A Comparison of Demographics, Disease Activity, Disability, and Treatment Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with and without Osteoporosis.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis (OP) is one of the most common comorbidities associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Literatures reported that the risk for developing OP was strongly associated with duration and severity of RA. We aim to elaborate on the consequences of OP on disease activity and management plan in patients with RA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study recruited 408 patients, including those with RA alone and with RA plus OP. The RA disease activity in the patients was assessed using disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28-CRP). A statistical analysis was performed to compare data between the two groups of patients and determine any significant risk factor associated with the development of OP in RA patients. RESULTS: Of 408 patients who were included in this study, 353 patients (86.5%) had only RA, while 55 patients (13.5%) had RA with OP and showed significant difference (P = 0.04) concerning age categories. Patients diagnosed with RA and OP had RA duration longer than RA-only patients (independent t-test, P = 0.01). The two groups had almost similar disease activity at the three clinical visits, as well, had nearly similar disability at their first visit, whereas RA with OP patients had significant greater disability at their 2nd and 3rd visits (independent t-test, P = 0.001). Both groups were treated with the same biologic and non-biologic medication of similar frequency, although RA patients with OP received steroid more frequently than patients had RA only (61.7% vs. 41.7%, chi square test, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in disease activity at both groups of patients. However, RA with OP group had longer duration of RA, were more frequently treated with steroids, and had greater disability. We recommend physicians focus on controlling RA disease activity, early screening for and treating of OP.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Saudi Database (RASD): Disease Characteristics and Remission Rates in a Tertiary Care Center.

BACKGROUND: National Registries are essential to direct current practice. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) registries in the middle east and North Africa remain scarcely represented. OBJECTIVE: To describe a population of Saudi RA patients and to compare the findings to internationally reported data. METHODS: This is an observational study that was conducted at Doctor Soliman Fakeeh Hospital (DSFH) in Saudi Arabia. The study ran from 2014 to 2018 using a pool of 433 patients. Inclusion criteria included adults older than 18 years of age who fulfilled the 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria for the diagnosis of RA and who were also regular visitors in our rheumatology clinics. Data were collected directly from patients and entered in a specially designed program. RESULTS: At initial presentation, 45.5% had demonstrated active disease (moderate or high disease activity) based on DAS-28-CRP scores, while 54.5% were in low disease activity or remission. The remission rates after 1 year had increased to 79.6% (345 patients), while 9.7% (42 patients) and 10.6% (46 patients) had low disease activity and moderate disease activity, respectively. It was also found that the female gender, higher Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) and longer lag1/lag2 periods were associated with higher disease activity in our population. CONCLUSION: We detected higher remission rates at 1 year of follow-up. This could be attributed to many factors, including good referral systems with easier access to biologics. We aim to expand this registry to the national level.

Early Diagnosis Of Inflammatory Arthritis By Primary Care Physicians Following Training By A Rheumatologist.

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis and therapeutic management of inflammatory arthritis (IA) is crucial for minimizing disease progression and improving outcomes. We recently developed the New Early Arthritis Referral Criteria to help improve the detection of suspected early IA via musculoskeletal (MSK) examination. The present study aimed to evaluate the agreement between rheumatologists and primary care physicians (PCPs) trained by rheumatologists in detecting IA when applying the standardized MSK examination techniques used to develop this criteria in a real-world setting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 4 primary health centers and involved 30 PCPs and 3 rheumatologists. All PCPs were trained by rheumatologists to apply the standardized MSK examination techniques used to develop the New Early Arthritis Referral Criteria. Patients were eligible if they were >18 years of age and presented with small-joint pain that persisted for >6 weeks. Patients were excluded if they had prior diagnosis of osteoarthritis, hand fractures, or rheumatic disease associated with IA. All patients were examined separately by a PCP and a rheumatologist, with the findings compared via kappa statistics and the rheumatologist's findings considered the "gold standard". RESULTS: Data from 202 of the 203 enrolled patients were analyzed. There was fair-to-moderate agreement between PCPs and rheumatologists when assessing swelling of the small joints and wrist of the right side (range of kappa: 0.14-0.41) and low-to-moderate agreement in similar examinations of the left side (range of kappa: 0.04-0.42). Assessments of joint tenderness showed fair-to-moderate agreement for both the right side (range of kappa: 0.22-0.47) and left side (range of kappa: 0.24-0.45). P-values were significant for virtually all comparisons. CONCLUSION: MSK examinations by PCPs showed a promising extent of agreement in detecting IA with those by rheumatologists following training. Refinement of the standardized training process could further improve accuracy and help PCPs to confidently identify cases of early IA, thus allowing earlier intervention than is typical in this setting.

Rituximab Can Induce Remission in a Patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis Who Failed Anti-TNF-α Agent.

BACKGROUND Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that predominantly affects the axial skeleton. The ability of anti-TNF-α agents to reduce disease activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), including AS, has been demonstrated in multiple randomized trials and several meta-analyses. Reports on the efficacy of rituximab in treatment of AS have described good results. We report on a patient with AS who failed anti-TNF-α therapy but showed good clinical improvement with rituximab therapy. CASE REPORT A 38-year-old male patient was diagnosed with AS and showed poor response to sulfasalazine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Infliximab was initiated with marked improvement as per the Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI). Due to disease flare, the patient was switched to etanercept. He subsequently acquired papillary thyroid cancer and etanercept was discontinued. He underwent a total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine therapy. For his ongoing active disease, NSAIDs and sulfasalazine were resumed with a lack of response (BASDAI=7.1). Rituximab was started and resulted in significant improvement (BASDAI=2.3). CONCLUSIONS Rituximab can be a potential target therapy for patients who start to lose response to TNF-inhibitors or for those who develop solid malignancies. Further placebo-controlled studies are required.

Adalimumab impact on fatigue measured by FACIT-F: a study of rheumatoid arthritis patients in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of adalimumab as a treatment for fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Fatigue was monitored in patients with RA who were already on an adalimumab treatment regimen. Fatigue, general well-being, comorbidities, and disease activity were measured at baseline and ~8, 16, and 24 weeks, thereafter. RESULTS: Significant reductions in fatigue scores and disease activity were observed from baseline to 6 months after. A predictive regression model of fatigue severity was proposed and was found to be significant, with RA disease activity as the most significant predictor of fatigue severity. CONCLUSION: This quasi-experimental study is a good starting point for research on the efficacy of adalimumab in treating fatigue in RA patients. The results here suggest that a randomized controlled trial assessing adalimumab as a treatment option for RA patients suffering from fatigue is warranted.