Pan American League of Associations for Rheumatology Recommendations for the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is chronic disease that compromises multiple domains and might be associated with progressive joint damage, increased mortality, functional limitation, and considerably impaired quality of life. Our objective was to generate evidence-based recommendations on the management of PsA in Pan American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR) countries. METHODS: We used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE)-ADOLOPMENT approach to adapt the 2019 recommendations of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology. A working group consisting of rheumatologists from various countries in Latin America identified relevant topics for the treatment of PsA in the region. The methodology team updated the evidence and synthesized the information used to generate the final recommendations. These were then discussed and defined by a panel of 31 rheumatologists from 15 countries. RESULTS: Theses guidelines report 15 recommendations addressing therapeutic targets, use of antiinflammatory agents and corticosteroids, treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (conventional synthetic, biologic, and targeted synthetic), therapeutic failure, optimization of biologic therapy, nonpharmacological interventions, assessment tools, and follow-up of patients with PsA. CONCLUSION: Here we present a set of recommendations to guide decision making in the treatment of PsA in Latin America, based on the best evidence available, considering resources, medical expertise, and the patient's values and preferences. The successful implementation of these recommendations should be based on clinical practice conditions, healthcare settings in each country, and a tailored evaluation of patients.

Pan American League of Associations for Rheumatology recommendations for the management of axial spondyloarthritis.

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) comprises a spectrum of chronic inflammatory manifestations affecting the axial skeleton and represents a challenge for diagnosis and treatment. Our objective was to generate a set of evidence-based recommendations for the management of axSpA for physicians, health professionals, rheumatologists and policy decision makers in Pan American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR) countries. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation-ADOLOPMENT methodology was used to adapt existing recommendations after performing an independent systematic search and synthesis of the literature to update the evidence. A working group consisting of rheumatologists, epidemiologists and patient representatives from countries within the Americas prioritized 13 topics relevant to the context of these countries for the management of axSpA. This Evidence-Based Guideline article reports 13 recommendations addressing therapeutic targets, the use of NSAIDs and glucocorticoids, treatment with DMARDs (including conventional synthetic, biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs), therapeutic failure, optimization of the use of biologic DMARDs, the use of drugs for extra-musculoskeletal manifestations of axSpA, non-pharmacological interventions and the follow-up of patients with axSpA.

Can nailfold videocapillaroscopy images be interpreted reliably by different observers? Results of an inter-reader and intra-reader exercise among rheumatologists with different experience in this field.

Nailfold videocapillaroscopy (VCP) allows non-invasive assessment of the microcirculation. Adequate training in this field is relevant for rheumatologists. There is increasing evidence of the reliability of VCP findings among different readers. Objective: To evaluate inter- and intra-reader agreement of rheumatologists to identify normal images and systemic sclerosis (SSc) patterns on VCP ("early," "active," and "late" proposed by Cutolo et al.). Thirteen rheumatologists with different experience in nailfold VCP received training to standardize reading criteria. They rated 60 VCP images from healthy and SSc patients at baseline and 4 weeks later, using an electronic platform. The reading of an expert was considered the gold standard. Data were analyzed using Cohen's kappa for concordance and Student's t test and ANOVA to compare kappa means for inter-reader, intra-reader, and inter-pattern readings. Mean inter-reader and intra-reader kappa were 0.45 and 0.49, respectively, (moderate agreement). Kappa scores were higher among experienced vs inexperienced readers (inter-reader kappa 0.58 vs 0.34, p = 0.001, intra-reader kappa 0.65 vs 0.37, p = 0.01). Agreement was substantial (kappa = 0.61) for the identification of normal vs abnormal images and higher for the identification of active (0.48, p = 0.009) and late SSc patterns (0.56, p = 0.008) than for the early SSc pattern (0.35, p = 0.003). There is moderate agreement among rheumatologists for the identification of SSc videocapillaroscopy patterns (higher among experienced rheumatologists) and substantial agreement, regardless of previous experience in VCP, in the identification of normal and abnormal images. Agreement for the identification of active and late patterns is higher than for the early pattern.

Reliability of OMERACT ultrasound elementary lesions in gout: results from a multicenter exercise.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the outcome measures in rheumatology (OMERACT) definitions for ultrasound (US) elementary lesions in gout through an image reading exercise. Images from patients with gout (static images and videos) were collected. As an initial step, we carried out a image reading exercise within the experts of the Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR) US Study Group (n = 16). The following step consisted in a web-based exercise with the participation of larger number of sonographers (n = 63) from different centers. Images were rated evaluating the presence/absence of any US elementary lesion. Inter- and intra-reader reliabilities were analyzed using kappa coefficients. Participants were stratified according to their level of experience. In the first exercise, inter-reader kappa values were 0.45 for aggregates, 0.57 for tophus, 0.69 for erosions, and 0.90 for double contour (DC). Intra-reader kappa values were 0.86, 0.76, 0.80, and 0.90, respectively. The web-based exercise showed inter-reader kappa values for aggregates, tophus, erosions, and DC of 0.42, 0.49, 0.69, and 0.79, respectively. The intra-reader kappa values were 0.62, 0.69, 0.77, and 0.85, respectively. Reliability was not influenced by the sonographer's level of experience. The reliability of the new OMERACT US definitions for elementary lesions in gout ranged from moderate to excellent, depending on the type of lesion.

Guías de manejo de artritis reumatoide Consenso 2016 Asociación Costarricense de Reumatología / (Management Guidelines of Rheumatoid Arthritis Consensus 2016)

ResumenLa artritis reumatoide sigue representando un importante factor de deterioro de la salud de las personas que sufren esta condición, a pesar de los avances recientes en su tratamiento. En forma adicional, se reconoce su significativo impacto a nivel social y económico. La Asociación Costarricense de Reumatología publicó en 2010, las primeras guías de manejo de esta enfermedad.En el presente trabajo, este primer documento fue actualizado, mediante la revisión exaustiva de la información científica disponible y relevante a la fecha, con el objetivo de uniformar y optimizar la atención de la artritis reumatoide en Costa Rica. Incluye las recomendaciones de evaluación de los pacientes, su seguimiento y tratamiento. También se revisan las opciones de medicamentos disponibles en el país, es decir, drogas modificadoras de los síntomas y fármacos modificadores de la enfermedad convencionales, además de agentes biológicos y moléculas pequeñas.

AbstractRheumatoid arthritis continues to represent an important factor of deterioration in the health of people suffering from this condition despite recent medical advances in their treatment. Additionally, its significant social and economic impact it is recognized. The Costa Rican Association of Rheumatology published in 2010 the first guidelines for the management of this disease. In the present work, this first document is updated, through an exhaustive review of the available and relevant scientific information to date. This review aims to standardize and optimize the care of rheumatoid arthritis in Costa Rica. It includes recommendations for evaluation of patients, follow-up and treatment. There is also a review of drug options available in the country, i.e., symptoms-modifying drugs, conventional disease modifying drugs, as well as biological agents and small molecules.

Artritis temprana / Early arthritis

Hasta la década de los años ochenta se consideraba a la artritis reumatoide, AR, como una enfermedad poco frecuente, de gravedad leve a moderada, que tenía una evolución lentamente, progresiva hacia el daño articular y la incapacidad. El aborde terapéutico convencional hasta ese momento, era el tratamiento clásico de la pirámide.

Clinimetría, una herramienta indispensable / Clinimetry, an indispensable tool

Si la meta terapéutica de la AR es lograr y mantener el menor grado de actividad o incluso de remisión, el manejo de la AR debe de incluir una evaluación cuantitativa clara de la inflamación de la artritis reumatoide en forma sistemática y regular. Debido a la alta variabilidad de la actividad de la AR, como también de la diversidad de sus otras manifestaciones, no es posible que una simple medición pueda realmente capturar la actividad global de la enfermedad.

Drogas modificadoras de la artritis reumatoide, DMAR / Disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, DMARD

El nuevo paradigma terapéutico de la artritis reumatoide establece que todo paciente con actividad de la enfermedad debe recibir alguna droga modificadora de la artritis reumatoide. Estas drogas reciben este nombre ya que han demostrado en estudios clínicos controlados modificar el curso natural de la enfermedad.

Agentes biológicos en el tratamiento de la artritis reumatoide / Biological agents in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

El mayor conocimiento inmuno-patológico de la artritis reumatoide permitió mediante una sofisticada tecnología molecular elaborar antagonistas contra blancos específicos en diversos pasos de la inmuno patogenia de la enfermedad. Existe una amplia evidencia sobre la eficacia, tolerabilidad y seguridad de estos agentes en diferentes escenarios clínicos de la artritis reumatoide. La introducción de estos agentes biológicos en el arsenal terapéutico de la artritis reumatoide ha marcado un hito en su evolución y pronóstico artritis reumatoide.

La ultrasonografía en el estudio de rodilla dolorosa / Ultrasonography in the study of painful knee

La presencia de dolor y/o tumefacción a nivel de la rodilla es un motivo de consulta frecuente, ya sea en pacientes con enfermedad reumatológica definida o en la población general. Si bien la rodilla es una región accesible para el examen clínico, la ultrasonografía se ha convertido en una herramienta de gran ayuda para el reumatólogo al momento de definir el origen del dolor y/o la tumefacción, ya que permite detectar inclusive mínimas alteraciones morfoestructurales a nivel de las distintas estructuras anatómicas de la rodilla. En la práctica clínica es importante destacar la importancia de la ultrasonografía para la detección de sinovitis y entesopatía subclínicas en las artropatías inflamatorias, así como para demostrar cambios mínimos sugestivos de artropatía degenerativa y microcristalina. Por otra parte, esta técnica es de suma utilidad en la determinación del origen de los distintos síndromes regionales dolorosos y es una herramienta eficaz como guía para el intervencionismo diagnóstico y/o terapéutico. La ultrasonografía cuenta con muchas ventajas, tales como la inocuidad, el bajo costo operativo y la posibilidad de estudiar múltiples regiones en tiempo real y dinámico; sin embargo, en la actualidad, la larga curva de aprendizaje quizás sea una de sus mayores limitaciones.

The presence of knee pain and/or swelling is an important reason of attendance in rheumatologic daily practice. Although knee is an accessible region to be evaluated by the physical examination ultrasonography has been converted in an excellent and helping tool for the rheumatologists in order to establish the origin of the knee pain and/or swelling. Ultrasonography has the ability to detect subclinical synovitis and enthesopathy in patients with inflammatory arthritis and to demonstrate minimal changes indicative of degenerative or mycrocristaline arthropathies. Moreover, ultrasonography can be useful to determinate the cause of the different pain regional syndromes and is a very good option to be used as guide for the interventional arthrocentesis. Ultrasonography has several advantages as safety, low cost and the capability to study many joints in a realtime. However, at the present the large learning curve might be one of the main limitations.

Eficacia de los agentes anti-TNFα en una cohorte de pacientes con artritis reumatoide en Costa Rica / Efficacy of anti-TNF agents in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Costa Rica

Objetivos: determinar el grado de eficacia de los agentes anti factor de necrosis tumoral alfa en pacientes con artritis reumatoide e identificar factores predictores de la respuesta a dicha terapia en un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal. Métodos: fueron incluidos pacientes con AR mayores de 18 años, en control en la seguridad social de Costa Rica y que habían recibido algún agente anti TNF-α. La eficacia de la terapia biológica se determinó según: 1) la continuidad del tratamiento instaurado; 2) el control alcanzado, según el criterio subjetivo del médico tratante; 3) los criterios de mejoría del EULAR; y 4) la remisión clínica según EULAR. Resultados: 66 pacientes completaron los criterios de inclusión. El 45,5% de los casos logró la remisión según el DAS 28. El riesgo relativo (RR) de no alcanzar la remisión fue en los pacientes mayores de 50 años de 2,22 (IC 95% = 1,03-4,77), en los pacientes con un DAS 28 basal > 6 fue de 2,66 (IC 95% = 1,14-6,20) y en los pacientes con una duración de la enfermedad mayor de 10 años el RR fue de 4,0 (IC 95% = 1,30-12,22). Conclusiones: el empleo de los agentes anti TNF-α en los pacientes con enfermedad resistente al tratamiento convencional con DMAR, alcanzó un 45,5% de remisión EULAR. La edad de inicio de la terapia, el tiempo de duración de la enfermedad y un DAS 28 elevado son predictores negativos de la respuesta a la terapia con agentes anti TNF-α.

Objectives: To determine the efficacy of the anti-TNF-α therapy among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to identify predictors of treatment response to these therapy. Methods: RA patients, older than 18, were included. These patients belong to the Costa Rican Social Security System. They are under medical control and have received an anti-TNF-α agent. Efficacy of the biological therapy was determined based in: 1. The continuity of the established treatment, 2. The achieved control, according to the physician's subjective criteria, 3. EULAR good response and 4. EULAR remission. Results: In total, 66 patients were included in the study. 45.5% of the patients achieved EULAR remission. The relative risk (RR) of not achieving remission in patients of more than 50 years old was 2.22% (IC 95% = 1.03-4.77%), in patients with DAS 28 score at baseline > 6 was 2.66 (IC 95% = 1.14-6.20) and in patients with more than 10 years of AR diagnosis, the RR was 4.0 (IC 95%= 1.30-12.22). Conclusions: The use of anti-TNF in patients that disease previously resistant to conventional DMAR achieved a 45% EULAR remission. The age in which the therapy starts; long-standing disease and the higher DAS 28, are negative predictors of treatment response to anti-TNF therapy.

Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR) recommendations and guidelines for musculoskeletal ultrasound training in the Americas for rheumatologists.

OBJECTIVE: To develop guidelines for Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (MSKUS) training for rheumatologists in the Americas. METHODS: A total of 25 Rheumatologists from 19 countries of the American Continent participated in a consensus-based interactive process (Delphi method) using 2 consecutive electronic questionnaires. The first questionnaire included the following: the relevance of organizing courses to teach MSKUS to Rheumatologists, the determination of the most effective educational course models, the trainee levels, the educational objectives, the requirements for passing the course(s), the course venues, the number of course participants per instructor, and the percentage of time spent in hands-on sessions. The second questionnaire consisted of questions that did not achieve consensus (>65%) in the first questionnaire, topics, and pathologies to be covered at each course MSKUS level. RESULTS: General consensus was obtained for MSKUS courses to be divided into 3 educational levels: basic, intermediate, and advanced. These courses should be taught using a theoretical-didactic and hands-on model. In addition, the group established the minimum requirements for attending and passing each MSKUS course level, the ideal number of course participants per instructor (4 participants/instructor), and the specific topics and musculoskeletal pathologies to be covered. In the same manner, the group concluded that 60% to 70% of course time should be focused on hands-on sessions. CONCLUSION: A multinational group of MSKUS sonographers using a consensus-based questionnaire (Delphi method) established the first recommendations and guidelines for MSKUS course training in the Americas. Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology urges that these guidelines and recommendations be adopted in the future by both national and regional institutions in the American continent involved in the training of Rheumatologists for the performance of MSKUS.

Sindrome de Sjogren revisión del tema y presentación de un caso con parálisis hipokalémica / Sjogren's syndrome : review and presentation of a case with hypokalemic paralisis

Se presenta el primer caso reportado en Costa Rica de una parálisis hipokalémica secundaria a una acidosis tubular renal en una paciente con un síndrome de Sjogren. Se trata de una mujer joven con un padecimiento crónico inespecífico, en mal estaod general, con evidencia de un proceso autoinmune, en quien no se logró establecer un diagnóstico preciso, a pesar de haber sido sometida a diferentes procedimientos diagnósticos. Posteriormente desarrolló un cuadro autolimitado de debilidad muscular asociado a hipokalemia y acidosis tubular distal renal; se plantea entonces el diagnóstico de síndrome de Sjogren, el cual se confirma mediante los criterios de reconocimiento de la naturaleza del proceso aquí propuesto de : compromiso glandular exocrino, hiperactividad linfocítica B y compromiso orgánico específico. Estos criterios se han establecido con base en los nuevos conocimientos clínicos, inmunológicos y patológicos