Extra-Articular Manifestations in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: Baseline Characteristics from the RBSMR Study.

Objectives: To describe and analyse the prevalence of extra-articular manifestations (EAMs) including acute anterior uveitis (AAU), psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in the Moroccan registry of biological therapies in rheumatic diseases RBSMR (Registre des Biothérapies de la Société Marocaine de Rhumatologie). Methods: A cross-sectional, multicentre and analytical study based on the RBSMR database, which included 170 AS. Incidence rates for the development of AAU, psoriasis and IBD were calculated, and risk factors were analysed. Results: Prevalence of EAMs in AS was 13.5%, 4.7% and 11.2% for AAU, psoriasis and IBD respectively. No significant differences were found while establishing a comparison of the prevalence of these EAMs between AS patients with and without peripheral arthritis. Interestingly, AAU was the most common EAM, and was positively associated in multivariable regression with family history of spondyloarthritis (OR= 7.21, CI 95%: 2.23-23.24). Conclusions: AAU was the leading EAM in patients with AS included in the Moroccan biotherapy registry (RBSMR) and it was associated with family history of spondyloarthritis.

Relationship between vertebral fracture prevalence and abdominal aortic calcification in women with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)-detected abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) has been validated as an indicator of increased risk of vertebral fractures (VFs) in other populations but this relationship in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unclear. We assess the prevalence of AAC on VFA scans and its potential relationship with prevalent VFs in a cohort of RA women. METHODS: We enrolled 250 women with RA. VFA images, and scans of the lumbar spine and proximal femur were obtained using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The presence/severity of VFs and AAC were carried out using validated approaches. RESULTS: AAC was detected in 95 of 250 (38%) eligible subjects and 83 (33.2%) had at least one VF. Significantly subjects with VFs had a higher AAC score (3.4 ± 3.8 versus 0.7 ± 1.4; p˂0.001) and higher prevalence of AAC than those without VFs (65% versus 26%; P˂0.001). The group with VFs tended to be older, had more menopausal women, and lower lumbar spine and total hip BMD than those without VF. They also had a long-standing disease and high DAS 28-CRP, a great steroid cumulative dose, and a high prevalence of rheumatoid factor (RF). In multivariate analyses, a significant association was noted between prevalent VFs and age of patients, RA disease activity, presence of densitometric osteoporosis, RF, and VFA-detected AAC, whereas there was no significant association with steroid cumulative dose and disease duration. CONCLUSION: VFA is a convenient tool for the diagnosis of VFs and AAC. In this cohort, VFA-detected AAC was independently associated with prevalent VFs.

Is there a relation between pre-sarcopenia, sarcopenia, cachexia and osteoporosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis?

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a well-known complication of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, data about body composition modifications and muscle performance showed conflicting results. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of pre-sarcopenia, sarcopenia and cachexia in patients with AS and analyze its relationship with bone loss and symptomatic and severity parameters of the disease. METHODS: Sixty-seven consecutive male patients with AS (mean age of 40.9 ± 11.0 years) and 67 healthy controls were studied. Body composition and bone mineral density (BMD) scans were obtained using DXA. The fat-free mass index (FFMI; fat-free mass divided by height squared) and the percent of fat mass (%FM) were calculated. Pre-sarcopenia was defined by low skeletal muscle mass (SMI <7.25 kg/m(2)), sarcopenia by the combined presence of the two following criteria: SMI <7.25 kg/m(2) and a low muscle strength (handgrip strength <30 kg) or a low muscle performance (timed get-up-and-go test >10 s) and cachexia by a BMI <20 kg/m(2) plus 3 from the 5 following parameters: anorexia, fatigue, handgrip strength <30 kg, CRP >5 mg/l, SMI <7.25 kg/m(2). RESULTS: Pre-sarcopenia, sarcopenia, cachexia, and osteoporosis prevalences were (50.4, 34.3, 11.9, and 16.0) respectively. Patients had a mean 3 kg significant decrease in FFM and a 1 kg/m(2) decrease in appendicular mass vs. healthy controls. Pre-sarcopenia, sarcopenia and cachexia were significantly associated to higher BASDAI levels and low BMD. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that men with AS had a statistically significant reduction in total and appendicular lean mass that is related to higher disease activity and significantly associated to bone loss.

Does Rheumatoid Cachexia Predispose Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis to Osteoporosis and Vertebral Fractures?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and risk factors of rheumatoid cachexia (RC) and evaluate its relationship with osteoporosis and vertebral fractures (VF) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We enrolled into a cross-sectional study 178 consecutive patients with RA (82.6% women) with a mean age of 54.1 ± 11.5 years (25-82) and who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for the classification of RA. Body composition, lateral VF assessment images, and scans of the lumbar spine and proximal femur were obtained using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. RC was defined by a fat-free mass index below the 10th percentile and a fat mass index above the 25th percentile compared with a reference population. VF were defined using Genant semiquantitative approach. RESULTS: RC was observed in 96 patients (53.9%) and osteoporosis in 52 patients (29.2%). Comparison between women with and without RC showed that women with RC had a longer disease duration, higher disease activity variables, higher steroid cumulative dose, and higher proportion of patients with erosive arthritis. Women with RC had lower total hip bone mineral density (BMD) and T score than women without RC, while comparison in men found only body mass index to be significantly lower in men with RC. Regression logistic analysis showed an independent and significant association between RC and age and disease activity in women. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that half of the patients with RA may have RC, a condition that was significantly associated with disease activity and low hip BMD, but not with VF.

Osteoporosis, vertebral fractures and metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: The combined effect of the metabolic syndrome (MS) risk factors on bone health has led to controversial results and it is still not clear whether this effect is protective or detrimental. The study aimed to examine the association between MS and bone mineral density (BMD), osteoporosis, and vertebral fractures (VFs) among ambulatory older postmenopausal women. METHODS: 270 post-menopausal women with a mean age of 61.0 years ± 7.8 (50 to 90) with no prior known diagnosis of osteoporosis were recruited. BMD and Lateral vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) images were obtained using a GE Healthcare Lunar Prodigy densitometer. VFs were defined using a combination of Genant semiquantitative approach and morphometry. RESULTS: The MS as defined by the NCEP-ATP III was present in 62 women (23.0%). According to the WHO classification, 82 had osteoporosis at any site (30.4%). VFs were identified in 116 (43.0%): 80 (29.6%) had grade 1 and 36 (13.3%) had grade 2 or 3. Women with MS had a significantly higher BMD and lower prevalence of osteoporosis (17.7% vs. 34.1%) than those without MS. No significant statistical difference was noted in prevalence of VFs (14.5 vs. 13.0%). There were significantly less women with MS among the group of osteoporotic women (13% vs. 27%; p = 0.018). Conditional regression binary analysis assessing the presence of osteoporosis as the dependent variable showed that women with a MS had a significant 71% decrease in the odds of being osteoporotic by BMD compared with women who had not MS accounting for age, BMI, number of parities and years since menopause. CONCLUSION: Women with MS had higher BMD at the hip and spine, suggesting a protective effect of MS on bone. However, the prevalence of VFs was similar between women with or without MS.

The discriminative ability of FRAX, the WHO algorithm, to identify women with prevalent asymptomatic vertebral fractures: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: A Moroccan model for the FRAX tool to determine the absolute risk of osteoporotic fracture at 10 years has been established recently. The study aimed to assess the discriminative capacity of FRAX in identifying women with prevalent asymptomatic vertebral fractures (VFs). METHODS: We enrolled in this cross-sectional study 908 post-menopausal women with a mean age of 60.9 years ± 7.7 (50 to 91) with no prior known diagnosis of osteoporosis. Subjects were recruited from asymptomatic women selected from the general population. Lateral VFA images and scans of the lumbar spine and proximal femur were obtained using a GE Healthcare Lunar Prodigy densitometer. VFs were defined using a combination of Genantsemiquantitative (SQ) approach and morphometry. We calculated the absolute risk of major fracture and hip fracture with and without bone mineral density (BMD)using the FRAX website.The overall discriminative value of the different risk scores was assessed by calculating the areas under the ROC curve (AUC). RESULTS: VFA images showed that 179 of the participants (19.7%) had at least one grade 2/3 VF. The group of women with VFs had a statistically significant higher FRAX scores for major and hip fractures with and without BMD, and lower weight, height, and lumbar spine and hip BMD and T-scores than those without a VFA-identified VF. The AUC ROC of FRAX for major fracture without BMD was 0.757 (CI 95%; 0.718-0.797) and 0.736 (CI 95%; 0.695-0.777) with BMD, being 0.756 (CI 95%; 0.716-0.796) and 0.747 (CI 95%; 0.709-0.785), respectively for FRAX hip fracture without and with BMD. The AUC ROC of lumbar spine T-score and femoral neck T-score were 0.660 (CI 95%; 0.611-0.708) and 0.707 (CI 95%; 0.664-0.751) respectively. CONCLUSION: In asymptomatic post-menopausal women, the FRAX risk for major fracture without BMD had a better discriminative capacity in identifying the women with prevalent VFs than lumbar spine and femoral neck T-scores suggesting its usefulness in identifying women in whom VFA could be indicated.