Long-Term Outcomes of Patients With HCV-Associated Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis After Virologic Cure.

Patients with hepatitis C virus-associated cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (HCV-CV) have high rates of clinical remission after treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), but circulating cryoglobulins persist, and vascular disorders reappear in some patients shortly after DAA treatment ends. We performed a prospective study to assess the long-term clinical and immune system effects of HCV eradication with DAAs in 46 patients with HCV-CV and 42 asymptomatic patients with circulating cryoglobulins. A median of 24 months after DAA treatment (range, 17-41 months), 66% of patients with HCV-CV and 70% of asymptomatic patients with circulating cryoglobulins had an immunologic response, with comparable reductions in cryocrit from 2.6% to 0% (P < .05). However, 20% of patients still had positive test results for cryoglobulins after DAA therapy. Among patients with HCV-CV, 42 (91%) had a clinical response, in that their Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (version 3) decreased from 7 to 0 (P < .01). Nevertheless, within 2 years after a sustained viral response to DAA therapy, 5 patients with HCV-CV (11%, 4 with cirrhosis) had relapses of vasculitis that included severe organ damage and death.

Development of the ClinESSDAI: a clinical score without biological domain. A tool for biological studies.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate ClinESSDAI (Clinical European League Against Rheumatism Sjögren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index), ie, ESSDAI without the biological domain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The 702 fictive vignettes derived from 96 real cases of primary Sjögren's syndrome of the ESSDAI development study were used. As for ESSDAI development, the physician assessment of disease activity (0-10 scale) was used as the 'gold standard' in a multivariate model for weighting domains, after removing the biological domain. The reliability, assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between ClinESSDAI and ESSDAI, explored if ClinESSDAI was equivalent to ESSDAI. Its psychometric (ie, measurement) properties were compared with that of ESSDAI in an independent cohort. Also, its use was evaluated on data of two clinical trials. RESULTS: In multivariate modelling, all 11 domains remained significantly associated with disease activity, with slight modifications of some domain weights. Reliability between clinESSDAI and ESSDAI was excellent (ICC=0.98 and 0.99). Psychometric properties of clinESSDAI, disease activity levels and minimal clinically important improvement thresholds and its ability to detect change over time in clinical trials were very close to that of ESSDAI. CONCLUSIONS: ClinESSDAI appears valid and very close to the original ESSDAI. This score provides an accurate evaluation of disease activity independent of B-cell biomarkers. It could be used in various circumstances: (i) in biological/clinical studies to avoid data collinearity, (ii) in clinical trials, as secondary endpoint, to detect change independent of biological effect of the drug, (iii) in clinical practice to assess disease activity for visits where immunological tests have not been done.

Defining disease activity states and clinically meaningful improvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome with EULAR primary Sjögren's syndrome disease activity (ESSDAI) and patient-reported indexes (ESSPRI).

OBJECTIVES: To define disease activity levels, minimal clinically important improvement (MCII) and patient-acceptable symptom state (PASS) with the primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) disease activity indexes: European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) SS disease activity index (ESSDAI) and EULAR SS patient-reported index (ESSPRI). METHODS: For 790 patients from two large prospective cohorts, ESSDAI, physician evaluation of disease activity, ESSPRI and patients' satisfaction with their current health status were recorded. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses and anchoring methods were used to estimate disease activity levels of ESSDAI and the PASS of ESSPRI. At follow-up visit, patients and physicians assessed, respectively, whether symptoms and disease activity have improved or not. An anchoring method based on this evaluation was used to estimate MCII of ESSDAI and ESSPRI. RESULTS: Low-activity (ESSDAI<5), moderate-activity (5≤ESSDAI≤13) and high-activity (ESSDAI≥14) levels were defined. MCII of ESSDAI was defined as an improvement of at least three points. The PASS estimate was defined as an ESSPRI<5 points and MCII as a decrease of at least one point or 15%. CONCLUSIONS: This study determined disease activity levels, PASS and MCII of ESSDAI and ESSPRI. These results will help designing future clinical trials in SS. For evaluating systemic complications, the proposal is to include patients with moderate activity (ESSDAI≥5) and define response to treatment as an improvement of ESSDAI at least three points. For addressing patient-reported outcomes, inclusion of patients with unsatisfactory symptom state (ESSPRI≥5) and defining response as an improvement of ESSPRI at least one point or 15% seems reasonable.

Validation of EULAR primary Sjögren's syndrome disease activity (ESSDAI) and patient indexes (ESSPRI).

OBJECTIVES: To validate the two recently developed disease activity indexes for assessment of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS): the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) SS Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI) and the EULAR SS Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI). METHODS: A prospective international 6-month duration validation study was conducted in 15 countries. At each visit, physicians completed ESSDAI, SS disease activity index (SSDAI), Sjögren's Systemic Clinical Activity Index (SCAI) and physician global assessment (PhGA); and patients completed ESSPRI, Sicca Symptoms Inventory (SSI), Profile of Fatigue and Discomfort (PROFAD) and patient global assessment (PGA). Psychometric properties (construct validity, responsiveness and reliability) were evaluated and compared between scores. RESULTS: Of the 395 patients included, 145 (37%) and 251 (64%) had currently active or current or past systemic manifestations, respectively. EULAR scores had higher correlation with the gold standard than other scores (ESSDAI with PhGA: r=0.59; ESSRPI with PGA: r=0.70). Correlations between patient and systemic scores were very low (ranging from 0.07 to 0.29). All systemic scores had similar large responsiveness in improved patients. Responsiveness of patient scores was low but was significantly higher for ESSPRI compared with SSI and PROFAD. Reliability was very good for all scores. CONCLUSIONS: ESSDAI and ESSPRI had good construct validity. All scores were reliable. Systemic scores had a large sensitivity to change in patients whose disease activity improves. Patient scores had a small sensitivity to change, however, significantly better for ESSPRI. Systemic and patient scores poorly correlated, suggesting that they are 2 complementary components that should be both evaluated, but separately.

Outcome measures for primary Sjögren's syndrome: a comprehensive review.

Lymphocytic infiltration of different exocrine and non-exocrine epithelia is the pathological hallmark of primary Sjögren's syndrome, whereas involvement of salivary and lachrymal glands with the clinical counterpart of dry eye and dry mouth are the predominant features of the disease, together with fatigue and musculoskeletal pain. In addition, systemic manifestations, like arthritis, skin vasculitis, peripheral neuropathy, glomerulonephritis, may also be present in a consistent number of patients. As result, clinical features in SS can be divided into two facets: the benign subjective but disabling manifestations such as dryness, pain and fatigue, and the systemic manifestations. In the past decades, great efforts have been made to develop valid tools for the assessment of these both facets. Disease specific questionnaires such as Profile of Fatigue and Discomfort (PROFAD) and Sicca Symptom Inventory (SSI) have been proposed for evaluation of patients' symptoms, whereas different composite indexes have been suggested for the assessment of systemic disease activity. After that, an international project supported by EULAR, emerged to develop consensus disease activity indexes: the EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Patients Reported Index (ESSPRI), and the EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI), a systemic activity index to assess systemic manifestations. Both EULAR indexes have been developed in an international collaboration to be consensual. Both indices have now been validated in a large independent international cohort. They both have been shown to be feasible, valid and reliable instruments. Also, we have found that these two scores did not correlate, suggesting that these two indexes assess two different disease components that poorly overlap, but were complementary. The sensitivity to change of both scores has been assessed, they are both able to detect change, however, ESSDAI score, like other systemic score, is more sensitive to change than ESSPRI and other patient scores. Current work is ongoing to define disease activity levels and clinically important changes for defining significant clinical improvement with the systemic score ESSDAI, and ESSPRI. We hope that this increased knowledge on the way to assess patients with primary SS, along with the emergence of new targeted therapy, will put a great input in the improvement of conduction of clinical trials in pSS.

Pulmonary rehabilitation in sarcoidosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Exercise intolerance, muscle weakness, dyspnoea, and fatigue are frequent complications in symptomatic sarcoidosis patients. Pulmonary rehabilitation improves exercise capacity, symptoms, and quality of life in patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Our objective was to systematically determine the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with sarcoidosis. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted in seven databases. Studies that applied pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with sarcoidosis were reviewed. Two independent reviewers analysed the studies, extracted the data and assessed the quality of evidence. RESULTS: Of the 406 reports returned by the initial search, five articles reporting on 184 patients were included in the data synthesis. Two studies included multi-component exercise, one inspiratory muscle training, one a physical activity incentivisation programme, and one a telerehabilitation program. In the intervention group (IG), we found significant improvement in exercise capacity (SMD 1.65, 95%CI 0.45, 2.86 points, p = 0.006). If we only analyse the studies that performed the 6-min walking test, the IG walked 40.3 (CI95% 20.3, 60.2) m higher than the control group (CG) (p < 0.001). Additionally, dyspnoea score was reduced (MD -0.42 95%CI -0.75, -0.10, p = 0.002). However, fatigue, quality of life and pulmonary function did not show any change. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary rehabilitation could improve exercise capacity and dyspnoea perception in patients with sarcoidosis.

Outcome measures for primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Lymphocytic infiltration of different exocrine and non-exocrine epithelia is the pathological hallmark of primary Sjögren's syndrome, whereas involvement of salivary and lachrymal glands with the clinical counterpart of dry eye and dry mouth are the predominant features of the disease, together with fatigue and musculoskeletal pain. In addition, systemic manifestations, like arthritis, skin vasculitis, peripheral neuropathy, glomerulonephritis, may also be present in a consistent number of patients. As result, clinical features in SS can be divided into two facets: the benign subjective but disabling manifestations such as dryness, pain and fatigue, and the systemic manifestations. In the past decades, a core set of domains, which included sicca symptoms, objective measurements of tear and saliva production, fatigue, quality of life, disease activity and damage was indicated as essential for outcome assessment in this disorder. Afterwards, great efforts have been made to develop valid tools for the assessment of different domains. Specific questionnaires such as the Profile of Fatigue and Discomfort (PROFAD) and Sicca Symptoms Inventory (SSI) have been proposed as dedicated tools for the evaluation of patients symptoms, whereas different composite indexes have been suggested for the assessment of disease activity and damage. Some of these preliminary studies served as bases of an international project supported by EULAR, aimed at developing two consensus disease activity indexes: the EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Patients Reported Index (ESSPRI), and the EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI), a systemic activity index to assess systemic manifestations. A detailed and critical review of all these indexes is provided in this article. Both EULAR indexes showed, in recent studies, to be feasible, valid, and reliable instruments. After their final validation, which is currently in process, they could be used as consensus outcome criteria in therapeutic trials and in clinical practice.

EULAR Sjogren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI): development of a consensus patient index for primary Sjogren's syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a score for assessment of patients' symptoms in primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS): the EULAR SS Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI). METHODS: Dryness, pain, somatic and mental fatigue were identified as the main symptoms of patients with primary SS, in studies developing the Profile of Fatigue and Discomfort (PROFAD) and Sicca Symptoms Inventory (SSI). It was suspected that a single 0-10 numerical scale for each domain was sufficient to assess these symptoms. These four scales were gathered to form the ESSPRI. 230 patients, from 12 countries completed the ESSPRI, SSI and PROFAD questionnaires and a 0-10 patient global assessment (PGA). Correlations between each symptom and PGA were obtained. Multiple regression modelling, using PGA as 'gold standard' was used to select domains and estimate their weights. RESULTS: PGA had good correlation with dryness, limb pain, fatigue and mental fatigue (r=0.49-0.59, all p<0.0001), but correlated less well with individual dryness features. In multivariate analysis, dryness, limb pain and fatigue, but not mental fatigue, were significantly associated with PGA; weights derived from the regression were identical for these three domains. Thus, ESSPRI was redefined as the mean of the three scales: dryness, limb pain and fatigue. Lastly, ESSPRI significantly correlated with PGA (r=0.70), PROFAD (r=0.73) and SSI (r=0.66). CONCLUSION: ESSPRI is a very simple index designed to measure patients' symptoms in primary SS. It has good construct validity and is well correlated with SSI and PROFAD. ESSPRI should now be validated for use as an outcome measure in clinical trials.

EULAR Sjögren's syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI): a user guide.

The EULAR Sjögren's syndrome (SS) disease activity index (ESSDAI) is a systemic disease activity index that was designed to measure disease activity in patients with primary SS. With the growing use of the ESSDAI, some domains appear to be more challenging to rate than others. The ESSDAI is now in use as a gold standard to measure disease activity in clinical studies, and as an outcome measure, even a primary outcome measure, in current randomised clinical trials. Therefore, ensuring an accurate and reproducible rating of each domain, by providing a more detailed definition of each domain, has emerged as an urgent need. The purpose of the present article is to provide a user guide for the ESSDAI. This guide provides definitions and precisions on the rating of each domain. It also includes some minor improvement of the score to integrate advance in knowledge of disease manifestations. This user guide may help clinicians to use the ESSDAI, and increase the reliability of rating and consequently of the ability to detect true changes over time. This better appraisal of ESSDAI items, along with the recent definition of disease activity levels and minimal clinically important change, will improve the assessment of patients with primary SS and facilitate the demonstration of effectiveness of treatment for patients with primary SS.

[Biologic therapy in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy]. / Terapia biológica en pacientes con miopatía inflamatoria idiopática.

The aim of this article is to study the evidence-based knowledge related to the use of biological therapies in patients diagnosed with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (dermatomyositis, polymyositis and inclusion body myositis). In this review the leading published studies related to the use of biological therapy in patients with myositis are analysed; mainly those with high methodological standards, that means randomized and controlled studies. Methodological drawbacks due to the rarity and heterogeneity of these complex diseases are also addressed. Up to now is not possible to ascertain the biologics as a recommended therapy in patients with myositis, at least based in the current evidence-based knowledge, although it can not be neglected as a therapeutic option in some clinical situations, taking into account the scarce of effective treatments in those patients, especially in refractory myositis. Future studies probably will help to better define the role of biological therapies in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy.