[Interdisciplinary centers for autoimmune diseases in Germany]. / Interdisziplinäre Zentren für Autoimmunerkrankungen in Deutschland.

BACKGROUND: Interdisciplinary medical treatment is required to care for patients with complex autoimmune diseases. Although there are an increasing number of interdisciplinary centers for autoimmune diseases in Germany, they are not yet available throughout the country and the focuses and interdisciplinary structures are not organized according to a generally agreed standard. Furthermore, they are not regularly reflected in the general care structure. THE AIM OF THE WORK: To analyze the care structure using as an example an established center and a clinical case to demonstrate the usefulness of in-house standardized procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In order to determine the status quo regarding interdisciplinary centers for autoimmune diseases in Germany, a university hospital is exemplarily presented for a structural analysis and a case presentation from another center to demonstrate the importance of an interdisciplinary patient care. RESULTS: At the selected center for autoimmune diseases of the university hospital, patients with autoimmune diseases receive interdisciplinary care from experts from various disciplines. The structures are anchored in an organizational chart. The case report demonstrates a standardized diagnostic and therapeutic pathway (standardized operating procedures, SOP) in a patient with systemic sclerosis and lung involvement. DISCUSSION: The article discusses which measures are necessary across disciplines for comprehensive diagnostics and treatment of certain autoimmune diseases, which challenges arise during implementation and which advantages can arise compared to guidelines because, among other things, they can be immediately adapted. The establishment of a national consensus for the structure, necessary settings and implementation into patient care within an interdisciplinary center for autoimmune diseases is desirable.

Anti-acid therapy in SSc-associated interstitial lung disease: long-term outcomes from the German Network for Systemic Sclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs frequently in patients with SSc. We investigated whether the presence of GERD and/or the use of anti-acid therapy, specifically proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), are associated with long-term outcomes, especially in SSc-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD). METHODS: We retrospectively analysed patients with SSc and SSc-ILD from the German Network for Systemic Sclerosis (DNSS) database (2003 onwards). Kaplan-Meier analysis compared overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with GERD vs without GERD (SSc and SSc-ILD), and PPI vs no PPI use (SSc-ILD only). Progression was defined as a decrease in either percentage predicted forced vital capacity of ≥10% or single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide of ≥15%, or death. RESULTS: It was found that 2693/4306 (63%) registered patients with SSc and 1204/1931 (62%) with SSc-ILD had GERD. GERD was not associated with decreased OS or decreased PFS in patients in either cohort. In SSc-ILD, PPI use was associated with improved OS vs no PPI use after 1 year [98.4% (95% CI: 97.6, 99.3); n = 760 vs 90.8% (87.9-93.8); n = 290] and after 5 years [91.4% (89.2-93.8); n = 357 vs 70.9% (65.2-77.1); n = 106; P < 0.0001]. PPI use was also associated with improved PFS vs no PPI use after 1 year [95.9% (94.6-97.3); n = 745 vs 86.4% (82.9-90.1); n = 278] and after 5 years [66.8% (63.0-70.8); n = 286 vs 45.9% (39.6-53.2); n = 69; P < 0.0001]. CONCLUSION: GERD had no effect on survival in SSc or SSc-ILD. PPIs improved survival in patients with SSc-ILD. Controlled, prospective trials are needed to confirm this finding.

Older age onset of systemic sclerosis - accelerated disease progression in all disease subsets.

OBJECTIVES: Systemic sclerosis is a heterogeneous, multisystem disease. It can occur at any age, but most patients develop the disease between the age of 40 to 50 years. There is controversial evidence on whether/how the age at disease onset affects their clinical phenotype. We here investigate the relationship between age at disease onset and symptoms in a large cohort of SSc patients (lcSSc, dcSSc and SSc-overlap syndromes). METHODS: Clinical data of the registry of the German Network for Systemic Scleroderma including 3281 patients were evaluated and subdivided into three age groups at disease onset (<40 years, 40-60 years, >60 years). RESULTS: Among all SSc patients, 24.5% developed their first non-Raynaud phenomenon symptoms at the age <40 years, and 22.5% were older than 60 years of age. In particular, older patients at onset developed the lcSSc subset significantly more often. Furthermore, they had pulmonary hypertension more often, but digital ulcerations less often. Remarkably, the course of the disease was more rapidly progressing in the older cohort (>60 years), except for gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal involvement. No significant difference was found for the use of corticosteroids. However, significantly, fewer patients older than 60 years received immunosuppressive treatment. CONCLUSION: In this large registry, ∼25% of patients developed SSc at an age above 60 years with an increased frequency of lcSSc. In this age group, an onset of internal organ involvement was significantly accelerated across all three subsets. These findings suggest that, in the elderly cohort, more frequent follow-up examinations are required for an earlier detection of organ complications.

Disease progression in systemic sclerosis-overlap syndrome is significantly different from limited and diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Systemic sclerosis (SSc)-overlap syndromes are a very heterogeneous and remarkable subgroup of SSc-patients, who present at least two connective tissue diseases (CTD) at the same time, usually with a specific autoantibody status. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether patients, classified as overlap syndromes, show a disease course different from patients with limited SSc (lcSSc) or diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc). METHODS: The data of 3240 prospectively included patients, registered in the database of the German Network for Systemic Scleroderma and followed between 2003 and 2013, were analysed. RESULTS: Among 3240 registered patients, 10% were diagnosed as SSc-overlap syndrome. Of these, 82.5% were female. SSc-overlap patients had a mean age of 48±1.2 years and carried significantly more often 'other antibodies' (68.0%; p<0.0001), including anti-U1RNP, -PmScl, -Ro, -La, as well as anti-Jo-1 and -Ku antibodies. These patients developed musculoskeletal involvement earlier and more frequently (62.5%) than patients diagnosed as lcSSc (32.2%) or dcSSc (43.3%) (p<0.0001). The onset of lung fibrosis and heart involvement in SSc-overlap patients was significantly earlier than in patients with lcSSc and occurred later than in patients with dcSSc. Oesophagus, kidney and PH progression was similar to lcSSc patients, whereas dcSSc patients had a significantly earlier onset. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the concept that SSc-overlap syndromes should be regarded as a separate SSc subset, distinct from lcSSc and dcSSc, due to a different progression of the disease, different proportional distribution of specific autoantibodies, and of different organ involvement.

Impact of Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease With and Without Pulmonary Hypertension on Survival: A Large Cohort Study of the German Network for Systemic Sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary involvement is the leading cause of death in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and may manifest as interstitial lung disease (ILD), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), or in combination of both (ILD with pulmonary hypertension [ILD-PH]). The aim of this analysis was to determine prevalence, clinical characteristics, and survival of these different forms within the registry of the German Network for Systemic Sclerosis. RESEARCH QUESTION: Does SSc-associated ILD-PH or ILD without PH affect survival differently, and are there any risk factors that have an additional impact? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Clinical data of 5,831 patients with SSc were collected in the German Network for Systemic Sclerosis registry. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to compare overall survival in patients with SSc-associated ILD-PH and ILD without PH with patients without pulmonary involvement and those with PAH. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the influence of pulmonary involvement and other potential predictors on patient survival. RESULTS: Clinical data of 3,257 patients with a mean follow-up time of 3.45 ± 1.63 years have been included in our analysis. At baseline, ILD was present in 34.5%, whereas PH without ILD had a lower prevalence with 4.5%. At the end of follow-up, 47.6% of patients with SSc had ILD, 15.2% had ILD-PH, and 6.5% had PAH. ILD was more frequent in the diffuse cutaneous form (57.3%), whereas PAH did not differ significantly between SSc subtypes. Significant differences in baseline characteristics between PAH vs ILD-PH vs ILD without PH were found for age at diagnosis, sex, SSc subsets, antibody status, FVC, diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, and therapy. Overall survival at 5 years was 96.4% for patients without pulmonary involvement and differed significantly between patients with ILD without PH, PAH, and being worst in patients with ILD-PH. Female sex (hazard ratio [HR], 0.3), higher BMI (HR, 0.9), and higher diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide values (HR, 0.98) were associated with a lower mortality risk. INTERPRETATION: ILD is the most prevalent pulmonary involvement in SSc, whereas the combination of ILD and PH is associated with the most detrimental survival.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation improves long-term survival-data from a national registry.

BACKGROUND: Current recommendations on the management of systemic sclerosis (SSc) suggest that autologous hematopoietic stem cell therapy (HSCT) can be a rescue therapy for patients with rapidly progressive SSc. OBJECTIVES: To assess the safety and efficacy of HSCT for patients with SSc and to compare these with non-HSCT patients in a control cohort with adjusted risk factors. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data from the multicentric German network for systemic scleroderma (DNSS) with 5000 patients with SSc. Control groups consisted of all patients with diffuse cutaneous (dc)-SSc (group A) and an adjusted high-risk cohort of male patients with Scl70-positive dc-SSc (group B). RESULTS: Eighty SSc patients received an HSCT 4.1 ± 4.8 years after SSc diagnosis. Among them, 86.3% had dc-SSc, 43.5% were males, and 71.3% were positive for Scl70 antibodies. The control group A (n=1513) showed a significant underrepresentation of these risk factors for mortality. When the survival of the control group B (n=240) was compared with the HSCT group, a lower mortality of the latter was observed instead. Within 5 years after HSCT, we observed an improvement of the mRSS from 17.6 ± 11.5 to 11.0 ± 8.5 (p=0.001) and a stabilization of the DLCO. We did not see differences in transplant-related mortality between patients who received HSCT within 3 years after SSc diagnosis or later. CONCLUSION: Our analysis of real-life data show that the distribution of risk factors for mortality is critical when HSCT cohorts are compared with non-HSCT control groups.

Scleroderma Renal Crisis: Risk Factors for an Increasingly Rare Organ Complication.

OBJECTIVE: Scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) is a severe life-threatening manifestation in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, the knowledge about risk factors for SRC is limited. We determined here the frequency of SRC and identified risk factors for the prediction of SRC. METHODS: Based on regular followup data from the German Network for Systemic Scleroderma, we used univariate and multivariate generalized estimating equations to analyze the association between clinical variables, SSc subsets, therapy [i.e., angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi), corticosteroids], and the occurrence of SRC. RESULTS: Data of 2873 patients with 10,425 visits were available for analysis with a mean number of registry visits of 3.6 ± 2.8 and a mean time of followup of 3.6 ± 3.8 years. In total, 70 patients developed SRC (70/2873, 2.4%). Of these patients, 57.1% (40/70) were diagnosed with diffuse cutaneous SSc, 31.4% (22/70) with limited cutaneous SSc, and 11.4% (8/70) with SSc-overlap syndromes. Predictive independent factors with the highest probability for SRC were positive anti-RNA polymerase antibodies (RNAP), a history of proteinuria prior to SRC onset, diminished DLCO, and a history of hypertension. Interestingly, positive antitopoisomerase autoantibodies did not predict a higher risk for SRC. Further, patients with SRC were significantly more frequently treated with ACEi and corticosteroids without being independently associated with SRC. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, SRC has become a rare complication. By far the highest risk for SRC was associated with the detection of anti-RNAP and proteinuria.

Recanalization of bilateral axillaris/brachialis artery occlusion in a patient with Takayashu arteritis: First case report on using a novel drug-coated nitinol "chocolate" balloon catheter.

When fibrosis develops in Takayasu arteritis (TA), endovascular treatment may become necessary. A 63-year-old woman with TA underwent PTA with a nitinol-structured (chocolate-like) drug-coated balloon (C-DEB PTA). She remained in remission for >1 year. The case may foster research into the use of C-DEB PTA in TA.

Mood improvement after deep brain stimulation of the internal globus pallidus for tardive dyskinesia in a patient suffering from major depression.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has the unique characteristic to very precisely target brain structures being part of functional brain circuits in order to reversibly modulate their function. It is an established adjunctive treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease and has virtually replaced ablative techniques in this indication. Several cases have been published relating effectiveness in neuroleptics-induced tardive dyskinesia. It is also investigated as a potential treatment of mood disorders. We report on the case of a 62 years old female suffering from a treatment refractory major depressive episode with comorbid neuroleptic-induced tardive dyskinesia. She was implanted a deep brain stimulation treatment system bilaterally in the globus pallidus internus and stimulated for 18 months. As well the dyskinesia as also the symptoms of depression improved substantially as measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HRSD) score and the Burke-Fahn-Marsden-Dystonia-Rating-Scale (BFMDRS) score. Scores dropped for HRSD from 26 at baseline preoperatively to 13 after 18 months; and for BFMDRS from 27 to 17.5. This case illustrates the potential of deep brain stimulation as a technique to be investigated in the treatment of severe and disabling psychiatric and movement disorders. DBS at different intracerebral targets being actually investigated for major depression might have similar antidepressant properties because they interact with the same cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical network found to be dysfunctional in major depression.

Vasoactive Therapy in Systemic Sclerosis: Real-life Therapeutic Practice in More Than 3000 Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Vasculopathy is a key factor in the pathophysiology of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and the main cause for Raynaud phenomenon (RP), digital ulcers (DU), and/or pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It is so far unknown how patients with SSc are treated with vasoactive agents in daily practice. To determine to which extent patients with SSc were treated with different vasoactive agents, we used data from the German Network for Systemic Scleroderma registry. METHODS: The data of 3248 patients with SSc were analyzed. RESULTS: Patients were treated with vasoactive drugs in 61.1% of cases (1984/3248). Of these, 47.6% received calcium channel inhibitors, followed by 34.2% treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, 21.1% treated with intravenous (IV) prostanoids, 10.1% with pentoxifylline, 8.8% with angiotensin 1 receptor antagonists (AT1RA), 8.7% with endothelin 1 receptor antagonists (ET1RA), 4.1% with phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, and 5.3% with others. Patients with RP received vasoactive therapy in 63.3% of cases, with DU in 70.1%, and with PAH in 78.2% of cases. Logistic regression analysis revealed that patients with PAH were significantly more often treated with PDE5 inhibitors and ET1RA, and those with DU with ET1RA and IV prostanoids. In addition, 41.8% of patients were treated with ACE inhibitors and/or AT1RA. Patients registered after 2009 received significantly more often ET1RA, AT1RA, and IV prostanoids compared with patients registered prior to 2005. CONCLUSION: These data clearly indicate that many patients with SSc do not yet receive sufficient vasoactive therapy. Further, in recent years, a marked change of treatment regimens can be observed.