Real-World Health Care Outcomes and Costs Among Patients With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in Spain.

Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most frequent chronic rheumatic disease in children. If inflammation is not adequately treated, joint damage, long-term disability, and active disease during adulthood can occur. Identifying and implementing early and adequate therapy are critical for improving clinical outcomes. The burden of JIA on affected children, their families, and the healthcare system in Spain has not been adequately assessed. The greatest contribution to direct costs is medication, but other expenses contribute to the consumption of resources, negatively impacting healthcare cost and the economic conditions of affected families. Objective: To assess the direct healthcare, indirect resource utilization, and associated cost of moderate-to-severe JIA in children in routine clinical practice in Spain. Methods: Children were enrolled in this 24-month observational, multicentric, cross-sectional, retrospective study (N = 107) if they had been treated with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), had participated in a previous study (ITACA), and continued to be followed up at pediatric rheumatology units at 3 tertiary Spanish hospitals. Direct costs included medication, specialist and primary care visits, hospitalizations, emergency visits or consultations, surgeries, physiotherapy, and tests. Indirect costs included hospital travel expenses and loss of caregiver working hours. Unitary costs were obtained from official sources (€, 2020). Results: Overall, children had inactive disease/low disease activity according to JADAS-71 score and very low functional disability as measured by Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire score. Up to 94.4% of children received treatment, mainly with bDMARDs as monotherapy (84.5%). Among anti-TNFα treatments, adalimumab (47.4%) and etanercept (40.2%) were used in similar proportions. Annual mean (SD) total JIA cost was €7516.40 (€5627.30). Average cost of pharmacological treatment was €3021.80 (€3956.20), mainly due to biologic therapy €2789.00 (€3399.80). Direct annual cost (excluding treatments) was €3654.60 (€3899.00). Indirect JIA cost per family was €747.20 (€1452.80). Conclusion: JIA causes significant costs to the Spanish healthcare system and affected families. Public costs are partly due to the high cost of biologic treatments, which nevertheless remain an effective long-term treatment, maintaining inactive disease/low disease activity state; a very low functional disability score; and a good quality of life.

Leukocyte-Endothelium Interaction Is Associated with Fat Mass in Children.

OBJECTIVE: To study leukocyte-endothelium interaction, a measure of the initial phase of atheromatosis, in children with overweight or obesity. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study was conducted in 77 children aged 7-16 years; 47 were children with overweight/obesity and 30 were normal weight. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from venous blood samples and the interaction of leukocytes over a monolayer of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was analyzed using flow chamber microscopy. The variables studied included leukocyte rolling velocity, rolling flux, and adhesion to endothelial cells. These were compared between children with overweight/obesity and control children. Correlation between the measures of leukocyte-endothelium interaction and anthropometric and biochemical variables was evaluated. RESULTS: In comparison with normal weight children, the PMNs and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the overweight/obesity group showed a reduction in rolling velocity (P = .000 and P = .001, respectively) and an increase in rolling flux (P = .001 and P = .004), and adhesion (P = .003 and P = .002). The homeostasis model of insulin resistance was correlated inversely with rolling velocity and positively with rolling flux in PMNs. C-reactive protein was correlated positively with rolling flux and adhesion in both types of leucocytes. Fat mass index was correlated with all measures of leukocyte-endothelial interaction and proved to be the main predictor of leukocyte adhesion in the multiple regression analysis (P = .001 for PMNs and P = .006 for peripheral blood mononuclear cells). CONCLUSIONS: Excess fat mass in children is related to the activation of the leukocyte-endothelium interaction, potentially contributing to the development of atherosclerosis.

Inhibidores de la bomba de protones y la homeostasis del calcio / Proton pump inhibitors and calcium homeostasis

Antecedentes: la asociación entre los inhibidores de la bomba de protones (IBP) y el riesgo de osteoporosis y fracturas óseas es un tema que ha originado, recientemente, bastante interés en la literatura médica. Los IBP son los fármacos de primera elección en enfermedades que evolucionan con incremento de la secreción ácida y, debido al aumento progresivo de su prescripción, su potencial toxicidad se investiga periódicamente. Objetivos: en la presente revisión se analizan las bases fisiofarmacológicas y la limitada evidencia clínica de una potencial relación entre la administración continuada de IBP y la aparición de osteoporosis y fracturas óseas. Ambas patologías, relacionadas con la homeostasis del calcio, son de gran importancia en pacientes de edad avanzada por su mal pronóstico general y las consecuencias invalidantes que conllevan.

Background: the relationship between proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures is a topic of great interest in recent medical literature. PPI are first choice drugs for diseases evolving with an increase in acid secretion. Due to their growing prescription, their potential toxicity is periodically verified. Objectives: the present review analyzes the physiopharmacological bases and limited clinical evidence of a potential relationship between continued administration of PPIs and the appearance of osteoporosis and bone fractures. Both conditions are related to calcium homeostasis, and their relevance in elderly patients is high, due to their poor general prognosis and disabling effects.

¿Es real el riesgo de osteoporosis y riesgo de fracturas con el uso crónico de inhibidores de la bomba de protones? / Chronic use of proton pump inhibitors: Is the risk of osteoporosis and fractures real?

Resumen Los inhibidores de la bomba de protones (IBP) constituyen uno de los grupos farmacológicosmás usados y su potencial toxicidad se revisa periódicamente haciendo hincapié enaspectos que en un primer momento se habían considerado secundarios. En la presente revisiónse analizan las bases fisio-farmacológicas y la limitada evidencia clínica de una potencial relaciónentre la administración continuada de IBP y la aparición de osteoporosis y fracturas óseas.Ambas patologías están claramente relacionadas con la homeostasis del calcio, y son de granimportancia en pacientes de edad avanzada por su mal pronóstico general y las consecuenciasinvalidantes que conllevan (AU)

Abstract Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are one of the most widely used groups of drugs and theirpotential toxicity is periodically reviewed, emphasizing aspects originally considered secondary.The present review analyzes the physiological and pharmacological bases and the scarce clinicalevidence for a potential association between the continued administration of PPI and thedevelopment of osteoporosis and bone fractures. Both disorders are clearly related to calciumhomeostasis and are highly important in elderly patients due to their poor general prognosisand disabling consequences (AU)

[Chronic use of proton pump inhibitors: is the risk of osteoporosis and fractures real?]. / ¿Es real el riesgo de osteoporosis y riesgo de fracturas con el uso crónico de inhibidores de la bomba de protones?

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are one of the most widely used groups of drugs and their potential toxicity is periodically reviewed, emphasizing aspects originally considered secondary. The present review analyzes the physiological and pharmacological bases and the scarce clinical evidence for a potential association between the continued administration of PPI and the development of osteoporosis and bone fractures. Both disorders are clearly related to calcium homeostasis and are highly important in elderly patients due to their poor general prognosis and disabling consequences.