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.

Characteristics of Patients With Early-Onset Arthritis in Latin America: Description of the REPANARC Cohort.

BACKGROUND: While many studies have tried to show that early intervention improves the clinical outcomes of early-onset arthritis, only a few were carried out in Latin America. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the Pan-American Registry of Early-Onset Arthritis (REPANARC) project and report the preliminary outcomes of a cohort of patients. METHODS: The REPANARC cohort consisted of a sample of patients from 6 Latin American countries. Patients with arthritis of 1 or more joints of 1-year duration or less were assessed by a rheumatologist during 6 consecutive clinical visits for a follow-up period of 2 years. The registry included clinical characteristics, medical history, physical examination, disease activity, analytical chemistries, imaging, current treatment, and a set of patient-reported outcome measures evaluating disability, psychological distress, and quality of life. RESULTS: A total of 173 patients were included with mean age of 41.9 ± 13.2 years; 83.8% were women. The predominant presentations at onset were insidious, polyarticular, additive, bilateral, and symmetrical. The initial diagnoses were rheumatoid arthritis (50.6%), undifferentiated arthritis (40.5%), and other arthritis (8.9%). With Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints, 76.9% had moderate to high disease activity, and 61.9% had moderate to severe disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire). Considering undifferentiated arthritis, 60.3% persisted undifferentiated, 29.4% evolved as rheumatoid arthritis, 4.4% remained self-limited, and 5.9% to other forms. The frequencies of depression and anxiety were high as measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and approximately 20% had significant decrements in quality of life measured with the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 Health Survey Version 2. Mean time from the first symptoms to the first visit to a rheumatologist was 126 days. Shorter delays were confirmed to be associated with better outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The REPANARC project is a useful tool to provide valuable information regarding patients with early-onset arthritis attending rheumatology centers in Latin-America.