degree of decreased mortality following the use of anti-osteoporotic medication after vertebral fractures. METHODS: We identified patients who had newly diagnosed osteoporosis and vertebral fractures from 2009 to 2019 using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). We used national death registration data to determine the overall mortality rate. RESULTS: There were 59,926 patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures included in this study. After excluding patients with short-term mortality, patients who had previously received anti-osteoporotic medications had a lower refracture rate as well as a lower mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR): 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.81-0.88). Patients receiving treatment for more than 3 years had a much lower mortality risk (HR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.50-0.57). Patients who used oral bisphosphonates (alendronate and risedronate, HR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.90-1.00), intravenous zoledronic acid (HR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.74-0.93), and subcutaneous denosumab injections (HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.65-0.77) had lower mortality rates than patients without further treatment after vertebral fractures. CONCLUSION: In addition to fracture prevention, anti-osteoporotic treatments for patients with vertebral fractures were associated with a reduction in mortality. A longer duration of treatment and the use of long-acting drugs was also associated with lower mortality.

Clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in Taiwan: 2022 update.

Osteoporosis greatly increases the risk of fractures. Osteoporotic fractures negatively impact quality of life, increase the burden of care, and increase mortality. Taiwan is an area with a high prevalence of osteoporosis. This updated summary of guidelines has been developed by experts of the Taiwan Osteoporosis Association with the intention of reducing the risks of osteoporotic fractures and improving the quality of care for patients with osteoporosis. The updated guidelines compile the latest evidence to provide clinicians and other healthcare professionals with practical recommendations for the prevention, diagnosis, and management of osteoporosis under clinical settings in Taiwan.

Health-related quality of life improvement by adalimumab therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Taiwan: A nationwide prospective study.

BACKGROUND: To determine the effects of adalimumab on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Taiwanese patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (NCT02616380). METHODS: During a 24-week observational period, 100 biologic-naive patients with RA received 40 mg adalimumab subcutaneously, every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was a change in Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) score at 24 weeks. The secondary endpoints included change in HAQ-DI at week 12, number and percentage of patients achieving a meaningful improvement in HAQ-DI at weeks 12 and 24, and changes in the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), EuroQol 5-dimension 3-level version (EQ-5D-3L) index, and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire scores at weeks 12 and 24. RESULTS: At weeks 12 and 24, mean changes in HAQ-DI from baseline were -0.34 ± 0.46 and -0.44 ± 0.59 (both p < 0.001), and clinically meaningful improvement in HAQ-DI was achieved by 60.4% and 59.6% of patients, respectively. SF-36, EQ-5D-3L index, and WPAI scores significantly improved ( p < 0.001) from baseline to weeks 12 and 24. Exploratory analyses showed diabetes was significantly associated with changes in HAQ-DI, EQ-5D-3L, and WPAI scores whereas peptic ulcer correlated with changes in the SF-36 physical component summary T-score. CONCLUSION: HRQoL improved after initiation of adalimumab therapy in Taiwanese patients with moderate-to-severe RA.

Danazol in Refractory Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia or Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Case Series Report and Literature Review.

Danazol is a treatment option for autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Three patients with AIHA and eight patients with ITP between 2008 and 2022 were enrolled in the Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung. Those patients were refractory or intolerant to conventional therapy and were treated with danazol. All the patients received an initial dose of danazol (200-400 mg). The observation period was 6 months. Three patients (100%) with AIHA and six (75%) with ITP achieved treatment response after 6 months of danazol therapy. The dose of glucocorticoid for responders could be reduced to ≤5 mg/day of prednisolone, and the immunosuppressants, except hydroxychloroquine and azathioprine for systemic lupus erythematosus, could be discontinued. Adverse events were acne in two (18.2%) patients and transient dose-related liver function impairment in one (9.1%) patient in the current series. Danazol therapy appears to be a favorable alternative for refractory AIHA and ITP by altering the erythrocyte membrane to resist osmotic lysis and protecting platelets against complement-mediated lysis. In this report, we also performed a literature review and searched the PubMed/Cochrane Library for articles published from 1984 to January 2022 on danazol therapy for patients with AIHA and ITP.

Hip BMD is associated with visceral fat change: a registry study of osteoporosis and sarcopenia.

Background: Osteoporosis increases the risk of fractures. Visceral fat is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is inadequate knowledge on the relationship between osteoporosis and visceral fat. The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and visceral fat mass in the elderly. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. Subjects were enrolled from the Rheumatology Clinic. All subjects underwent baseline bone mineral density and body composition measurements using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: A total of 321 patients including 288 females and 33 males were enrolled in this study. We followed up DEXA for 1 year for fat and muscle mass change and found that 162 (50.5%) had a decrease in fat mass, 129 (40.2%) had decreased visceral fat, and 138 (43%) had decreased muscle mass. Furthermore, we found that the baseline hip T score was correlated with visceral fat decrease. Using visceral fat decrease as the outcome, we found that hip T score could predict visceral fat loss: the higher the T score, the more visceral fat loss was found [p < 0.001, OR: 1.6, CI: (1.3-2.1)]. Conclusion: A high hip T score was associated with a future decrease in visceral fat, which may decrease the risk of atherosclerosis and CV risk. Therefore, evaluation of visceral fat may be useful for assessing CVD risk in patients with osteoporosis. Effective management of the risk of atherosclerosis and CVD is important in improving the life expectancy of these patients.

Establishing the Competency Development and Talent Cultivation Strategies for Physician-Patient Shared Decision-Making Competency Based on the IAA-NRM Approach.

Shared decision making (SDM) is a collaborative process involving patients and their healthcare workers negotiating to reach a shared decision about medical care. However, various physician stakeholders (attending physicians, medical residents, and doctors in post-graduate years) may have different viewpoints on SDM processes. The purpose of this study is to explore the core competence of physicians in performing SDM tasks and to investigate the significant competency development aspects/criteria by applying the literature research and expert interviews. We adopt the IAA (importance awareness analysis) technique for different stakeholders to evaluate the status of competency development aspects/criteria and to determine the NRM (network relation map) based on the DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) technique. The study combines the IAA and NRM methods and suggests using the IAA-NRM approach to evaluate the adoption strategies and common suitable paths for different levels of physicians. Our findings reveal that SDM perception and practice is the primary influencer of SDM competence development for all stakeholders. The current model can help hospital administrators and directors of medical education understand the diverse stakeholders' perspectives on the core competence of SDM tasks and determine common development plans. It provides strategic directions for SDM competency development and talent cultivation programs.

Determining the Development Strategy and Suited Adoption Paths for the Core Competence of Shared Decision-Making Tasks through the SAA-NRM Approach.

Shared decision making (SDM) is an interactive process that involves patients and their healthcare professionals reaching joint decisions about medical care through negotiation. As the initiators of medical decision-making in daily routine, physicians should be aware of and concerned about the SDM process. Thus, professional competency development for SDM has become increasingly critical for physicians' training. Therefore, this study investigates the professional competency and the important competency development aspects/criteria of SDM tasks through expert interviews and literature research. The study adopts the SAA (satisfaction-attention analysis) method to assess the status of competency development aspects/criteria and determine the NRM (network relation map) based on the DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) technique. The results demonstrate that the CE (concept and evaluation) aspect is the dominant aspect, and the CR (communication and relationship) aspect is the aspect being dominated. The CE aspect influences the aspects of SP (skill and practice), JM (joint information and decision making) and CR, and the SP aspect affects the aspects of JM and CR. Then, the JM aspect affects the CR aspect. The study also suggests suitable adoption paths of competency development for SDM tasks using the NRM approach. It provides recommendations and strategic directions for SDM competency development and sustainable training programs.

The Impact of Seropositivity on Systemic Bone Loss in Rheumatoid Arthritis-A 3-Year Interim Analysis of a Longitudinal Observational Cohort Study.

Objective: To explore the impact of seropositivity on systemic bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: We conducted an interim analysis of the RA registry. Patients were examined with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at baseline and again 3 years later. Participants were grouped into seropositive (SPRA) and seronegative (SNRA) based on the presence or absence of rheumatoid factor (RF) and/or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA). After matching (1:2) for age and sex, SNRA and SPRA patients were divided into groups A and B. Each matched group (A or B) was further subdivided according to the number of antibodies present (0, group I; 1, group II; 2, group III). Multiple ordinary least squares regression was used with the dependent variables to develop a model to predict bone mineral density (BMD) change. Results: A total of 477 participants who completed a 3-year observation period were included. After matching, 312 participants were enrolled (group A, 104; group B, 208). Three years later, group B had significant BMD reduction in the femoral neck (FN) (p < 0.001), total hip (TH) (p = 0.001), and first through fourth lumbar vertebrae (L1-4) (p = 0.006), while group A had bone loss only at FN (p = 0.002). Groups I, II, and III included 104, 52, and 156 participants, respectively. Compared to baseline, BMD decreased significantly at FN (p = 0.002) in group I, FN (p < 0.001) in group II, and FN (p < 0.001), TH (p = 0.002), and L1-4 (p = 0.016) in group III. In terms of regression-adjusted percent change in BMD, more significantly negative changes were found at all measured sites in group B (p < 0.001, all) and at TH and L1-4 within groups I-III (p for trend < 0.001 and < 0.001, respectively). Regardless of antibodies, anti-osteoporotic therapy can preserve bone density in RA patients. Conclusion: After 3 years, SPRA patients lost more bone density than SNRA patients. More attention should be paid to SPRA patients, especially those with double-positive antibodies, including a vigorous evaluation of BMD and fracture risk. Anti-osteoporotic therapy can prevent BMD loss irrespective of autoantibodies.

Establishment of a preliminary FRAX®-based intervention threshold for rheumatoid arthritis-associated fragility fracture: a 3-year longitudinal, observational, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To establish a FRAX®-based prediction model for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated fragility fracture. METHODS: This study is a longitudinal, real-world, registry cohort study. Patients with RA were registered to start in September 2014. The baseline demographics, bone mineral density (BMD), and risk factors of osteoporosis or fragility fracture were recorded. Subsequent fragility fractures during the 3-year observation period were also recorded. We developed a fixed intervention threshold (FITD) to identify fractures by choosing an optimal cut-off point on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and FRAX®. Several models for intervention thresholds (IT), including fixed intervention threshold (Taiwan) (FITT), age-specific individual intervention threshold (IIT), and hybrid intervention threshold (HIT), were compared to evaluate which IT model will have better discriminative power. RESULTS: As of December 2020, a total of 493 RA participants have completed the 3-year observation study. The mean age of the participants was 59.3 ± 8.7, and 116 (23.5%) new fragility fractures were observed during the study period. In terms of pairwise comparisons of area under the curve (n, 95% confidence interval) in the ROC curve, the FITD (0.669, 0.610-0.727, p < 0.001) with a value of 22% in major osteoporotic fracture and FITT (0.640, 0.582-0.699, p < 0.001) is significantly better than reference, but not for IIT (0.543, 0.485-0.601, p = 0.165) and HIT (0.543, 0.485-0.601, p = 0.165). CONCLUSION: An optimal FIT is established for intervention decisions in RA-associated fragility fractures. This model can offer an easy and simple guide to aid RA caregivers to provide interventions to prevent fragility fractures in patients with RA.

Consensus recommendations on managing the selected comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), osteoporosis (OP), and interstitial lung disease (ILD), are sub-optimally managed. RA-related comorbidities affect disease control and lead to impairment in quality of life. We aimed to develop consensus recommendations for managing RA-related comorbidities. METHODS: The consensus statements were formulated based on emerging evidence during a face-to-face meeting of Taiwan rheumatology experts and modified through three-round Delphi exercises. The quality of evidence and strength of recommendation of each statement were graded after a literature review, followed by voting for agreement. Through a review of English-language literature, we focused on the existing evidence of management of RA-related comorbidities. RESULTS: Based on experts' consensus, eleven recommendations were developed. CVD risk should be assessed in patients at RA diagnosis, once every 5 years, and at changes in DMARDs therapy. Considering the detrimental effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids on CVD risks, we recommend using the lowest possible dose of corticosteroids and prescribing NSAIDs cautiously. The OP/fragility fracture risk assessment includes dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and fracture risk assessment (FRAX) in RA. The FRAX-based approach with intervention threshold is a useful strategy for managing OP. RA-ILD assessment includes risk factors, pulmonary function tests, HRCT imaging and a multidisciplinary decision approach to determine RA-ILD severity. A treat-to-target strategy would limit RA-related comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: These consensus statements emphasize that adequate control of disease activity and the risk factors are needed for managing RA-related comorbidities, and may provide useful recommendations for rheumatologists on managing RA-related comorbidities.

Simple Self-Assessment Tool to Predict Osteoporosis in Taiwanese Men.

Background: Although the self-assessment tools for predicting osteoporosis are convenient for clinicians, they are not commonly used among men. We developed the Male Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Taiwan (MOSTAi) to identify the patients at risk of osteoporosis. Methods: All the participants completed a questionnaire on the clinical risk factors for the fracture risk assessment tool. The risk index was calculated by the multivariate regression model through the item reduction method. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze its sensitivity and specificity, and MOSTAi was developed and validated. Results: A total of 2,290 men participated in the bone mineral density (BMD) survey. We chose a model that considered two variables (age and weight). The area under the curve (AUC) of the model was 0.700. The formula for the MOSTAi index is as follows: 0.3 × (weight in kilograms) - 0.1 × (years). We chose 11 as the appropriate cut-off value for the MOSTAi index to identify the subjects at the risk of osteoporosis. Conclusions: The MOSTAi is a simple, intuitive, and country-specific tool that can predict the risk of osteoporosis in Taiwanese men. Due to different demographic characteristics, each region of the world can develop its own model to identify patients with osteoporosis more effectively.

Effects of Mean Artery Pressure and Blood pH on Survival Rate of Patients with Acute Kidney Injury Combined with Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure: A Retrospective Study.

Background and Objectives: In the intensive care unit (ICU), renal failure and respiratory failure are two of the most common organ failures in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). These clinical symptoms usually result from sepsis, trauma, hypermetabolism or shock. If this syndrome is caused by septic shock, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Bundle suggests that vasopressin be given to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP) > 65 mmHg if the patient is hypotensive after fluid resuscitation. Nevertheless, it is important to note that some studies found an effect of various mean arterial pressures on organ function; for example, a MAP of less than 75 mmHg was associated with the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). However, no published study has evaluated the risk factors of mortality in the subgroup of acute kidney injury with respiratory failure, and little is known of the impact of general risk factors that may increase the mortality rate. Materials and Methods: The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors that might directly affect survival in critically ill patients with multiple organ failure in this subgroup. We retrospectively constructed a cohort study of patients who were admitted to the ICUs, including medical, surgical, and neurological, over 24 months (2015.1 to 2016.12) at Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. We only considered patients who met the criteria of acute renal injury according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) and were undergoing mechanical ventilator support due to acute respiratory failure at admission. Results: Data showed that the overall ICU and hospital mortality rate was 63.5%. The most common cause of ICU admission in this cohort study was cardiovascular disease (31.7%) followed by respiratory disease (28.6%). Most patients (73%) suffered sepsis during their ICU admission and the mean length of hospital stay was 24.32 ± 25.73 days. In general, the factors independently associated with in-hospital mortality were lactate > 51.8 mg/dL, MAP ≤ 77.16 mmHg, and pH ≤ 7.22. The risk of in-patient mortality was analyzed using a multivariable Cox regression survival model. Adjusting for other covariates, MAP ≤ 77.16 mmHg was associated with higher probability of in-hospital death [OR = 3.06 (1.374-6.853), p = 0.006]. The other independent outcome predictor of mortality was pH ≤ 7.22 [OR = 2.40 (1.122-5.147), p = 0.024]. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were calculated and the log rank statistic was highly significant. Conclusions: Acute kidney injury combined with respiratory failure is associated with high mortality. High mean arterial pressure and normal blood pH might improve these outcomes. Therefore, the acid-base status and MAP should be considered when attempting to predict outcome. Moreover, the blood pressure targets for acute kidney injury in critical care should not be similar to those recommended for the general population and might prevent mortality.

Risk factor analysis of fragility fractures in rheumatoid arthritis: A 3-year longitudinal, real-world, observational, cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the risk factors for fragility fractures in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients using a 3-year longitudinal, observational cohort study. METHODS: This RA registry study included consecutive RA patients in the outpatient clinic of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital since September 1, 2014. The demographics, clinical characteristics, lifestyle, evidence of previous fracture, risk factors according to the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®), and the FRAX score of each participant were recorded. The participants were categorized into the new incident fracture (group A) and no incident fracture (group B) groups based on evidence or absence of new incident fractures and propensity score matching (age and gender, 1:2). RESULTS: Overall, 477 participants completed the 3-year observation period. After matching, 103 and 206 participants were allocated to groups A and B, respectively. The non-adjusted model revealed, presented as hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval [CI]), that the presence of co-morbidity (1.80 [1.17-2.78], p = 0.008), Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (1.35 [1.07-1.69], p = 0.010), lower baseline hip bone mineral density (0.11 [0.02-0.48], p = 0.004), longer disease duration (1.02 [1.00-1.04], p = 0.026), higher FRAX score of major fracture (1.03 [1.02-1.04], p<0.001) or hip fracture (1.03 [1.02-1.04], p<0.001), and previous fracture history (2.65 [1.79-3.94], p<0.001) were associated with new incident fracture. After adjustment, it was disclosed that a previous fracture is an independent risk factor for fragility fractures in RA patients (2.17 [1.20-3.90], p = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: In addition to aging and disease-related factors, previous fracture history is the most important risk factor for fragility fractures in RA patients.