[Quality assurance of pain care in Austria : Classification of management facilities]. / Qualitätssicherung der schmerzmedizinischen Versorgung in Österreich : Klassifikation schmerztherapeutischer Einrichtungen.

In Austria there is no nationwide coverage of pain management, which meets even approximately international criteria. At present there are about 30 interdisciplinary pain management offices and clinics providing care according to a concept of the Austrian Pain Society (ÖSG), about 10 other outpatient pain clinics are located in district and country hospitals. A few years ago, there still were about 50 pain clinics. Yet closure of outpatient clinics and cost-cutting measures in the health sector jeopardize adequate pain relief for patients with chronic pain conditions.Hence, the supply of care for approx. 1.8 mio. Austrians with chronic pain is not guaranteed due to lack of a comprehensive demand planning of pain care facilities. Furthermore, existing structures such as specialized clinics or emergency services in hospitals are primarily based on the personal commitment of individuals. At present, the various centres for pain management in Austria are run with very different operating times, so that for 74% of the chronic pain patients the desired requirements for outpatient pain management are not met and about 50 full-time pain clinics are missing.Under the patronage of the Austrian Pain Society, various national specialist societies have defined the structure and quality criteria for pain management centres in Austria, include, among others, proof of training, cooperation in interdisciplinary teams or minimum number of new patients per year, depending on the classification of the institution.This stepwise concept of care provision for pain patients is intended as first step to help improve the care of pain patients in Austria!

Proposal for a new nomenclature of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

In light of the recent emergence of new therapeutics for rheumatoid arthritis, such as kinase inhibitors and biosimilars, a new nomenclature for disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which are currently often classified as synthetic (or chemical) DMARDs (sDMARDS) and biological DMARDs (bDMARDs), may be needed. We propose to divide the latter into biological original and biosimilar DMARDs (boDMARDs and bsDMARDs, respectively, such as abatacept, adalimumab, anakinra, certolizumab pegol, etanercept, golimumab, infliximab, rituximab or tocilizumab, but also emerging ones like clazakizumab, ixekizumab, sarilumab, secukinumab or sirukumab) and the former into conventional synthetic and targeted synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs and tsDMARDs, respectively). tsDMARDs would then constitute only those that were specifically developed to target a particular molecular structure (such as tofacitinib, fostamatinib, baricitinib or apremilast, or agents not focused primarily on rheumatic diseases, such as imatinib or ibrutinib), while csDMARDs would comprise the traditional drugs (such as methotrexate, sulfasalazine, leflunomide, hydroxychloroquine, gold salts and others). The proposed nomenclature may provide means to group and distinguish the different types of DMARDs in clinical studies and review articles.

Sonographic joint assessment in rheumatoid arthritis: associations with clinical joint assessment during a state of remission.

OBJECTIVE: Sonography, as compared with clinical assessment, is a sensitive tool for evaluating synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, differences between these assessment tools may depend on how joint activity (i.e., an active joint) is defined. The present study was undertaken to compare clinically active joints with sonographically active joints in patients with RA, applying different sonographic definitions of an active joint. METHODS: Sonographic assessment of the finger and wrist joints (total of 11 joints) of each hand was performed in RA patients whose disease was in remission (Clinical Disease Activity Index ≤2.8; n = 60). Gray-scale (GS) and power Doppler (PD) ultrasound signals for synovitis were evaluated on a 4-point scale (grade 0 = none, grade 3 = severe). The sensitivity and specificity of swollen joint counts were investigated using, as reference, increasingly stringent sonographic definitions of an active joint. Sonographic findings were also assessed for correlations with other clinical variables, including the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index (DI). Followup analyses were performed after 6-12 months. RESULTS: GS ultrasound signals yielded positive findings for synovitis in 67.2% of the 1,320 joints assessed, and PD ultrasound signals indicated signs of synovitis in 20.4% of the joints assessed. Clinical identification of joint swelling was 100% specific for sonographic joint activity, independent of the stringency of the sonographic definition used; maximum sensitivity of the swollen joint counts was 25% for the most stringent definition (i.e., GS grade 3 and PD grade 3). Furthermore, patients with a higher-grade PD signal (grade 3) showed a higher HAQ DI score compared to patients with lower-grade PD signals (mean ± SD HAQ DI 0.45 ± 0.62 versus 0.20 ± 0.35). A higher grade of PD signal at baseline was found in joints that were assessed as clinically swollen at the consecutive followup visit. CONCLUSION: Low-grade PD and GS ultrasound signals may not necessarily reflect the presence of active synovitis in RA joints. High-grade PD signals correlate well with the presence of clinical joint swelling and clinical disease activity, and a higher grade of PD signal is associated with higher degrees of functional impairment.

Clinical implementation of musculoskeletal ultrasound in rheumatology in Austria.

The aim of the study is to assess the clinical implementation of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) in rheumatology in Austria. A survey was conducted among Austrian rheumatologists and physicians of other specialties with a focus on rheumatology. The questionnaire was designed by the members of the Austrian Radiology-Rheumatology Initiative for Musculoskeletal UltraSound including the following items: demographics, access to MSUS and MSUS training, application of MSUS to support diagnosis, monitoring and treatment decisions, and obstacles for the routine performance of MSUS. Eighty-eight (21.9 %) out of the 402 surveyed physicians responded. No access to MSUS and/or inadequate training in the technique was more commonly reported by senior (>50 years; 64.3 and 67.7 %, respectively) than by younger physicians (16.7 %, p = 0.01 and 18.5 %, p < 0.001, respectively). The lowest availability of sonography was found among senior rheumatologists (25.0 %, p = 0.001 compared to the total group). MSUS is routinely used for diagnosis and/or monitoring purposes by 12.5 % of physicians and 20.5 % perform sonography in clinically unclear cases. A limited number of physicians apply the method to support treatment decisions and/or to evaluate treatment success. The most important obstacles for routine application of MSUS in rheumatology are limited access to ultrasound machines, lack of training/education in the technique, and time constraints in daily routine. Low access to high-end ultrasound devices, lack of training, and time constraints may explain the low appreciation of MSUS among Austrian physicians evaluating patients with rheumatic diseases.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation vs intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: High-dose immunosuppressive therapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have shown efficacy in systemic sclerosis in phase 1 and small phase 2 trials. OBJECTIVE: To compare efficacy and safety of HSCT vs 12 successive monthly intravenous pulses of cyclophosphamide. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation International Scleroderma (ASTIS) trial, a phase 3, multicenter, randomized (1:1), open-label, parallel-group, clinical trial conducted in 10 countries at 29 centers with access to a European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation-registered transplant facility. From March 2001 to October 2009, 156 patients with early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis were recruited and followed up until October 31, 2013. INTERVENTIONS: HSCT vs intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was event-free survival, defined as time from randomization until the occurrence of death or persistent major organ failure. RESULTS: A total of 156 patients were randomly assigned to receive HSCT (n = 79) or cyclophosphamide (n = 77). During a median follow-up of 5.8 years, 53 events occurred: 22 in the HSCT group (19 deaths and 3 irreversible organ failures) and 31 in the control group (23 deaths and 8 irreversible organ failures). During the first year, there were more events in the HSCT group (13 events [16.5%], including 8 treatment-related deaths) than in the control group (8 events [10.4%], with no treatment-related deaths). At 2 years, 14 events (17.7%) had occurred cumulatively in the HSCT group vs 14 events (18.2%) in the control group; at 4 years, 15 events (19%) had occurred cumulatively in the HSCT group vs 20 events (26%) in the control group. Time-varying hazard ratios (modeled with treatment × time interaction) for event-free survival were 0.35 (95% CI, 0.16-0.74) at 2 years and 0.34 (95% CI, 0.16-0.74) at 4 years. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among patients with early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, HSCT was associated with increased treatment-related mortality in the first year after treatment. However, HCST conferred a significant long-term event-free survival benefit. TRIAL REGISTRATION: isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN54371254.

Application of the 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria in patients with very early inflammatory arthritis: analysis of sensitivity, specificity and predictive values in the SAVE study cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Performance of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) rheumatoid arthritis (RA) criteria was analysed in an internationally recruited early arthritis cohort (≤16 weeks symptom duration) enrolled in the 'Stop-Arthritis-Very-Early' trial. This sample includes patients with a variety of diseases diagnosed during follow-up. METHODS: Two endpoints were defined: Investigators' diagnosis and disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment start during the 12-month follow-up. The 2010 criteria were applied to score Patients' baseline data. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and areas under the receiver operating curves of this scoring with respect to both endpoints were calculated and compared to the 1987 criteria. The optimum level of agreement between the endpoints and the 2010 classification score ways estimated by Cohen's Ï° coefficients. RESULTS: 303 patients had 12-months follow-up. Positive predictive values of the 2010 criteria were 0.68 and 0.71 for RA-diagnosis and DMARD-start, respectively. Sensitivity for RA-diagnosis was 0.85, for DMARD-start 0.8, whereas the 1987 criteria's sensitivities were 0.65 and 0.55. The areas under the receiver operating curves of the 2010 criteria for RA-diagnosis and DMARD-start were 0.83 and 0.78. Analysis of inter-rater-agreement using Cohen's Ï° demonstrated the highest Ï° values (0.5 for RA-diagnosis and 0.43 for DMARD-start) for the score of 6. CONCLUSIONS: In this international very early arthritis cohort predictive and discriminative abilities of the 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria were satisfactory and substantially superior to the 'old' 1987 classification criteria. This easier classification of RA in early stages will allow targeting truly early disease stages with appropriate therapy.

A Case of Autoimmune Small Fiber Neuropathy as Possible Post COVID Sequelae.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is reported to induce and augment autoimmune processes. Moreover, postinfectious effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are still poorly understood and often resemble symptoms of the acute infection phase. A patient with swollen extremities was presented to the Department of Angiology at the Medical University of Vienna with complaints of muscle and joint pain, paresthesia, and arterial hypertension with intense headache. Prior to these complaints, she had been suffering from various symptoms since November 2020, following a SARS-CoV-2 infection in the same month. These included recurrent sore throat, heartburn, dizziness, and headache. Paresthesia and muscle and joint pain started in temporal relation to a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Since the patient was suffering from severe pain, intensive pain management was performed. Skin and nerve biopsies revealed autoimmune small fiber neuropathy. The patient's condition could be related to COVID-19, as her first symptoms began in temporal relation to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, in the disease course, antinuclear (ANA) and anti-Ro antibodies, as well as anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies, could be detected. Together with the symptoms of xerophthalmia and pharyngeal dryness, primary Sjögren's syndrome was diagnosed. In conclusion, though biopsy results could not distinguish a cause of the disease, SARS-CoV-2 infection can be discussed as a likely trigger for the patient's autoimmune reactions.

Characteristics and outcome of critically ill patients with systemic rheumatic diseases referred to the intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with systemic rheumatic diseases (SRDs) are at risk of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Data concerning these critically ill patients are limited to few retrospective studies. METHODS: This is a single-centre retrospective study of patients with SRDs admitted to an ICU at the Vienna General Hospital between 2012 and 2020. Single-predictor and multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify potential outcome determinants. RESULTS: A total of 144 patients accounting for 192 ICU admissions were included. Connective tissue diseases (CTDs), vasculitides and rheumatoid arthritis were the most common SRDs requiring ICU admission. Leading causes for ICU admission were respiratory failure and shock, as reflected by a high number of patients requiring mechanical ventilation (60.4%) and vasopressor therapy (72.9%). Overall, 29.2% of admissions were due to SRD-related critical illness. In 70.8% patients, co-existent SRD not responsible for the acute critical illness was documented. When comparing these subgroups, CTDs and vasculitides had a higher frequency in the patients with SRD-related critical illness. In a significantly higher proportion of patients in the SRD-related subgroup, diagnosis of SRD was made at the ICU. ICU and 6-month mortality in the overall population was 20.3% and 38.5%, respectively. Age, glucocorticoid therapy prior to hospital admission and disease severity were associated with poor outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, respiratory failure was the leading cause of ICU admission as reflected by high rates of required mechanical ventilation. Despite considerable severity of critical illness, survival rates were comparable to a general ICU population.

Immediate access rheumatology clinic: efficiency and outcomes.

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: In order to facilitate access and shorten waiting times to rheumatologist assessment, an immediate access clinic (IAC) was established. Patients were assessed at presentation in the clinic and after 6-12 months, either in the clinic or by telephone. Data regarding diagnostic accuracy, pain levels and care were analysed. RESULTS: From February to December 2009, 1036 patients were assessed. 223 (21.5%) patients had symptoms for 3 months or less. 660 were available for re-assessment after 6-12 months. Initial tentative diagnoses were confirmed in over 75% of patients suspected of having rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondylarthropathy and osteoarthritis. Men suspected of having spondylarthropathy had a significantly longer symptom duration than women (median (IQR) 54.0 (18.0-120.0) vs 24.0 (6.0-66.0) months; p=0.0082). There was no significant gender difference regarding pain. At follow-up, the visual analogue scale for pain in RA patients admitted to further care in the clinic (n=61) had significantly decreased by a median (IQR) of 37.5 mm (10.5-50.5), whereas this improvement was only 6 mm (-26-33.5) in the 22 RA patients followed outside the clinic (p=0.0083). CONCLUSIONS: The IAC resulted in considerable waiting time reduction for rheumatology assessment. A substantial minority was seen before 3 months' symptom duration. 'Positive predictive correctness' of the assessing rheumatologists regarding the presence of inflammatory rheumatic conditions was over 75%. Patients with RA cared for in the clinic had substantially lower pain levels after 6-12 months' follow-up than patients treated elsewhere.

Rituximab in psoriatic arthritis: an exploratory evaluation.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Current therapies for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) comprise synthetic drugs and tumour necrosis factor inhibitors. In contrast, other biologicals including rituximab (RTX) are available for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RTX is effective in autoantibody positive RA patients, although some efficacy has been reported in seronegative individuals. RTX has not yet been assessed in PsA. Therefore, an open label study of RTX in PsA was performed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine patients with PsA and 14 with RA received RTX at 1000 mg twice within 14 days and were evaluated over 6 months. RESULTS: A PsA response criteria response was attained in 56% of patients. DAS28 improved from 6.2 to 4.9 (medians) in PsA and 6.4 to 5.2 in RA, and Health Assessment Questionnaire from 1.5 to 1.0 and from 2.1 to 1.4, respectively (all p≤0.05). Disease Activity index for PSoriatic Arthritis changed from 52.0 to 32.5 (p<0.05); C reactive protein and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index did not change significantly. RTX was tolerated well. CONCLUSIONS: In this exploratory open study, RTX exhibited significant efficacy in PsA patients with long-standing disease. Thus, RTX may have efficacy in PsA warranting a randomised controlled clinical trial.

EULAR recommendations for terminology and research in individuals at risk of rheumatoid arthritis: report from the Study Group for Risk Factors for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The Study Group for Risk Factors for Rheumatoid Arthritis was established by the EULAR Standing Committee on Investigative Rheumatology to facilitate research into the preclinical and earliest clinically apparent phases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This report describes the recommendation for terminology to be used to define specific subgroups during different phases of disease, and defines the priorities for research in this area. Terminology was discussed by way of a three-stage structured process: A provisional list of descriptors for each of the possible phases preceding the diagnosis of RA were circulated to members of the study group for review and feedback. Anonymised comments from the members on this list were fed back to participants before a 2-day meeting. 18 participants met to discuss these data, agree terminologies and prioritise important research questions. The study group recommended that, in prospective studies, individuals without RA are described as having: genetic risk factors for RA; environmental risk factors for RA; systemic autoimmunity associated with RA; symptoms without clinical arthritis; unclassified arthritis; which may be used in a combinatorial manner. It was recommended that the prefix 'pre-RA with:' could be used before any/any combination of the five points above but only to describe retrospectively a phase that an individual had progressed through once it was known that they have developed RA. An approach to dating disease onset was recommended. In addition, important areas for research were proposed, including research of other tissues in which an adaptive immune response may be initiated, and the identification of additional risk factors and biomarkers for the development of RA, its progression and the development of extra-articular features. These recommendations provide guidance on approaches to describe phases before the development of RA that will facilitate communication between researchers and comparisons between studies. A number of research questions have been defined, requiring new cohorts to be established and new techniques to be developed to image and collect material from different sites.

Attending and non-attending patients in a real-life setting of an early arthritis clinic: why do people leave clinics and where do they go?

OBJECTIVES: Rheumatologist assessment as early as possible is considered essential for patients with inflammatory joint disease. In our Very Early Arthritis Clinic (VEAC), a substantial proportion of initially included and followed patients later stop attendance in the clinic. We questioned attending (AP) and non-attending patients (NAP) regarding current health status and satisfaction with care as well as reasons for discontinuation and current care received by NAP. METHODS: VEAC patients first seen between 1996 and 2003 were included. Assessment included the RADAI, HAQ, and visual analogue scales for pain, disease activity, fatigue, satisfaction with current health care. Current (DMARD) treatment was recorded. RESULTS: Among AP, 87% had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 13% non-RA. Of NAP, 37% had RA, 23% non-RA and 40% no more rheumatic disease. Satisfaction with health care concerning rheumatic disease was better in AP than NAP. Likewise, most outcome parameters were better in AP. Substantially more RA patients in the AP than NAP group received DMARDs. Apart from the disappearance of arthritis, logistic reasons were given most frequently for discontinuation of attendance. Less than 10% of NAP indicated dissatisfaction with medical care. CONCLUSIONS: We found advantages in both disease activity measures and satisfaction with health care for patients receiving continuous care in a highly specialised Rheumatology clinic. Furthermore, different DMARD usage in RA in AP and NAP may indicate significant deficits in treatment quality outside specialist care. Logistic issues associated with access to continuous Rheumatology care for early arthritis patients need improvement.

COVID-19 as a putative trigger of anti-MDA5-associated dermatomyositis with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring lung transplantation, a case report.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune disease following COVID-19 has been studied intensely since the beginning of the pandemic. Growing evidence indicates that SARS-CoV-2 infection, by virtue of molecular mimicry can lead to an antigen-mediated cross-reaction promoting the development of a plethora of autoimmune spectrum diseases involving lungs and extrapulmonary tissues alike. In both COVID-19 and autoimmune disease, the immune self-tolerance breaks, leading to an overreaction of the immune system with production of a variety of autoantibodies, sharing similarities in clinical manifestation, laboratory, imaging, and pathology findings. Anti-Melanoma Differentiation-Associated gene 5 dermatomyositis (anti-MDA5 DM) comprises a rare subtype of systemic inflammatory myopathies associated with characteristic cutaneous features and life-threatening rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD). The production of anti-MDA5 autoantibodies was proposed to be triggered by viral infections. CASE PRESENTATION: A 20-year-old male patient with polyarthritis, fatigue and exertional dyspnea was referred to our department. An elevated anti-MDA5 autoantibody titer, myositis on MRI, ground glass opacifications on lung CT and histological features of Wong-type dermatomyositis were confirmed, suggesting the diagnosis of an anti-MDA5 DM. Amid further diagnostic procedures, a serologic proof of a recent SARS-CoV-2 infection emerged. Subsequently, the patient deteriorated into a fulminant respiratory failure and an urgent lung transplantation was performed, leading to remission ever since (i.e. 12 months as of now). CONCLUSIONS: We report a unique case of a patient with a new-onset anti-MDA5 DM with fulminant ARDS emerging in a post-infectious stage of COVID-19, who underwent a successful lung transplantation and achieved remission. Given the high mortality of anti-MDA5 DM associated RP-ILD, we would like to highlight that the timely recognition of this condition and urgent therapy initiation are of utmost importance.

Concepts of functioning and health important to people with systemic sclerosis: a qualitative study in four European countries.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the experiences of people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) in different European countries of functioning and health and to link these experiences to the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to develop a common understanding from a bio-psycho-social perspective. METHOD: A qualitative multicentre study with focus-group interviews was performed in four European countries: Austria, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. The qualitative data analysis followed a modified form of 'meaning condensation' and the concepts that emerged in the analysis were linked to the ICF. RESULTS: 63 people with SSc participated in 13 focus groups. In total, 86 concepts were identified. 32 (37%) of these were linked to the ICF component body functions and structures, 21 (24%) to activities and participation, 26 (30%) to environmental factors, 6 (7%) to personal factors and 1 (1%) to the health condition itself. 19 concepts (22%) were identified in all four countries and included impaired hand function, household activities, paid work, drugs, climate and coldness, support from others and experiences with healthcare institutions, non-pharmacological treatment, social security and benefits. CONCLUSION: Concepts identified in all four countries could be used for guiding clinical assessment, as well as interdisciplinary team care and rheumatological rehabilitation for patients with SSc. For a full understanding of the aspects of the disease that were most relevant to people with SSc, people with SSc from multiple countries needed to be involved.

Delays in assessment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: variations across Europe.

OBJECTIVE: The first 3 months after symptom onset represent an important therapeutic window for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study investigates the extent and causes of delay in assessment of patients with RA in eight European countries. METHOD: Data on the following levels of delay were collected from 10 centres (Berlin, Birmingham, Heraklion, Lund, Prague, Stockholm, Umeå, Vienna, Warsaw and Zurich): (1) from onset of RA symptoms to request to see healthcare professional (HCP); (2) from request to see HCP to assessment by that HCP; (3) from initial assessment by HCP to referral to rheumatologist; and (4) from referral to rheumatologist to assessment by that rheumatologist. RESULTS: Data were collected from 482 patients with RA. The median delay across the 10 centres from symptom onset to assessment by the rheumatologist was 24 weeks, with the percentage of patients seen within 12 weeks of symptom onset ranging from 8% to 42%. There were important differences in the levels underlying the total delays at individual centres. CONCLUSIONS: This research highlights the contribution of patients, professionals and health systems to treatment delay for patients with RA in Europe. Although some centres have strengths in minimising certain types of delay, interventions are required in all centres to ensure timely treatment for patients.

Rheumatological care in rural areas : The Rheuma-Bus project 2018.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the medical care of individuals in rural areas during a public health awareness project on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). METHODS: A tour bus was adapted to accommodate rheumatological consultations at widely accessible sites in 16 towns, providing individual medical advice with respect to MSD. The participating rheumatologists assessed the nature (e.g. inflammatory/non inflammatory), extent and duration of MSD and, where possible, made a tentative diagnosis and gave further advice on the course of action. In addition, age, sex and pre-existing care were recorded. All individuals were asked to assess their own severity of pain using a numeric ordinal scale from "no" (0) to "extreme" (10). RESULTS: A total of 647 individuals visited the service. Median current pain intensity was 5 (interquartile range [IQR] 3-6), mean 4.9 (standard deviation [SD] 2.3). Osteoarthritis was suspected in 381 clients (59.6%), inflammatory rheumatic disease in 247 (38.7%), and in 104 (16.3%) other diseases. 307 (50%) were treated by a GP, 95 (15.5%) were under orthopaedic care, 204 (33.2%) under rheumatological care and 81 (13.1%) under supervision of other specialists. 104 clients (17%) had never consulted a physician for their MSD symptoms before. 27 (4.2%) of all the clients had a newly detected inflammatory rheumatic disease and 62 (9.6%) patients with suspected inflammatory rheumatic disease were not under previous rheumatological care. CONCLUSION: The findings showed that there is still a lot of negligence in awareness and knowledge of rheumatic diseases, at least in rural areas.

Evaluation of the appropriateness of composite disease activity measures for assessment of psoriatic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Specific composite indices assessing disease activity in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have not yet been sufficiently validated. The objective of this study was to identify instruments best reflecting disease activity in PsA. METHODS: Measures for inclusion in clinical trials, as recommended by the OMERACT-7/8 PsA workshops, were assessed. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed with cross-sectional data of 105 patients with PsA to identify a minimal set of important dimensions for a disease activity assessment tool for PsA. This was compared with components contained in existing composite indices. RESULTS: The PCA revealed four principal components best reflecting disease activity. The first contained patient global and pain assessment; the second contained 66/68 swollen and tender joint counts as main variables; C-reactive protein (CRP) best loaded to the third component; and the fourth was loaded by skin assessment but did not reach significance. When comparing the three significant principal components with items of established composite measures, they were best covered by the Disease Activity Index for Reactive Arthritis (DAREA) which comprises patient pain and global assessments, 66/68 joint counts and CRP. CONCLUSION: Among the currently available indices used in arthritic conditions, the DAREA best reflects the domains found to be important in PsA.

The Stop Arthritis Very Early (SAVE) trial, an international multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on glucocorticoids in very early arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoids (GCs) are often used as early arthritis treatment and it has been suggested that they induce remission or at least delay the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the need to start disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). OBJECTIVE: To test the effect of GCs on patients with very early arthritis (symptom duration of <16 weeks) in a randomised controlled trial. METHODS: Patients received a single intramuscular injection of 120 mg methylprednisolone or placebo (PL) and were followed up for 52 weeks. Primary end point was drug-free clinical remission, both at weeks 12 and 52. Among secondary outcomes were fulfillment of remission criteria at weeks 2, 12 or 52, time course of 'core set variables' and proportion of patients starting DMARDs. RESULTS: 17.0% of all analysed subjects (65/383) achieved persistent remission: 17.8% (33/185) of the PL group, 16.2% (32/198) of the patients receiving methylprednisolone (OR=1.13, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.92, p=0.6847). Analyses of secondary end points showed significant clinical benefits of the GC only at week 2. These differences subsequently disappeared. DMARDs were started in 162 patients: 50.3% methylprednisolone and 56.7% PL patients had to start DMARD treatment (OR=0.78, 95% CI 0.49 to 1.22, p=0.30). Significantly more patients with polyarthritis than with oligoarthritis received DMARDs (OR=2.84, 95% CI 1.75 to 4.60, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Neither remission nor development of RA is delayed by GC treatment. Remission is rare in the first year of very early arthritis, occurring in <20% of the patients. Also, the need to start DMARDs was not influenced by GC treatment.

The Supply of Rheumatology Specialist Care in Real Life. Results of a Nationwide Survey and Analysis of Supply and Needs.

Objectives: To study the balance between the supply and need for rheumatology care in Austria. In addition, to investigate rheumatologists' work-hours, the amount of time rheumatologists dedicate to care for patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD), with non-RMD problems, and other professional activities such as research, teaching, and administration. Methods: A questionnaire covering aspects of professional activities was sent to all 215 rheumatologists registered with the Austrian Medical Association. The data collected was set in relation to the need calculated on the basis of recommendations put forward by the German society of rheumatology. Results: 149 of the 215 rheumatologists (69.0%) responded. Median weekly working time was 50 h (IQR 45-60). 47.4% of the working time was spent for care of patients with RMD. The remaining time was dedicated to patients with non-rheumatic diseases (19.6%), research and teaching (8.4%), and administration (24.5%). The number of full-time equivalents (FTE, based on a 40-h work-week) available for rheumatology care, thus, was calculated to be 178.5. Based on disease prevalence/incidence estimates and on the time allocation results of this survey, our study resulted in a need of 4.29 rheumatologists per 100.000 adult inhabitants (301.79 for an adult population of 7.03 × 106). Conclusion: The study demonstrated a substantial mismatch between the available supply and the need for rheumatology care. The results of our study are a conservative estimate, which should be taken into consideration for future healthcare workforce planning. In particular, the rising need for rheumatologists should be met by increasing the numbers of those specialists.

Effects of a brief workplace-centered consultation for employees with musculoskeletal pain on health outcomes: a prospective cohort study.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) diseases affect a substantial proportion of the population. Specialist consultations were offered at the workplace for people with musculoskeletal (MSK)-complaints. We analyzed data on pain and well-being as well as health economic data at baseline. Lasting effects of the consultation were analyzed at a follow-up-interview after 12 months. Baseline data of 344 individuals were available. Occupations were divided into physically highly demanding (HD) or less demanding. Women reported significantly higher pain levels and less QoL than men. Sick leave days were significantly more in HD-workers. Independent of workload, significantly higher percentages of women had cervical- and upper limb-pain than men, with significantly higher pain in upper limbs in HD-workers. 235 participants were available for telephone-follow-up. QoL and MSK-pain improved significantly. Yearly out-of-pocket spendings for treatments significantly increased. NSAID use significantly decreased, whereas use of non-drug musculoskeletal-medical-services was significantly higher after one year. Regarding MSK-symptoms in gainfully employed individuals, the study showed significantly different workload-dependent differences in QoL. Significant effects of a consultation by a MSK-specialist were shown in terms of improved MSK-pain and overall well-being. This workplace-centered consultation had significant effects on beneficial health-behavior such as decreased use of NSAID and increased engagement in gymnastics and physiotherapy.