Clinical rheumatology
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Clinical rheumatology · May 2017
Multicenter Study Observational StudySwitching profiles in a population-based cohort of rheumatoid arthritis receiving biologic therapy: results from the KOBIO registry.
Despite improved quality of care for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, many still experience treatment failure with a biologic agent and eventually switch to another biologic agent. We investigated patterns of biologic treatment and reasons for switching biologics in patients with RA. Patients with RA who had started on a biologic agent or had switched to another biologic agent were identified from the prospective observational Korean nationwide Biologics (KOBIO) registry. ⋯ The most common reason for switching biologics was inefficacy, followed by adverse events, including infusion reactions, infections, and skin eruptions. Furthermore, the proportion of inefficacy, as a reason for switching, was significantly higher with respect to switching between biologics with different mechanisms of action than between biologics with similar mechanisms. In this registry, we showed diverse prescribing patterns and differing baseline profiles based on the chronological order of biologic agents.
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Clinical rheumatology · May 2017
Multicenter Study Observational StudyKnee symptoms among adults at risk for accelerated knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.
The purpose of this study was to examine if adults who develop accelerated knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have greater knee symptoms with certain activities than those with or without incident common KOA. We conducted a case-control study using data from baseline and the first four annual visits of the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Participants had no radiographic KOA at baseline (Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) <2). ⋯ Individuals who developed accelerated KOA were more likely to report greater difficulty with lying down (OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.04 to 4.25), pain with straightening the knee fully (OR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.08, 3.85), and pain walking (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.38, 4.84) than adults who developed common KOA. Individuals who develop accelerated KOA report greater symptoms with certain activities than those with common KOA. Our results may help identify individuals at risk for accelerated KOA or with early-stage accelerated KOA.
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Clinical rheumatology · Apr 2017
Retrospective study of the clinical characteristics and risk factors of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease.
This study aims to explore the clinical characteristics and risk factors of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). This is a retrospective study of 550 patients with RA. All patients underwent chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scanning. (1) Two hundred thirty-seven out of five hundred fifty (43.1%) patients with RA were diagnose with ILD. 13.5% ILD occurred before RA onset, 69.6% ILD occurred within 10 years of RA onset, and 16.9% ILD occurred more than 10 years after RA onset. (2) The most common chest CT characteristics of RA-ILD included reticular patterns (57.8%), pleural thickening (57%), ground-glass attenuation (53.2%), followed by interlobular septum thickening, nodules, emphysematous bullae, honeycombing, and bronchiectasis. ⋯ Logistic regression analysis showed that age, smoking, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, and RF positive were closely correlated to RA-ILD. RA-ILD occurs more often within 10 years of RA onset and coexists with other lung lesions. The elevated lactate dehydrogenase, RF positive, smoking, and advanced age are closely correlated with RA-ILD.
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Clinical rheumatology · Apr 2017
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparing the accuracy and efficacy of ultrasound-guided versus blind injections of steroid in the glenohumeral joint in patients with shoulder adhesive capsulitis.
Shoulder adhesive capsulitis is a condition mainly characterized by a decreased range of motion (ROM), with a lifelong prevalence of 2-5 %. Intra-articular steroid injection is an important treatment in this disease. It has been suggested that ultrasound-guided (US-guided) intra-articular injections are more accurate and effective than blind injections. ⋯ Improvements in pain, ROM, and functional score after 1 and 4 weeks were more prominent in the US-guided group, but the differences were not statistically significant, except for the changes in extension where the improvements were significantly higher in the US-guided group (p = 0.01). The accuracy of injections was also higher in the US-guided group (90 % vs. 76.19 %), but the differences were not found to be significant (p = 0.24). US-guided injections can be more accurate and yield better improvements in pain, ROM, and function of the patients, but they cost more and are time-consuming.
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Clinical rheumatology · Apr 2017
Comparative StudyFactors influencing the choice of first- and second-line biologic therapy for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: real-life data from the Italian LORHEN Registry.
According to international recommendations, the selection of the biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (bDMARD) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is mainly left to the clinician's preference. We analyzed the real-life factors influencing the first-line choice or the switching strategy, focusing on the prescription of abatacept (ABA) or tocilizumab (TCZ) compared to TNFα inhibitors (TNFi). Patients enrolled in the Lombardy Rheumatology Network (LORHEN) Registry after January 1, 2010, when all considered bDMARD agents were available, were included. ⋯ In real life, higher age and comorbidities influence the choice towards ABA and TCZ compared to TNFi. ABA was preferred in case of suspension of previous treatments due to AE. After failing a first-line TNFi, swapping to a different mechanism of action is more common.