A preliminary survey of rheumatologists on the management of late-onset rheumatoid arthritis in Japan.

Objectives We investigated the current perspectives regarding the management of late-onset rheumatoid arthritis (LORA) among rheumatologists in clinical practice. Methods This study was performed in October 2021, and included 65 rheumatologists certified by the Japan College of Rheumatology, who were administered questionnaires (including multiple choice and descriptive formulae) regarding the management of LORA. We aggregated and analyzed the responses. Results All 65 rheumatologists responded to the survey; 47 (72%) answered that >50% of newly diagnosed patients were aged ≥65 years, 42 (65%) answered that achievement of remission or low disease activity was the treatment goal, and 40 (62%) considered patient safety to be the highest priority. Most rheumatologists are concerned about the management of conditions other than RA, such as comorbidities, financial constraints, and life circumstances that interfere with standard or recommended treatment implementation. Conclusion This preliminary survey highlighted various rheumatologists' perspectives regarding the management of LORA.

Influences of advanced age in rheumatoid arthritis: A multicentre ultrasonography cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the effects of age on clinical characteristics and outcomes in biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (b/tsDMARD)-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We analysed the cases of 234 Japanese b/tsDMARD-naïve RA patients who underwent b/tsDMARD treatment in a multicentre ultrasound prospective observational cohort. We compared the clinical characteristics at baseline and outcomes at 12 months between those aged ≥60 years and those <60 years. RESULTS: Compared to the <60-year-old group (n = 78), the ≥60-year-old group (n = 156) had higher inflammatory marker values and ultrasound combined scores, especially wrist joints, at baseline. Age at baseline positively correlated significantly with the ultrasound scores at baseline; however, age was not a significant variable by the multiple regression analysis. The patients treated with different MOAs in the ≥60-year-old group had comparable outcomes and multiple regression analysis revealed that mechanism of action (MOA) was not a significant contributor to the Clinical Disease Activity Index at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: RA patients with advanced age demonstrated distinctive clinical characteristics. The MOAs were not associated with clinical outcomes and ultrasound outcomes in RA patients with advanced age.

The impact of glucocorticoid use on the outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis in a multicenter ultrasound cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Glucocorticoids are effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when used appropriately considering the balance of the risks and benefits, especially at low doses. We aimed to evaluate the response of biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) in patients having already been treated with glucocorticoids. METHODS: We reviewed RA patients treated with b/tsDMARDs in a prospective multicenter ultrasound cohort study. We compared the differences in the clinical characteristics at baseline and outcomes at 12 months between the two groups having been treated with and without glucocorticoids at baseline. The differences in the clinical characteristics and the treatments were balanced by the inverse probability weighting (IPW) with the propensity score. RESULTS: Of 307 patients with RA, 160 patients were treated with glucocorticoids at baseline. The median dose of glucocorticoids was equivalent to 5.0 mg/day of prednisolone. Significant differences were in age and concomitant methotrexate use, composite measures for the disease activity, and the ultrasound grayscale score at baseline. Patients treated with glucocorticoids had less frequent remissions defined by composite measures and ultrasound findings than those treated without glucocorticoids. These significant differences in the achievement of remissions remained robust even after adjusting differences in the clinical characteristics and the treatments between the two groups by IPW. CONCLUSION: RA patients treated with glucocorticoids had a higher disease activity at baseline and a poorer response to treatments with b/tsDMARDs than those without glucocorticoids. The states of patients requiring glucocorticoids might be associated with the poor response to the b/tsDMARDs.

Consensus statement on the management of late-onset rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Late-onset rheumatoid arthritis (LORA), which has been increasing in recent years, lacks evidence for initial treatment. Japanese rheumatology experts recognized this gap and addressed it by developing consensus statements on the first clinical application of LORA. METHODS: These statements were created following an introductory discussion about treatment fundamentals, which included a review of existing literature and cohort data. The steering committee created a draft, which was refined using a modified Delphi method that involved panel members reaching a consensus. The panel made decisions based on input from geriatric experts, clinical epidemiologists, guideline developers, patient groups, and the LORA Research Subcommittee of the Japan College of Rheumatology. RESULTS: The consensus identified four established facts, three basic approaches, and six expert opinions for managing LORA. Methotrexate was recommended as the primary treatment, with molecular-targeted agents being considered if treatment goals cannot be achieved. An emphasis was placed on assessing the lives of older patients due to challenges in risk management and methotrexate accessibility caused by comorbidities or cognitive decline. CONCLUSIONS: The experts substantiated and refined 13 statements for the initial treatment of LORA. To validate these claims, the next is to conduct a registry study focusing on new LORA cases.

Impact of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema on lung cancer risk and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis: A multicenter retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is a syndrome characterized by the coexistence of emphysema and fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD). The aim of this study was to examine the effect of CPFE on lung cancer risk and lung cancer-related mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients newly diagnosed with lung cancer at five community hospitals between June 2006 and December 2021. Patients were followed until lung cancer-related death, other-cause death, loss to follow-up, or the end of the study. We used the cumulative incidence function with Gray's test and Fine-Gray regression analysis for survival analysis. RESULTS: A total of 563 patients with biopsy-proven lung cancer were included (82 RA patients and 481 non-RA patients). The prevalence of CPFE was higher in RA patients than in non-RA patients (40.2% vs.10.0%) at lung cancer diagnosis. During follow-up, the crude incidence rate of lung cancer-related death was 0.29 and 0.10 per patient-year (PY) in RA and non-RA patients, and 0.32 and 0.07 per PY in patients with CPFE and patients without ILD or emphysema, respectively. The estimated death probability at 5 years differed between RA and non-RA patients (66% vs. 32%, p<0.001) and between patients with CPFE and patients without ILD or emphysema (71% vs. 24%, p<0.001). In addition to clinical cancer stage and no surgery within 1 month, RA and CPFE were identified as independent predictive factors for increased lung cancer-related mortality (RA: adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65-4.76; CPFE: adjusted HR 2.01; 95% CI 1.24-3.23). CONCLUSIONS: RA patients with lung cancer had a higher prevalence of CPFE and increased cancer-related mortality compared with non-RA patients. Close monitoring and optimal treatment strategies tailored to RA patients with CPFE are important to improve the poor prognosis of lung cancer.

The Impact of Early Optimization of Infliximab Blood Concentrations >1 µg/mL on Therapeutic Effectiveness in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Infliximab is a human-murine chimeric monoclonal IgG antibody against tumor necrosis factor that is used in combination with methotrexate for the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The trough concentration of serum infliximab required to control disease activity in RA is ≥1 µg/mL, and we investigated whether this trough concentration can predict the effectiveness of RA treatment. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 76 patients with RA. The REMICHECK Q® (REMIQ) is a kit that can check for serum infliximab concentrations. Infliximab concentrations >1 µg/mL at 14 weeks after an initial infliximab induction is considered REMIQ-positive, otherwise considered REMIQ-negative. Here, we determined the retention rates and investigated the clinical and serologic features of REMIQ-positive and REMIQ-negative patients. RESULTS: At 14 weeks, significantly more of the REMIQ-positive patients (n = 46) were responders compared to the non-responders (n = 30). The retention rate at 54 weeks was also significantly higher in the REMIQ-positive group versus the negative group. After 14 weeks, more patients in the REMIQ-negative group were considered inadequate responders, and their infliximab doses were escalated. At baseline, the REMIQ-positive group had significantly lower C-reactive protein (CRP) levels compared to the negative group. Cox regression analysis with multiple variables showed that the positivity of REMIQ (hazard ratio [HR] 2.10 and 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.55-5.71) at baseline was associated with the achievement of low disease activity. The positivities of rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP antibody at baseline were associated with the achievement of remission with infliximab treatment (HR 0.44, 95% CI: 0.09-0.82 and HR 0.35, 95% CI: 0.04-0.48, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that the control of RA disease activity may be facilitated by using the REMIQ kit at 14 weeks to check whether it is necessary to increase a patient's infliximab dose to ensure a therapeutic blood concentration that will help the patient achieve low disease activity.

HAS-Flow May Be an Adequate Method for Evaluating Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Infected Cells in Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1-Positive Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Receiving Antirheumatic Therapies: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Observation Study.

The study aims to assess the usefulness of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-infected cell analysis using flow cytometry (HAS-Flow) as a monitoring method for adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) development in HTLV-1-positive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) under treatment with antirheumatic therapies. A total of 13 HTLV-1-negative and 57 HTLV-1-positive RA patients participated in this study, which was used to collect clinical and laboratory data, including HAS-Flow and HTLV-1 proviral load (PVL), which were then compared between the two groups. CADM1 expression on CD4+ cells in peripheral blood (PB) was used to identify HTLV-1-infected cells. The population of CADM1+ CD4+ cells was significantly higher in HTLV-1-positive RA patients compared to HTLV-1-negative RA patients. The population of CADM1+ CD4+ cells was correlated with HTLV-1 PVL values. There were no antirheumatic therapies affecting both the expression of CADM1 on CD4+ cells and PVLs. Six HTLV-1-positive RA patients who indicated both high HTLV-1 PVL and a predominant pattern of CADM1+ CD7neg CD4+ cells in HAS-Flow can be classified as high-risk for ATL progression. HAS-Flow could be a useful method for monitoring high-risk HTLV-1-positive RA patients who are at risk of developing ATL during antirheumatic therapies.

Outcomes and risk factors for mortality in Pneumocystis pneumonia patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A multicentre retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim is to evaluate outcomes and risk factors for death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who developed Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP). METHODS: We included RA patients who were diagnosed with PCP at seven participating community hospitals between July 2005 and October 2020. Clinical features were compared between survivors and non-survivors. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) before PCP onset and after PCP recovery were also examined. RESULTS: Seventy RA patients developed PCP, and among them, 60 (85.7%) received methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy (40%) or MTX combination therapy with other DMARDs (45.7%). PCP was more likely to occur after 12 months of MTX monotherapy and within 3 months of MTX combination therapy. Thirteen patients (18.6%) died despite PCP treatment. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that coexisting RA-associated interstitial lung disease (odds ratio, 6.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-32.63) and delayed PCP treatment with anti-Pneumocystis drugs (odds ratio, 15.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-156.15) are significant risk factors for PCP mortality in RA patients. Most survivors successfully resumed DMARD therapy without PCP prophylaxis; one recurrent PCP case was observed during follow-up (median, 4.1 years). CONCLUSIONS: To avoid a treatment delay, RA patients should be followed up for signs and symptoms of PCP development, especially those with RA-associated interstitial lung disease.

Late-onset rheumatoid arthritis registry study, LORIS study: study protocol and design.

BACKGROUND: Although drug treatment strategies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are relatively well established, there is a paucity of evidence on the treatment in older patients. The purpose of this study is to build a registry for late-onset RA (LORA), which is expected to increase rapidly worldwide. In addition, we aim to propose optimal treatment strategies according to the patient background including frailty, thereby contributing to improving the quality of treatment and daily living in patients with RA. METHODS/DESIGN: The LORIS (Late-onset Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry) Study is a prospective nation-wide multicenter observational study of patients with LORA. The inclusion criteria were patients aged ≥ 65 years at onset, meeting 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for RA, and starting either any disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in a DMARD-naïve patient or the first biologic/targeted synthetic DMARDs during the study period. Enrollment was started on 11 January, 2022 and will be closed on 31 December, 2023. Patients will undergo a comprehensive baseline assessment including clinical data, medication, cognitive and physical function, psychosocial factors, and frailty. Data will be collected at baseline, Month 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and summarized descriptively. The factors associated with adverse events and achieving remission will be determined. DISCUSSION: A multi-disciplinary panel including patients, rheumatologists, and geriatric specialists will discuss the results and build a consensus regarding the treatment goals of LORA. We expect to provide a broad range of information for evidence-based shared decision making in the treatment of LORA. STUDY REGISTRATION: Registered at the UMIN registry (UMIN000046086) on 1 January 2022.

Real-world effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib and abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: We compared the 52-week effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib (TOF) and abatacept (ABT) in patients with RA in a real-world setting and investigated a role of human leucocyte antigens (HLA)-DRB1 shared epitope (SE) in the effectiveness. Methods: RA patients starting TOF (n = 187) and ABT (n = 183) were enrolled. Effectiveness was compared after reducing the selection bias to a minimum using the inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) based on propensity scores. The influence of SE alleles on effectiveness was compared within each treatment group. A treatment group comparison was also performed within SE-positive and SE-negative groups. Results: Herpes zoster and some laboratory abnormalities were more frequent in the TOF group than in the ABT group. Patient characteristics did not differ significantly between treatment groups after adjustments with IPTW. The TOF group had a significantly higher proportion of DAS in 28 joints using ESR (DAS28-ESR) remission at week 52 than the ABT group. The DAS28-ESR at week 12 and thereafter was not affected by the copy number of SE alleles in the TOF group, but decreased significantly as the copy number increased in the ABT group. In SE-positive patients, remission and drug retention rates did not differ significantly between the two treatment groups. In SE-negative patients, the TOF group showed significantly higher remission and drug retention rates than the ABT group. Conclusion: The present results suggest that TOF is more effective with regard to remission at week 52 based on treatment responses in SE-negative RA patients.

High incidence of serious infections requiring hospitalisation in human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1-positive rheumatoid arthritis: A case-controlled observational study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the clinical features of human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of HTLV-1 infection on incidences of serious infections requiring hospitalisation (SIH) and malignancies. METHODS: A total of 150 sex- and age-matched HTLV-1-negative and 50 HTLV-1-positive RA patients were enrolled from the HTLV-1 RA Miyazaki Cohort Study. Clinical and laboratory data were collected from this cohort database. The incidence rate (IR) for SIH and malignancies from 2015 to 2020 was analysed. RESULTS: The median age and female ratio in the study population were 70 years old and 80%, respectively. Although no differences were found in inflammatory marker values between the two groups, the patient global assessment and Health Assessment Questionnaire scores were higher in HTLV-1-positive RA patients. In HTLV-1-negative RA patients, the IR for SIH was 6.37/100 person-years (PY) and 1.32/100 PY for malignancies. In HTLV-1-positive RA patients, SIH occurred in 11.1/100 PY and malignancies in 2.46/100 PY. The crude IR ratio comparing SIH between two groups was 1.74 (95% confidence interval, 1.04-2.84), which was a significant increase. CONCLUSIONS: HTLV-1-positive RA patients may worsen RA symptoms. HTLV-1 may be a risk factor for SIH.

The Japanese Society for Apheresis clinical practice guideline for therapeutic apheresis.

Most of the diseases for which apheresis therapy is indicated are intractable and rare, and each patient has a different background and treatment course prior to apheresis therapy initiation. Therefore, it is difficult to conduct large-scale randomized controlled trials to secure high-quality evidence. Under such circumstances, the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) issued its guidelines in 2007, which were repeatedly revised until the latest edition in 2019. The ASFA guidelines are comprehensive. However, in the United States, a centrifugal separation method is mainly used for apheresis, whereas the mainstream procedure in Japan is the membrane separation method. The target diseases and their backgrounds are different from those in Japan. Due to these differences, the direct adoption of the ASFA guidelines in Japanese practice creates various problems. One of the features of apheresis in Japan is the development of treatment methods using hollow-fiber devices such as double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) and selective plasma exchange and adsorption-type devices such as polymyxin B-immobilized endotoxin adsorption columns. Specialists in emergency medicine, hematology, collagen diseases/rheumatology, respiratory medicine, cardiovascular medicine, gastroenterology, neurology, nephrology, and dermatology who are familiar with apheresis therapy gathered for this guideline, which covers 86 diseases. In addition, since apheresis therapy involves not only physicians but also clinical engineers, nurses, dieticians, and many other medical professionals, this guideline was prepared in the form of a worksheet so that it can be easily understood at the bedside. Moreover, to the clinical purposes, this guideline is designed to summarize apheresis therapy in Japan and to disseminate and further develop Japanese apheresis technology to the world. As diagnostic and therapeutic techniques are constantly advancing, the guidelines need to be revised every few years. In order to ensure the high quality of apheresis therapy in Japan, both the Japanese Society for Apheresis Registry and the guidelines will be inseparable.

Impact of the HLA-DRB1 shared epitope on responses to treatment with tofacitinib or abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of tofacitinib and abatacept and clarify the impact of the HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE) on responses to these treatments in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: After adjustments by propensity score matching, 70 out of 161 patients receiving tofacitinib and 70 out of 131 receiving abatacept were extracted. The clinical effectiveness of both drugs over 24 weeks and the impact of the copy numbers of SE on effectiveness outcomes were investigated. RESULTS: The percentage of patients in remission in the 28-joint count disease activity score using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) did not significantly differ between patients receiving tofacitinib and abatacept at week 24 (32% vs 37%, p = 0.359). The mean change at week 4 in DAS28-ESR from baseline was significantly greater in patients receiving tofacitinib than in those receiving abatacept (- 1.516 vs - 0.827, p = 0.0003). The percentage of patients in remission at week 4 was 30% with tofacitinib and 15% with abatacept (p = 0.016). When patients were stratified by the copy numbers of SE alleles, differences in these numbers did not affect DAS28-ESR scores of patients receiving tofacitinib. However, among patients receiving abatacept, DAS28-ESR scores were significantly lower in patients carrying 2 copies of SE alleles than in those carrying 0 copies at each time point throughout the 24-week period. Furthermore, the percentage of patients in remission with DAS28-ESR at week 24 was not affected by the copy numbers of SE alleles in patients receiving tofacitinib (p = 0.947), whereas it significantly increased as the copy numbers became higher in patients receiving abatacept (p = 0.00309). Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed a correlation between the presence of SE and DAS28-ESR remission in patients receiving abatacept (OR = 25.881, 95% CI = 3.140-213.351, p = 0.0025), but not in those receiving tofacitinib (OR = 1.473, 95% CI = 0.291-7.446, p = 0.639). CONCLUSIONS: Although the clinical effectiveness of tofacitinib and abatacept was similar at week 24, tofacitinib was superior to abatacept for changes from baseline in DAS28-ESR and the achievement of remission at week 4. SE positivity was associated with the achievement of DAS28-ESR remission by week 24 in patients receiving abatacept, but not in those receiving tofacitinib.

Abatacept is Efficacious in the Treatment of Older Patients with csDMARD-Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Prospective, Multicenter, Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: Abatacept efficacy in older patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been primarily demonstrated via retrospective comparisons with younger patients. The objective of this study was to compare efficacy of abatacept in older vs. younger patients with RA, and efficacy of abatacept with that of conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) in both age groups. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, observational study (UMIN000014913) enrolled csDMARD-refractory patients without previous biological DMARD treatment. Abatacept (A) or csDMARDs (C) were administered at the treating physician's discretion to older (O, ≥ 65 years) and younger (Y, 20-64 years) patients, producing AO, AY, CO, and CY groups. Clinical efficacy after 24 weeks was evaluated using European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) erythrocyte sedimentation rate response criteria. RESULTS: Overall, 202 patients were evaluated. Compared with the CO group, more patients in the AO group achieved a EULAR good or moderate response (p < 0.0001). Compared with the CY group, more patients in the AY group achieved a EULAR good or moderate response (p < 0.01). Similar proportions of patients in the AO and AY groups achieved a EULAR good response or a good or moderate response. Few adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study demonstrated that abatacept is efficacious and safe in older patients with RA and a history of being refractory to csDMARDs. Abatacept was shown to be more efficacious than adding or switching to a new csDMARD in both younger and older csDMARD-refractory patients with RA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN000014913.

Real-World Methotrexate Dose on Clinical Effectiveness and Structural Damage of Certolizumab Pegol With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatments have markedly advanced with the introduction of biological agents, e. g., tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. TNF inhibitors are demonstrated to be quite effective in combination with methotrexate (MTX), and sufficient doses of both agents are important to control RA's disease activity. However, not all RA patients can be treated with high-dose MTX due to contraindications related to the antimetabolite action of MTX or to tolerability concerns. In daily practice, this has resulted in reduced effectiveness of TNF inhibitors. We sought to determine whether the concomitant use of dose of MTX affected the clinical effectiveness, retention rate, and side effects of certolizumab pegol (CZP) for treating RA in a real-world setting. CZP is a pegylated-conjugated Fab' fragment of a humanized anti-TNF antibody that has high affinity to TNF. Patients and Methods: We divided Japanese RA patients treated with CZP (n = 95, 25-83 years old) into groups based on those with (n = 65) and without (n = 30) concomitant MTX and those treated with a high dose (≥8 mg, n = 41) or low dose (1- <8 mg, n = 24) of MTX. We retrospectively analyzed the concomitant MTX doses' effects and side effects and the patient retention rate. Results: There were no significant differences among the CZP groups with and without MTX or the groups receiving the high vs. low MTX doses in the retention rate, the low disease activity rate, or the inhibitory effect in radiographic joint damage. Conclusion: CZP has the potential to be a useful biological agent to control RA's disease activity and the bone destruction in patients who cannot tolerate a sufficient MTX dose.

Utility of a simplified ultrasonography scoring system among patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A multicenter cohort study.

ABSTRACT: We aimed to evaluate the utility of a simplified ultrasonography (US) scoring system, which is desired in daily clinical practice, among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving biological/targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).A total of 289 Japanese patients with RA who were started on tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, abatacept, tocilizumab, or Janus kinase inhibitors between June 2013 and April 2019 at one of the 15 participating rheumatology centers were reviewed. We performed US assessment of articular synovia over 22 joints among bilateral wrist and finger joints, and the 22-joint (22j)-GS and 22-joint (22j)-PD scores were evaluated as an indicator of US activity using the sum of the GS and PD scores, respectively.The top 6 most affected joints included the bilateral wrist and second/third metacarpophalangeal joints. Therefore, 6-joint (6j)-GS and -PD scores were defined as the sum of the GS and PD scores from the 6 synovial sites over the aforementioned 6 joints, respectively. Although the 22j- or 6j-US scores were significantly correlated with DAS28-ESR or -CRP scores, the correlations were weak. Conversely, 6j-US scores were significantly and strongly correlated with 22j-US scores not only at baseline but also after therapy initiation.Using a multicenter cohort data, our results indicated that a simplified US scoring system could be adequately tolerated during any disease course among patients with RA receiving biological/targeted synthetic DMARDs.

Effectiveness and safety of non-tumor necrosis factor inhibitor therapy for anti-human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 antibody-positive rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Our previous study showed that the effectiveness of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors was attenuated in anti-human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) antibody-positive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of non-TNF inhibitors in anti-HTLV-1 antibody-positive patients with RA. METHODS: We reviewed patients with RA who received abatacept or tocilizumab as the first biologic agent. We used the data of patients treated with TNF inhibitors from our previous study to compare the effectiveness between the anti-HTLV-1 antibody-positive patients treated with TNF inhibitors and non-TNF inhibitors using the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) method. RESULTS: A total of 359 patients were divided into anti-HTLV-1 antibody-negative and -positive patients of 332 and 27, respectively. No statistically significant difference was observed in the change in the clinical disease activity index between the anti-HTLV-1 antibody-positive and -negative patients. The results using the IPTW method showed a significant association between the non-TNF inhibitors treatment and a better response. None of the patients developed adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma or HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis during the 24 weeks. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that non-TNF inhibitors treatment is safety, and the effectiveness is not attenuated also in anti-HTLV-1 antibody-positive patients.

Strongyloides stercoralis colitis in a patient positive for human T-cell leukaemia virus with rheumatoid arthritis during an anti-rheumatic therapy: a case report.

An elderly woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) presented with a chief complaint of abdominal pain and diarrhoea while undergoing treatment with low-dose corticosteroids and abatacept. Endoscopic and histopathological findings revealed manifestations of ulcerative colitis (UC). An intermediate dose of corticosteroids and 5-aminosalicylic acid were administered. Abatacept was discontinued; the anti-TNF biologic, golimumab, was administered for treatment of both RA and UC. However, colitis worsened in response to this therapeutic regimen. Colonoscopy revealed severe mucosal lesions; larvae were detected in samples taken from multiple shallow mucosal ulcers. The patient was diagnosed with Strongyloides stercoralis colitis based on the results of an anti-parasite antibody test and examination of the larval DNA. Furthermore, serology revealed a positive test for antibodies against human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). Immunosuppressive treatment was terminated; ivermectin was administered, which resulted in improvements in colitis symptoms within a few weeks. There are several published reports describing S. stercoralis colitis as a lethal mimic of UC. Corticosteroid and anti-TNF therapies have been reported as among the major risk factors associated with strongyloidiasis in patients with HTLV-1 infection. Therefore, HTLV-1 and Strongyloides infections may be considered in cases of new-onset gastrointestinal symptoms during immunosuppressive therapy, particularly in HTLV-1-endemic regions.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients with low baseline Health Assessment Questionnaire scores have a risk of functional disability progression: a post hoc analysis of a nationwide longitudinal cohort in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To determine prognostic factors for the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical practice. METHODS: We evaluated 388 biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (bDMARD)-naïve Japanese patients with RA with moderate to high disease activity at study entry after being treated with conventional synthetic DMARDs. These patients were treated according to a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy for one year. The Disease Activity Score in 28 joints-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) and the HAQ-DI were assessed every three months. We also evaluated joint destruction using a modified total Sharp score at baseline and at one year. HAQ-DI progression was defined as the yearly progression of HAQ-DI >0.1. We performed a multiple logistic regression analysis to explore the factors predicting HAQ-DI progression at one year. RESULTS: HAQ-DI progression was observed in 18% of the patients. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed the independent variables associated with HAQ-DI progression were: DAS28-ESR >5.1 at baseline (odds ratio [OR] 0.31, 95% con dence interval [CI] 0.13-0.74, p=0.0083); HAQ-DI score at baseline <0.5 (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.22-4.26, p=0.0102); and achievement of low disease activity at 12 weeks (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.21-0.82, p=0.0112). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that maintaining clinical improvement according to T2T and initiating the treatment at an early stage are important for functional improvement after one year and that patients with low baseline HAQ scores have a higher risk of HAQ disability progression.

Non-TNF inhibitor switchers versus TNF inhibitor cyclers from multicentre rheumatoid arthritis ultrasonography prospective cohort in Japan.

To compare therapeutic efficacy of tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) cyclers and non-TNFi switchers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) having inadequate response to previous TNFis (TNF-IR patients) using composite measures including imaging assessment with power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS). Patients with RA who had inadequate response to one or more previous TNFi agents with moderate or higher disease activity were enrolled. The outcomes of 56 TNF-IR patients were analysed. Patients were divided into 19 TNFi cyclers and 37 non-TNFi switchers (16 abatacept [ABT] and 21 tocilizumab [TCZ] switchers). Retention ratio at 6 months was significantly higher in non-TNFi switchers than in TNFi cyclers (p < .05). Although there was no significant difference, non-TNFi switchers tended to have a larger decrease than TNFi cyclers in efficacy indicators based on clinical disease activity index and PDUS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified a following independent factor associated with both EULAR good response and retention of a biologic agent: non-TNFi switch (p < .05 for both). Non-TNFi switchers were shown to have significantly higher percentage of EULAR good response and higher retention than TNFi cyclers. A non-TNFi biologic agent may hence be a preferential next-line treatment for TNF-IR patients.