Rheumatology international
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The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of oral glucocorticoid (GC) dose on rates of hospitalized infectious events (HIEs) among RA patients newly exposed to tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) therapy. This retrospective cohort study used data from the MarketScan claims database. Incident and prevalent adult RA patients newly exposed to TNFi therapy were identified and assigned to three cohorts: no GC, low-dose GC (≤7.5 mg), and high-dose GC (>7.5 mg); patients could contribute exposure time to multiple cohorts if they changed dose or discontinued GC. ⋯ HIE risk did not increase with longer exposure to GCs. Oral GCs, regardless of dose, significantly increased the risk of HIEs among RA patients newly initiating TNFi therapy. Steroid dosing must be considered when assessing infection risk in treatment decisions for RA patients.
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The ARCO study (Study on Adherence of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients to SubCutaneous and Oral Drugs), a multicenter, non-interventional retrospective study, was primarily designed to assess the percentage of patients [aged ≥18 years with an established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis] with non-adherence to prescribed subcutaneous biologicals. This paper reports data for the secondary objective from a subset of patients, namely to evaluate non-adherence to prescribed oral antirheumatic drugs in RA patients in Spain using the validated Compliance Questionnaire Rheumatology (CQR). Patients also completed the Morisky-Green Medication Adherence Questionnaire, Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, and a questionnaire (developed and validated in Spain) on patient satisfaction with RA treatment and preferences. ⋯ Multivariable analysis showed that younger age and male gender were independently associated with risk of non-adherence. There was only slight agreement between the CQR and Morisky-Green assessment tools (kappa coefficient = 0.186), possibly reflecting the fact that both questionnaires measure slightly different aspects of medication adherence. In conclusion, one out of five RA patients was identified as at risk for non-adherence with the CQR, and this was more frequent in younger patients and in males.