Motor neuron disease in a patient with overlap syndrome (rheumatoid arthritis; systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome).

Autoimmune rheumatic diseases have their own specific clinical presentation, and can affect multiple systems. Neurological involvement of autoimmune rheumatic diseases may involve both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Inflammation of neural tissue, autoantibody-mediated reactions, and small vessel vasculitis may be effective in the pathogenesis of neuropathy in autoimmune rheumatological diseases. Autoimmune rheumatic disease with pure motor neuron involvement is very rare in the literature. The case is here presented of a 58-year-old female patient who presented with the complaints of increasing pain and weakness in the extremities and was diagnosed with lower motor neuron disease and overlap syndrome. The patient was treated with cyclophosphamide, pulse steroid, hydroxychloroquine and intravenous immunoglobulin. After 3 months of treatment, a significant improvement was observed in the patient's clinical complaints and laboratory parameters. In conclusion, some patients with undiagnosed autoimmune rheumatic diseases may have neurological complaints. Clinicians should investigate patients with such neurological complaints for autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

Effects of sulfasalazine in axial spondyloarthritis on COVID-19 outcomes: real-life data from a single center.

INTRODUCTION: Compared to biological agents, little is known about the impact of sulfasalazine therapy on COVID-19 outcomes in patients with Axial Spondyloarthritis (AxSpA). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the COVID-19 severity in AxSpAs receiving sulfasalazine and biologic-agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 219 SARS-CoV-2 positive AxSpA patients were retrospectively analyzed. COVID-19 pneumonia, hospitalization rate, and length of stay were used to determine COVID-19 severity. AxSpA patients were mainly grouped and compared as sulfasalazine and non-sulfasalazine. Afterward, we excluded no-treatment patients to reveal the drug's effects more clearly and regrouped AxSpA patients as sulfasalazine-monotherapy (34.3%), biologic-monotherapy (33.7%), and sulfasalazine + biologic (7.3%). RESULTS: Fifty-nine percent of the patients were male and the mean age was 45.0 years. Peripheral arthritis was 35% and uveitis 15%. In total, 41.5% of them have received sulfasalazine and 41.0% biologic agents, and the remaining patients with no AxSpA-specific treatment. In the first comparison, the sulfasalazine group had a higher age, more frequent COVID-19 pneumonia, hospitalization, and longer hospitalization than a non-sulfasalazine group. In the pairwise comparison of 3 treatment groups, the demographic and clinical features, the hospitalization rate and the length of hospital stay were similar but the sulfasalazine-monotherapy group had a higher frequency of COVID-19 pneumonia than the biologic-monotherapy group (23% vs. 7%, p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Our results imply sulfasalazine may be related to more severe COVID-19 in AxSpA patients. These patients should be followed more carefully in the presence of COVID-19, regardless of reasons such as age, comorbidity, and extra-axial disease, and consideration of discontinuing sulfasalazine maybe even thought.

Deep learning methods in the diagnosis of sacroiliitis from plain pelvic radiographs.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to develop a computer-aided diagnosis method to assist physicians in evaluating sacroiliac radiographs. METHODS: Convolutional neural networks, a deep learning method, were used in this retrospective study. Transfer learning was implemented with pre-trained VGG-16, ResNet-101 and Inception-v3 networks. Normal pelvic radiographs (n = 290) and pelvic radiographs with sacroiliitis (n = 295) were used for the training of networks. RESULTS: The training results were evaluated with the criteria of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and precision calculated from the confusion matrix and AUC (area under the ROC curve) calculated from ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve. Pre-trained VGG-16 model revealed accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision and AUC figures of 89.9%, 90.9%, 88.9%, 88.9% and 0.96 with test images, respectively. These results were 84.3%, 91.9%, 78.8%, 75.6 and 0.92 with pre-trained ResNet-101, and 82.0%, 79.6%, 85.0%, 86.7% and 0.90 with pre-trained inception-v3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Successful results were obtained with all three models in this study where transfer learning was applied with pre-trained VGG-16, ResNet-101 and Inception-v3 networks. This method can assist clinicians in the diagnosis of sacroiliitis, provide them with a second objective interpretation and also reduce the need for advanced imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging.

Impact of obesity on quality of life, psychological status, and disease activity in psoriatic arthritis: a multi­center study.

This article aims to evaluate the possible effect of obesity on quality of life, psychological status, and other clinical variables in Psoriatic arthritis (PsA). PsA patients have been recruited by the Turkish League Against Rheumatism-Network from various centers in Turkey in this cross-sectional study. Patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ of 30 kg/m2 were considered obese. Differences among patients with regard to obesity status were assessed with health-related quality of life measures (PsA Quality of Life Questionnaire [PsAQoL]), psychological status (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]), and disease activity parameters (the Disease Activity index for PSoriatic Arthritis [DAPSA], Disease Activity Score 28-C-reactive protein [DAS28-CRP], Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index [BASDAI], Psoriasis Area and Severity Index [PASI]), physical functions (Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index [BASFI], Health Assessment Questionnaire [HAQ], and Health Assessment Questionnaire for the spondyloarthropathies [HAQ-S]). Pain was assessed using visual analog scale of pain (VAS-P), and fatigue was evaluated using visual analog scale of fatigue (VAS-F) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT). A total of 1033 patients with PsA, 650 (62.9%) non-obese and 383 (37.1%) obese were included in the study. The PsAQoL, HADS-Anxiety, HADS-Depression, DAPSA, DAS28-CRP, BASDAI, BASFI, HAQ and HAQ-S scores of the obese group were higher than the non-obese group (p < 0.05). VAS-P and PASI scores were similar between group of patients with and without obesity. Obese patients had higher median scores of VAS-F and FACIT than non-obese patients (p < 0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that BMI affects the quality of life, depression, and disease activity. Consequently, obesity has significant associations with higher disease activity, lower QoL, risk of anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Therefore, obesity should also be taken into account in the management of PsA patients.

The effectiveness of anti-interleukin-1 therapy on subclinical inflammation parameters during the attack-free period in familial Mediterranean fever patients: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: : Anti IL-1 therapy is useful in suppressing attacks in FMF patients with colchicine resistance, however, it is not certain whether subclinical inflammation can sufficiently be inhibited with anti-IL-1 therapy in FMF patients with amyloidosis. METHODS: Forty-six FMF patients receiving anti-interleukin-1 therapy and 36 healthy control patients were compared in terms of laboratory parameters. Also, FMF patients were further divided into two groups; those with amyloidosis and those without it, and these subgroups were compared to each other in terms of clinical and laboratory findings. RESULTS: In comparison between the FMF and healthy control groups, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and red cell distribution width (RDW) level were detected to be higher and hemoglobin level lower in the patient group. Within the FMF patient group, the ESR, CRP, fibrinogen, RDW, and NLR values were significantly higher in the subgroup with amyloidosis in comparison to the subgroup without amyloidosis. DISCUSSION: Anti-interleukin-1 therapy could not fully suppress the subclinical inflammatory parameters when compared to healthy individuals.

The effectiveness of anti-interleukin-1 therapy on subclinical inflammation parameters during the attack-free period in familial Mediterranean fever patients: A case-control study.

Background/aim: Anti IL-1 therapy is useful in suppressing attacks in FMF patients with colchicine resistance, however, it is not certain whether subclinical inflammation can sufficiently be inhibited with anti-IL-1 therapy in FMF patients with amyloidosis. Materials and methods: Forty-six FMF patients receiving anti-interleukin-1 therapy and 36 healthy control patients were compared in terms of laboratory parameters. Also, FMF patients were further divided into two groups; those with amyloidosis and those without it, and these subgroups were compared to each other in terms of clinical and laboratory findings. Results: In comparison between the FMF and healthy control groups, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and red cell distribution width (RDW) level were detected to be higher and hemoglobin level lower in the patient group. Within the FMF patient group, the ESR, CRP, fibrinogen, RDW, and NLR values were significantly higher in the subgroup with amyloidosis in comparison to the subgroup without amyloidosis. Conclusion: Anti-interleukin-1 therapy could not fully suppress the subclinical inflammatory parameters when compared to healthy individuals.

The effect of gender on disease activity and clinical characteristics in patients with axial psoriatic arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of gender on clinical findings, disease activity, functional status and quality of life in patients with axial involvement in Turkey. METHODS: Patients with PsA who met the CASPAR classification criteria were enrolled consequently in this cohort. Turkish League Against Rheumatism (TLAR)-Network was formed with the participation of 25 centres. The demographic variables, fatigue, diagnostic delay, the beginning of peripheral arthritis, enthesitis, dactylitis and spine involvement, inflammatory low back pain, BASFI, HAQ, HAQ-s, visual analogue scale-pain (VAS-pain), anxiety, depression and disease activity parameters (ESR, DAS28, BASDAI) were recorded. Axial involvement was assessed according to clinical and radiological data according to modified New York (MNYC) or Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) criteria. RESULTS: A total of 1018 patients with PsA were included in this study. Of the 373 patients with axial involvement, 150 were male (40.2%) and 223 (59.8%) were female. Spondylitis was detected in 14,7% of men and 21,9% of women in all patients. Pain score (VAS) (p < .002), fatigue (p < .001), ESR (p < .001), DAS28 (p < .001), BASDAI score (p < .001), PsAQoL (p < .001), HAQ score (p < ,01), HAQ-S score (p < .001), anxiety (p < .001), depression (p < .024), FACIT (p < .001) and FiRST (p < .001) scores were statistically significantly worse in women than males with axial PsA. However, quality of life was better (p < .001) and PASI score (p < .005) were statistically worse in male patients than in female patients with axial involvement. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that the burden of disease in axial PsA has significant difference between genders. Disease activity, physical disability, functional limitation, depression and anxiety scores were higher in female patients, while quality of life were better and PASI score were higher in male patients. Therefore, we suggest that new strategies should be developed for more effective treatment of axial PsA in female patients.

Enthesitis and its relationship with disease activity, functional status, and quality of life in psoriatic arthritis: a multi-center study.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthritis with distinct phenotypic subtypes. Enthesitis is assigned as a hallmark of the disease, given its significant relations to disease activity and quality of life. Our objective is to evaluate the prevalence of enthesitis and its association with some clinical parameters, particularly quality of life, using data from a national registry. Patients with PsA meeting ClASsification criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis (CASPAR) were enrolled by means of a multi-centre Turkish League Against Rheumatism (TLAR) Network Project. The following information was recorded in web-based case report forms: demographic, clinical and radiographic data; physical examination findings, including tender and swollen joint counts (TJC and SJC); nail and skin involvement; Disease Activity Score-28 for Rheumatoid Arthritis with Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (DAS 28-ESR); Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI); Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score (MASES); Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI); Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiology Index for the spine (BASRI-s); Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ); Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI); Health Assessment Questionnaire for the spondyloarthropathies (HAQ-s); Psoriatic arthritis quality of Life scale (PsAQoL); Short Form 36 (SF-36); Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS); Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F); and Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST) scores. The patients were divided into two groups, namely with and without enthesitis, based on the triple Likert-type physician-reported statement of 'active enthesitis', 'history of enthesitis' or 'none' in the case report forms. Patients with active enthesitis were compared to others in terms of these clinical parameters. A total of 1130 patients were enrolled in this observational study. Of these patients, 251 (22.2%) had active enthesitis according to the clinical assessment. TJC, HAQ-s, BASDAI, FiRST and PsAQoL were significantly higher whereas the SF-36 scores were lower in patients with enthesitis (p < 0.05). Chronic back pain, dactylitis, and tenosynovitis were more frequent in the enthesopathy group (59.4%/39%, 13.1%/6.5% and 24.7%/3.4%, respectively). Significant positive correlations between the MASES score and the TJC, HAQ, DAS 28-ESR, BASDAI, FiRST and PsAQoL scores, and a negative correlation with the SF-36 score were found. When linear regression analysis was performed, the SF-36 MCS and PCS scores decreased by - 9.740 and - 11.795 units, and the FiRST scores increased by 1.223 units in patients with enthesitis. Enthesitis is an important involvement of PsA with significant relations to quality of life determined with PsAQoL and SF-36 scores. Our study found higher frequency of dactylitis and chronic back pain, and worse quality of life determined with SF-36 and PsAQoL scores in patients with enthesitis.

The impact of fatigue on patients with psoriatic arthritis: a multi-center study of the TLAR-network.

Fatigue is a substantial problem in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) that needs to be considered in the core set of domains. This study aimed to evaluate fatigue and its relationship with disease parameters, functional disability, anxiety, depression, quality of life, and correlation with disease activity as determined by various scales. A total of 1028 patients (677 females, 351 males) with PsA who met the CASPAR criteria were included [Turkish League Against Rheumatism (TLAR) Network multicenter study]. The demographic features and clinical conditions of the patients were recorded. Correlations between fatigue score and clinical parameters were evaluated using the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA), Clinical DAPSA (cDAPSA), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), the Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST), minimal disease activity (MDA), and very low disease activity (VLDA). Fatigue was assessed with the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT-F) and a 10-point VAS (VAS-F). The mean age of the patients was 47 (SD: 12.2) years, and the mean disease duration was 6.4 (SD: 7.3) years. The mean VAS-F score was 5.1 (SD: 2.7), with fatigue being absent or mild, moderate, and severe in 12.8%, 24.6%, and 62.5% of the patients, respectively. Fatigue scores were significantly better in patients with DAS28 remission, DAPSA remission, cDAPSA remission, MDA, and VLDA (p < 0.001). Fatigue scores significantly increased with increasing disease activity levels on the DAS28, DAPSA, and cDAPSA (p < 0.001). VAS-F scores showed correlations with the scores of the BASDAI, BASFI, PsAQoL, HAD-A, FiRST, pain VAS, and PtGA. FiRST scores showed fibromyalgia in 255 (24.8%) patients. FACIT-F and VAS-F scores were significantly higher in patients with fibromyalgia (p < 0.001). In regression analysis, VLDA, BASDAI score, FiRST score, high education level, HAD-Anxiety, and BMI showed independent associations with fatigue. Our findings showed that fatigue was a common symptom in PsA and disease activity was the most substantial predictor, with fatigue being less in patients in remission, MDA, and VLDA. Other correlates of fatigue were female gender, educational level, anxiety, quality of life, function, pain, and fibromyalgia.

Comparison of Pain Characteristics in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Sclerosis with Particular Reference to the Neuropathic Pain Component: Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare characteristics of pain in terms of neuropathic pain (NeP) and to assess the association between the neuropathic component and quality of life (QoL) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifty-four patients (47 females, 7 males) with SSc and 53 patients (46 females, 7 males) with RA were assessed for outcome measures including disease activity, physical functions, mental condition and health-related QoL (HRQoL) measures (Short Form-36; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and pain. NeP was assessed by the Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) and PainDetect questionnaires in this cross-sectional study. RESULTS: The patients had similar education, smoking status, functioning, and HRQoL. However, the patients with RA declared a more severe visual analogue scale of pain and a higher BMI than those with SSc. The NeP component was detected in 42.6% (n = 23) of the SSc patients and in 45.3% (n = 24) of the RA patients (p > 0.05) according to DN4. On PainDetect, possible NeP was detected in 13.0% (n = 7) versus 15.1% (n = 8), whereas 16.7% (n = 9) versus 17.0% (n = 9) were likely to have NeP in SSc and RA, respectively (p > 0.05). Most of the NeP characteristics were similar in SSc and RA, except for numbness and painful cold, which were notably more common in patients with SSc. Having the NeP component (according to DN4) had no influence on functioning and HRQoL in SSc; however, the NeP component revealed a heavier burden of disease regarding functional status, HRQoL, and psychometric components in RA. CONCLUSION: The NeP component was similar between patients with SSc and RA. However, NeP was associated with a heavier burden of disease in patients with RA.

Neuropathic Pain Component in Axial Spondyloarthritis and the Influence on Disease Burden.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) and radiographic axSpA/ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have similar burden of disease; however, the potential influence of pain characteristics including the neuropathic pain (NeP) component has not been assessed yet. The aim of this study was first to assess frequency of NeP component in patients with axSpA and second to assess the potential influence of NeP on burden of disease. METHODS: Adult patients who met the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society classification criteria for axSpA were consecutively recruited. Patients were evaluated using the Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions interview and painDETECT questionnaire and subgrouped as patients with and without NeP. RESULTS: Neuropathic pain component was present in 31.4% of patients with axSpA categorized according to Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions (31.6% in nr-axSpA vs 31.3% in AS, P = 0.964) and in 33.5% of patients categorized according to painDETECT (35.1% in nr-axSpA vs 32.8% in AS, P = 0.762). Pain characteristics were quite similar between patients with nr-axSpA and AS. Women tented to have more frequent NeP. Patients with NeP component had significantly higher scores in visual analog scale of pain, patient and physician global, fatigue, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score using C-reactive protein, depression, anxiety scores, and physical functions; poorer quality of life (QoL); and similar frequency of fibromyalgia compared with patients without NeP component. In multivariable analysis, having NeP was associated with QoL measures (Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life and Short-Form 36 physical component score) and visual analog scale of fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one third of patients with axSpA may have NeP component regardless of having nr-axSpA or AS. Neuropathic pain component may contribute worsened QoL and poorer patient-reported outcome data and should be kept in mind during patient evaluation.

Neurological Involvement in Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: To determine the rate and types of neurological involvement in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) and to evaluate predictive clinical and immunologic features of neurological involvement. Methods: We retrospectively assessed 2127 patients with an ICD-10 code for Sjögren recorded in the hospital database. Among these patients, those meeting the pSS classification criteria and having neurological symptoms and an objective evaluation accordingly were enrolled. After comparing the patients with and without neurological involvement, peripheral and central involvement subtypes were also compared within themselves. Results: A total of 199 pSS patients were enrolled and neurological involvement was found in 31.6%. Peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement was found in 23.5% of the patients, and central nervous system (CNS) involvement was found in 34.3%. Patients with neurological involvement had a higher frequency of Schirmer's test, anti-Ro/SS-A and anti-La/SS-B positivity and the presence of interstitial lung disease, articular involvement, lymphadenopathy, anemia and hypocomplementemia than patients without those. In multivariate regression analysis, only articular involvement had a higher risk for the development of neurologic involvement [OR 10.01 (4.18-23.97), P 0.0001]. Among the patients with PNS, the frequency of anti-Ro/SS-A positivity, low C3 and Schirmer's test positivity were statistically increased compared to those who were not in PNS (P = 0.032, P = 0.044, and P = 0.029, respectively). When compared in terms of CNS involvement, patients with CNS involvement were younger, had a shorter disease duration, and had a higher frequency of anti-Ro/SS-A positivity than patients without those (P = 0.041, P = 0.027, and P = 0.046, respectively). Conclusions: In our study, it was shown that one third of the symptomatic pSS patients had objective neurological involvement. The presence of neurological symptoms should be considered, especially in patients with articular involvement in pSS.

The impact of nail psoriasis on disease activity, quality of life, and clinical variables in patients with psoriatic arthritis: A cross-sectional multicenter study.

AIM: Nail involvement is common in psoriatic arthritis. This study assesses clinical characteristics, nail psoriasis prevalence, and impact of nail psoriasis on disease activity in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). METHOD: This cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted by the Turkish League Against Rheumatism using PsA patients recruited from 25 centers. Demographic and clinical characteristics of PsA patients, such as disease activity measures, quality of life, and nail involvement findings were assessed during routine follow-up examinations. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of nail psoriasis and compared using the χ2 test or Fisher exact test for categorical variables and the t-test or Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables. RESULTS: In 1122 individuals with PsA, 645 (57.5%) displayed nail psoriasis. The most frequent features of fingernails were ridges (38%), followed by pitting (21%) and onycholysis (19%). More females were present in both groups (with and without nail psoriasis; 64% vs 67%, P < 0.282). Patients with nail psoriasis were older, indicated more pain and fatigue, experienced greater swelling, tender joint counts, and skin disease severity, and had a higher disease activity score compared with those without nail psoriasis (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We demonstrate an increased prevalence of nail psoriasis observed in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Patients with nail involvement experience increased disease activity, lower quality of life, and diminished mental and physical status compared with those without nail involvement.

Gender differences in the discriminative value of inflammatory low back pain criteria.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Inflammatory low back pain (IBP) is the leading symptom in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and its assessment is crucial for the diagnosis. Our aim was to assess gender specific differences in the discriminative ability of the items and criteria sets in a specific patient population consisting patients with axSpA and other causes of chronic low back pain (LBP). METHODS: Patients with chronic LBP with an onset less than 45 years were included and screened for the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) axSpA criteria. Items of IBP, according to Calin, Berlin and ASAS expert criteria were evaluated in patients with axSpA and non-SpA LBP by a blinded researcher. Discriminative ability of the single items and sets were assessed in terms of sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) analysis in male and female patients and compared between genders. RESULTS: Single IBP items performed similarly well in men and women, as well as criteria sets. Despite similar discriminative performance of IBP items and criteria sets in both genders, women tend to have slightly better performance. Our results revealed similar sensitivity but slightly lower specificity for most of the single items and criteria sets compared to previous reports. CONCLUSION: Gender may have an influence on the discriminative performance of some of the IBP items and criteria sets as well. Calin criteria seem to perform slightly better in both genders than Berlin and ASAS criteria sets. KEY WORDS: Inflammatory, back pain, gender, axial spondyloarthritis.

Semaphorin 3A Levels in Lupus with and without Secondary Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome and Renal Involvement.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate semaphorin 3A levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with and without renal involvement and secondary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS). METHODS: Patients with SLE were grouped according to the presence of secondary APS or renal involvement. The control group consisted of age-matched, nonsmoking, healthy volunteers. Semaphorin 3A levels were compared among groups. All patients with SLE were regrouped according to the presence of thrombotic events, miscarriages, and proteinuria, and semaphorin 3A levels were investigated. Finally, semaphorin 3A levels of all patients with SLE as a single group were compared to those of the control patients. RESULTS: The mean semaphorin 3A values were 16.16 ± 2.84 ng/mL in the control group, 9.05 ±â€…5.65 ng/mL in patients with SLE without nephritis and APS, 11.28 ±â€…5.23 ng/mL in the SLE with APS group, and 8.53 ±â€…5.11 ng/mL in the lupus nephritis group. When all 3 patient groups were examined as a single group, the mean semaphorin 3A value was significantly lower than that of the control group. Semaphorin 3A was reduced in patients with SLE with thromboembolism and/or history of miscarriage. CONCLUSION: Semaphorin 3A levels were lower in all patient groups compared to the control group. Moreover, the reduced semaphorin 3A levels in patients with a history of thromboembolism and/or miscarriage suggest that semaphorin 3A may play an important role in the pathogenesis of vasculopathy.

Intravenous treatment adherence of patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic: experience of a single center.

Introduction: Patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (CIRD) who receive intravenous therapy requiring hospitalization are likely to be more affected than those with receiving oral therapy during COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on adherence to treatment in patients with CIRD receiving intravenous treatments. Methods: We evaluated patients with CIRD who were treated with intravenous immunosuppressive therapy such as rituximab (RTX), cyclophosphamide (CTX), infliximab (IFX), tocilizumab (TCZ) and abatacept (ABA) in our inpatient rheumatology clinic. The patients' medical treatment compliance and clinical follow-up were evaluated. Treatment discontinuation was decided according to postponement of at least one dose and discontinuation of CIRD treatments. Demographics and clinical characteristics were compared between treatment-incompliant (TI) and treatment-compliant (TC) groups. Results: A total of 181 CIRD patients were enrolled. Rheumatoid arthritis was the most common disease requiring intravenous immunosuppressive treatment followed by axial spondyloarthritis and Behçet's disease. Joint involvement was the most common followed by lung and kidney involvements. Rituximab was the most widely used intravenous immunosuppressive treatment for the CIRD. 34% patients have postponed at least one dose of their intravenous CIRD treatment and 25% discontinued. Fear of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 positivity were the most common reasons. The TI group had a longer disease duration and a higher frequency of inflammatory arthritis than the TC group (p=0.013 and p=0.044, respectively). Conclusions: Fear of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 positivity seemed to be the major reasons for discontinuing/postponing intravenous treatments in CIRD patients. Patients with long disease duration and less systemic involvement may be more prone to discontinuing their treatments.

A single-center COVID-19 vaccine experience with CoronaVac and BNT162b2 in familial Mediterranean fever patients.

AIM: To determine frequency of adverse events and attacks related to vaccination in recipients of CoronaVac and BNT162b2 in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients, and to search whether history of prior COVID-19 or a booster dose increases occurrence of adverse events/attacks. METHODS: FMF patients were surveyed for administration of any COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine-related adverse events or FMF attacks. Demographic, clinical, vaccine-related data, history of COVID-19 infection before or after vaccination, adherence to FMF treatment during vaccination were collected. RESULTS: A total of 161 vaccinated FMF patients were included. Ninety-three patients out of 161 had reported suffering from an adverse event/attack after a vaccine dose. There were 54.7% of BNT162b2 recipients who reported any adverse event after any vaccine dose in comparison to 29.9% of CoronaVac recipients (P < .001). There were 22.2% of BNT162b2 recipients who reported suffering from a FMF attack within 1 month after vaccination in comparison to 19.4% of CoronaVac recipients (P = .653). When patients with or without adverse event/attack were compared, no significant differences were observed in means of demographics, comorbid diseases, disease duration, total vaccine doses, or treatments adhered to for FMF. Rates of adverse events/attacks were similar between patients with and without prior COVID-19. In booster recipients, adverse events/attacks were most frequent after the booster dose. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable number of FMF patients suffered from vaccine-related adverse events/attacks, particularly with BNT162b2. No serious events or mortalities due to vaccination were detected. Demographics, clinical characteristics and prior history of vaccination did not significantly affect these results. We observed an increased rate of adverse events/attacks with booster dose administration.

Inconsistencies of the Disease Activity Assessment Tools for Psoriatic Arthritis: Challenges to Rheumatologists.

OBJECTIVE: Currently, concerning the evaluation of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), there is no agreement on a standardized composite index for disease activity that includes all relevant domains. The present study sought to assess the rates of remission (REM)/low disease activity (LDA) and disease states [minimal disease activity (MDA), very low disease activity (VLDA)] as defined by diverse activity scales (DAPSA, DAS28-ESR) in an attempt to display discrepancies across these assessment tools for peripheral PsA. METHODS: The study involved 758 patients (496 females, 262 males; mean age 47,1 years) with peripheral PsA who were registered to the Turkish League Against Rheumatism (TLAR) Network. The patients were assessed using the DAS28-ESR, DAPSA, MDA, and VLDA. The overall yield of each scale was assessed in identifying REM and LDA. The presence or absence of swollen joints was separately analysed. RESULTS: The median disease duration was 4 years (range 0-44 years). According to DAPSA and DAS28-ESR, REM was achieved in 6.9% and 19.5% of the patients, respectively. The rates of MDA and VLDA were 16% and 2.9%, respectively. Despite the absence of swollen joints, a significant portion of patients were not considered to be in REM (296 (39.1%) patients with DAS28-ESR, 364 (48%) with DAPSA, and 394 (52%) with VLDA). CONCLUSION: Patients with peripheral PsA may be assigned to diverse disease activity levels when assessed with the DAS28-ESR, DAPSA, MDA and VLDA, which would inevitably have clinical implications. In patients with PsA a holistic approach seems to be necessary which includes other domains apart from joint involvement, such as skin involvement, enthesitis, spinal involvement, and patient-reported outcomes.

Prevalence of sarcopenia and clinical implications in patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of sarcopenia at the time of diagnosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), assessing disease activity and factors that may be associated with sarcopenia and observe effects of treatment on sarcopenia. METHOD: A prospective study was conducted with patients who have newly diagnosed RA. Patients were evaluated twice, at the time of diagnosis and 3 mo after the initiation of treatment. Demographic data, anthropometric measurements, disease activity scores, and sarcopenia status were recorded. Sarcopenia was evaluated with grip strength and bioelectric impedance. The results were compared with healthy volunteers. RESULTS: The age at onset of RA was 50.6 ± 14.6 y. Handgrip strength (P < 0.001), skeletal muscle mass (P = 0.009), and skeletal muscle mass index (P = 0.032) were reduced in patients with RA but not in the control group. The frequency of sarcopenia in RA at onset of diagnosis was 31.5%. There was a significant decrease in the rate of sarcopenia after 3 mo of treatment (31.5 versus 8.7%; P = 0.046). CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia was found in approximately one-third of the patients with newly diagnosed RA in our study. With treatment, sarcopenia improved significantly. Patients with RA should be evaluated in terms of sarcopenia in addition to evaluating joint and extraarticular findings at the time of diagnosis. Early detection and treatment planning may improve quality of life.

Gender-related differences in disease activity and clinical features in patients with peripheral psoriatic arthritis: A multi-center study.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to compare disease activity, clinical features, and patient-reported outcomes concerning anxiety, depression, fatigue, function, quality of life, and fibromyalgia between female and male patients with peripheral PsA in a Turkish population. METHODS: This multi-center Turkish League Against Rheumatism (TLAR) Network study included 1038 patients (678 females, 360 males) diagnosed with peripheral PsA according to the CASPAR criteria. The demographic and clinic parameters of the patients were recorded. Disease activity was evaluated using the scores of DAS28 and cDAPSA. Remission, minimal disease activity (MDA), and very low disease activity (VLDA) were determined. Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Short-Form-36 (SF-36), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), fatigue VAS (0-10), and Fibromyalgia Rapid ScreeningTool (FiRST) were used. Disease activity and patient-reported outcomes were compared in male and female patients, and the predictors of MDA for both genders were analyzed. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 47.6years (SD: 12) for females and 46.3years (SD: 12.3) for males. In terms of DAS28 and cDAPSA, female patients had significantly higher disease activity scores, while male patients had significantly higher remission rates (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the rate of MDA in favor of males (P<0.05), but not in VLDA. The incidences of dactylitis, enthesitis, tenosynovitis, and inflammatory bowel disease were similar in male and female patients, except for spondylitis, which was higher in males (P<0.05). Overall, although there was no significant between-group difference in age and disease duration, female patients had significantly higher BMI and late-onset disease (P<0.05). Female patients had higher HAD, HAQ, and FiRST and lower SF-36 scores than males (P<0.05). In both male and female patients, the disease activity score of cDAPSA was significantly correlated with the scores of FiRST, HAD, VAS-F, and HAQ (P<0.05). In regression analysis, tender joint count, swollen joint count, PASI, pain VAS, and enthesitis were the MDA predictors in both genders. CONCLUSION: In patients with peripheral PsA, males are more likely to develop spondylitis while other extraarticular manifestations are similar. Female patients appear to have lower rates of remission and MDA and higher levels of disease activity. Female patients experience a more severe course of PsA, with higher levels of pain and fatigue, lower quality of life, and increased functional limitations. The predictors of MDA, i.e., tender joint count, swollen joint count, PASI, pain VAS, and enthesitis are similar between the two genders.