Characteristics associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes in people with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis: data from the COVID-19 PsoProtect and Global Rheumatology Alliance physician-reported registries.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate factors associated with severe COVID-19 in people with psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). METHODS: Demographic data, clinical characteristics and COVID-19 outcome severity of adults with PsO, PsA and axSpA were obtained from two international physician-reported registries. A three-point ordinal COVID-19 severity scale was defined: no hospitalisation, hospitalisation (and no death) and death. ORs were estimated using multivariable ordinal logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 5045 cases, 18.3% had PsO, 45.5% PsA and 36.3% axSpA. Most (83.6%) were not hospitalised, 14.6% were hospitalised and 1.8% died. Older age was non-linearly associated with COVID-19 severity. Male sex (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.83), cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, metabolic and cancer comorbidities (ORs 1.25-2.89), moderate/high disease activity and/or glucocorticoid use (ORs 1.39-2.23, vs remission/low disease activity and no glucocorticoids) were associated with increased odds of severe COVID-19. Later pandemic time periods (ORs 0.42-0.52, vs until 15 June 2020), PsO (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.65, vs PsA) and baseline exposure to TNFi, IL17i and IL-23i/IL-12+23i (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.73; OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.87; OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.98; respectively; vs no disease-modifying antirheumatic drug) were associated with reduced odds of severe COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Older age, male sex, comorbidity burden, higher disease activity and glucocorticoid intake were associated with more severe COVID-19. Later pandemic time periods, PsO and exposure to TNFi, IL17i and IL-23i/IL-12+23i were associated with less severe COVID-19. These findings will enable risk stratification and inform management decisions for patients with PsO, PsA and axSpA during COVID-19 waves or similar future respiratory pandemics.

Effects of COVID-19 vaccination on disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis on targeted therapy in the COVIDSER study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of COVID-19 vaccination on disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients under targeted therapies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 1765 vaccinated patients COVID-19, 1178 (66.7%) with RA and 587 (33.3%) with PsA from the COVID-19 registry in patients with rheumatic diseases (COVIDSER) project, were included. Demographics, disease characteristics, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) and targeted treatments were collected. DAS28-based flare rates and categorised disease activity distribution prevaccination and post vaccination were analysed by log-linear regression and contingency analyses, respectively. The influence of vaccination on DAS28 variation as a continuous measure was evaluated using a random coefficient model. RESULTS: The distribution of categorised disease activity and flare rates was not significantly modified by vaccination. Log-linear regression showed no significant changes in the rate of flares in the 6-month period after vaccination compared with the same period prior to vaccination in neither patients with RA nor patients with PsA. When DAS28 variations were analysed using random coefficient models, no significant variations in disease activity were detected after vaccination for both groups of patients. However, patients with RA treated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAK-i) (1) and interleukin-6 inhibitor (IL-6-i) experienced a worsening of disease activity (1.436±0.531, p=0.007, and 1.201±0.550, p=0.029, respectively) in comparison with those treated with tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNF-i). Similarly, patients with PsA treated with interleukin-12/23 inhibitor (IL-12/23-i) showed a worsening of disease activity (4.476±1.906, p=0.019) compared with those treated with TNF-i. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 vaccination was not associated with increased rate of flares in patients with RA and PsA. However, a potential increase in disease activity in patients with RA treated with JAK-i and IL-6-i and in patients with PsA treated with IL-12/23-i warrants further investigation.

Psoriatic arthritis: one year in review 2022.

Psoriatic arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease, in which a characteristic heterogeneous inflammatory involvement of entheses and both peripheral and axial joints tends to be associated with different clinical features, in particular skin or nail psoriasis, but also inflammatory bowel diseases, or acute anterior uveitis. Patients with PsA are at higher risk of developing comorbidities, in particular metabolic syndrome, with a significant impact on their quality of life. Although the advanced knowledge in the pathogenetic mechanisms of PsA helped in developing an abundant therapeutical armamentarium, the available drugs might still show a suboptimal efficacy. However, the frontier of "personalised medicine" could promote further future improvement in the quality of care of patients. In this paper we reviewed the literature on PsA of 2020 and 2021 (Medline search of articles published from 1st January 2020 to 31th December 2021).

Efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in Chinese patients with active psoriatic arthritis: a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: Efficacy and safety of tofacitinib, an oral Janus kinase inhibitor, were evaluated in a 6-month, double-blind, phase 3 study in Chinese patients with active (polyarthritic) psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and inadequate response to ≥1 conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug. METHODS: Patients were randomised (2:1) to tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily (N=136) or placebo (N=68); switched to tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily after month (M)3 (blinded). PRIMARY ENDPOINT: American College of Rheumatology (ACR50) response at M3. Secondary endpoints (through M6) included: ACR20/50/70 response; change from baseline in Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI); ≥75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI75) response, and enthesitis and dactylitis resolution. Safety was assessed throughout. RESULTS: The primary endpoint was met (tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily, 38.2%; placebo, 5.9%; p<0.0001). M3 ACR20/ACR70/PASI75 responses, and enthesitis and dactylitis resolution rates, were higher and HAQ-DI reduction was greater for tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily versus placebo. Incidence of adverse events (AEs)/serious AEs (M0-3): 68.4%/0%, tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily; 75.0%/4.4%, placebo. One death was reported with placebo→tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily (due to accident). One serious infection, non-serious herpes zoster, and lung cancer case each were reported with tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily; four serious infections and one non-serious herpes zoster case were reported with placebo→tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily (M0-6). No non-melanoma skin cancer, major adverse cardiovascular or thromboembolism events were reported. CONCLUSION: In Chinese patients with PsA, tofacitinib efficacy was greater than placebo (primary and secondary endpoints). Tofacitinib was well tolerated; safety outcomes were consistent with the established safety profile in PsA and other indications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03486457.

Unmet need in rheumatology: reports from the Advances in Targeted Therapies meeting, 2022.

To detail the unmet clinical and scientific needs in the field of rheumatology. After a 2-year hiatus due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the 22nd annual international Advances in Targeted Therapies meeting brought together more than 100 leading basic scientists and clinical researchers in rheumatology, immunology, epidemiology, molecular biology and other specialties. Breakout sessions were convened with experts in five rheumatological disease-specific groups including: rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and connective tissue diseases (CTDs). In each group, experts were asked to identify and prioritise current unmet needs in clinical and translational research, as well as highlight recent progress in meeting formerly identified unmet needs. Clinical trial design innovation was emphasised across all disease states. Within RA, developing therapies and trials for refractory disease patients remained among the most important identified unmet needs and within lupus and spondyloarthritis the need to account for disease endotypes was highlighted. The RA group also identified the need to better understand the natural history of RA, pre-RA states and the need ultimately for precision medicine. In CTD generally, experts focused on the need to better identify molecular, cellular and clinical signals of early and undifferentiated disease in order to identify novel drug targets. There remains a strong need to develop therapies and therapeutic strategies for those with treatment-refractory disease. Increasingly it is clear that we need to better understand the natural history of these diseases, including their 'predisease' states, and identify molecular signatures, including at a tissue level, which can facilitate disease diagnosis and treatment. As these unmet needs in the field of rheumatic diseases have been identified based on consensus of expert clinicians and scientists in the field, this document may serve individual researchers, institutions and industry to help prioritise their scientific activities.

Effectiveness and safety of generic tofacitinib in spondyloarthritis: A real-world retrospective analysis from India.

BACKGROUND: Clinical trial evidence demonstrates the efficacy of tofacitinib in ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Real-world data from spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients are scarce; there are few reports of its effectiveness and safety from low- to middle-income countries like India, despite its widespread usage. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of clinical and laboratory records of 100 patients with SpA prescribed generic tofacitinib from a single center in Mumbai, India. Disease activity was measured using the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score C-Reactive Protein (ASDAS-CRP) in all patients, along with disease-specific outcome measures in the subgroups. We used paired t test for response to tofacitinib. We compared Δ ASDAS-CRP in patients with active peripheral arthritis and in patients without. We defined clinical tofacitinib failure as the physician's decision to change or add a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), and performed logistic regression to identify factors associated with tofacitinib failure. RESULTS: Among 100 patients (71 male, median age 42.5 years), 57 had axial SpA, 10 had peripheral SpA, 4 had inflammatory bowel disease-SpA and 29 had PsA. One-third had received biologic DMARDs previously. Patients received tofacitinib for a median of 192 days. There was a significant improvement in ASDAS-CRP in all types of SpA. Patients with active peripheral arthritis had a significantly greater fall in ASDAS-CRP. There were no serious adverse events, 19 patients had mild COVID-19; no patient had tuberculosis. Ten patients had tofacitinib failure; no baseline parameter could predict failure. INTERPRETATION: In the real-world setting, generic tofacitinib showed good effectiveness and tolerable safety profile in Indian patients with SpA.

COVID-19 was not associated or trigger disease activity in spondylarthritis patients: ReumaCoV-Brasil cross-sectional data.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the disease activity before and after COVID-19 and risk factors associated with outcomes, including hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation (MV) and death in patients with spondylarthritis (SpA). METHODS: ReumaCoV Brazil is a multicenter prospective cohort of immune-mediated rheumatic diseases (IMRD) patients with COVID-19 (case group), compared to a control group of IMRD patients without COVID-19. SpA patients enrolled were grouped as axial SpA (axSpA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and enteropathic arthritis, according to usual classification criteria. RESULTS: 353 SpA patients were included, of whom 229 (64.9%) were axSpA, 118 (33.4%) PsA and 6 enteropathic arthritis (1.7%). No significant difference was observed in disease activity before the study inclusion comparing cases and controls, as well no worsening of disease activity after COVID-19. The risk factors associated with hospitalization were age over 60 years (OR = 3.71; 95% CI 1.62-8.47, p = 0.001); one or more comorbidities (OR = 2.28; 95% CI 1.02-5.08, p = 0.001) and leflunomide treatment (OR = 4.46; 95% CI 1.33-24.9, p = 0.008). Not having comorbidities (OR = 0.11; 95% CI 0.02-0.50, p = 0.001) played a protective role for hospitalization. In multivariate analysis, leflunomide treatment (OR = 8.69; CI = 95% 1.41-53.64; p = 0.023) was associated with hospitalization; teleconsultation (OR = 0.14; CI = 95% 0.03-0.71; p = 0.01) and no comorbidities (OR = 0.14; CI = 95% 0.02-0.76; p = 0.02) remained at final model as protective factor. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed no association between pre-COVID disease activity or that SARS-CoV-2 infection could trigger disease activity in patients with SpA. Teleconsultation and no comorbidities were associated with a lower hospitalization risk. Leflunomide remained significantly associated with higher risk of hospitalization after multiple adjustments.

Sex-Based Medicine Meets Psoriatic Arthritis: Lessons Learned and to Learn.

Humorally associated autoimmune diseases generally show a female predominance whereas ankylosing spondylitis, a disease that overlaps with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), shows a male predominance. The present review ascertains the current knowledge of sex-specific differences related to psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a chronic, inflammatory condition associated with psoriasis. Sex differences may have important implications for clinical research in PsA and in terms of epidemiology (incidence, prevalence, lifetime risk, survival, and mortality), clinical, radiological, and laboratory features, and response to treatment. While nationwide surveys and large-scale databases and registries show no sex-specific differences, varying male/female ratios have been reported, ranging from 0.42 to 2.75 (comparable with those reported for psoriasis vulgaris: ranging from 0.28 to 2.38). This may reflect subtle, complex, nonlinear interactions between the biological make-up of the individual (genetic and epigenetic differences), hormonal components including menopausal status, environmental exposures including skeletal physical stressing, and psychological variables. There exists methodological heterogeneity and paucity of data concerning sex-specific differences, in terms of the specific population studied, study design, and the diagnostic criteria utilized. Harmonizing and reconciling these discrepancies would be of crucial importance in achieving the ambitious goals of personalized/individualized medicine and further standardized meta-data and Big Data could help disentangle and elucidate the precise mechanisms of underlying potential PsA sex-specific differences.

Patient and learner experience in a new set up of a multidisciplinary dermatology-rheumatology clinic care model for psoriatic arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: We described the set-up of a new multidisciplinary psoriatic arthritis-psoriasis (PsA-PsO) clinic incorporating service, education, and research between rheumatologists and dermatologists for PsA. We describe the patients' and learners' experience of this shared-care model. METHODS: A PsA-PsO clinic was newly set up in 2019. Each patient was first seen by a trainee, followed by both a dermatologist and a rheumatologist simultaneously in the same consultation room. We collected patients' and learners' experience through self-administered surveys. RESULTS: From May 2019 to January 2020, we collected data from 44 visits (55% new referrals, 45% follow up) from 30 patients: 22.7% were referred for diagnostic doubts, 77.3% were for therapeutic issues. Eight of the 10 patients referred for diagnosis had PsA confirmed. Medication changes occurred in 63.6% of visits; 63.6% of patients continued follow up in the PsA-PsO clinic, and 36.4% were discharged back to the original respective care. The median (interquartile range) rating of patient satisfaction of the care was 8 (7-8) out of 10; 96.1% of patients would "probably" or "definitely recommend" the care to others. From 20 learners, 95% reported the experience as "extremely" or "very" beneficial to training. The PsA-PsO clinic was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic from February 2020 because of lack of available staff. The service was resumed gradually from May 2021. CONCLUSION: Despite challenges, we report the set-up of a new care model between dermatologists and rheumatologists for care of patients with psoriatic disease. The care model was well received by patients. Learners from various levels reported benefit from the learning experience.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on biologic treatment in psoriasis patients: A single-center retrospective study in Japan.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on biologic treatment for psoriasis in Japan remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate changes in biologic treatment and patients' behavior of visiting our department, especially in psoriasis patients treated with biologics before and during the pandemic. Data were collected from medical records retrospectively. The numbers of new psoriasis patients before (2019) and during (2020) the pandemic were compared. Patients' behavior of visiting our department was evaluated. The number of new psoriasis patients who visited our department in 2020 decreased by 35.7% compared with that in 2019. The reduction rate of new patients with psoriasis vulgaris was 49.3%, whereas the numbers of new patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) were almost the same in 2019 and 2020. The number of patients who newly initiated biologics did not decrease in 2020 compared with that in 2019. As of January 1, 2020, 215 psoriasis patients were treated with biologics. Six patients (2.8%) discontinued biologics treatment possibly due to COVID-19 in 2020. Among 212 patients with good adherence to visiting our department in the previous year, 24 patients (11.3%) refrained from their visits for at least 1 month. In most cases, refrainment was observed in April and May when the first state of emergency was in effect in Japan. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic hindered patients from visiting our department. However, its impact on patients who needed intensive care, such as patients with PsA and GPP, and psoriasis patients treated with biologics, was limited.

Efficacy and safety of risankizumab for active psoriatic arthritis: 24-week results from the randomised, double-blind, phase 3 KEEPsAKE 2 trial.

OBJECTIVES: Risankizumab is an interleukin-23 inhibitor under study for the treatment of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The phase 3 KEEPsAKE 2 trial investigated the efficacy and safety of risankizumab versus placebo in patients with active PsA who had previous inadequate response or intolerance to ≤2 biological therapies (Bio-IR) and/or ≥1 conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARD-IR). Results through week 24 are reported here. METHODS: Adults with PsA who were Bio-IR and/or csDMARD-IR were randomised to receive subcutaneously administered risankizumab 150 mg or placebo at weeks 0, 4 and 16 during a 24-week, double-blind treatment period. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who achieved ≥20% improvement in American College of Rheumatology score (ACR20) at week 24. Secondary endpoints assessed key domains of PsA and patient-reported outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 444 patients (median age 53 years, range 23-84 years) were randomised to risankizumab (n=224) or placebo (n=220); 206 patients (46.5%) were Bio-IR. At week 24, a significantly greater proportion of patients receiving risankizumab achieved the primary endpoint of ACR20 (51.3% vs 26.5%, p<0.001) and all secondary endpoints (p<0.05) compared with placebo. Serious adverse events were reported for 4.0% and 5.5% of risankizumab-treated and placebo-treated patients, respectively; serious infections were reported for 0.9% and 2.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Treatment with risankizumab resulted in significant improvements versus placebo in key disease outcomes and was well tolerated in patients with PsA who were Bio-IR and/or csDMARD-IR. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03671148.

Successful Use of Certolizumab Pegol for Refractory Psoriatic Arthritis Triggered by COVID-19 Infection.

Recently, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has spread worldwide. Although nearly all patients incur mild-to-moderate disease from this viral infection, some develop severe manifestations with a poor prognosis. COVID-19 can also induce autoimmune disease; several cases of arthritis following COVID-19 have been documented in the literature, such as reactive arthritis and chronic arthritis. We herein report a case of psoriatic arthritis triggered by COVID-19. Although the arthritis had been refractory to glucocorticoids and methotrexate, certolizumab pegol subsequently led to remission.

Telemedicine and psoriatic arthritis: best practices and considerations for dermatologists and rheumatologists.

Telemedicine encompasses a variety of modalities that allow for the remote assessment and treatment of patients. The technologies, services, and tools available for telemedicine in the USA are increasingly becoming an integral part of the healthcare system to bridge the gaps in care that can arise from geographic and/or socioeconomic obstacles and provider shortages. Telemedicine can be applied to a spectrum of clinical areas, including rheumatic diseases. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem disease with predominately skin and joint manifestations. PsA is often misdiagnosed and/or undiagnosed, which can lead to worse patient outcomes, including irreversible joint erosion and damage. The difficulties in diagnosing and managing PsA are confounded by the emergence and increased use of telemedicine because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine presents the opportunity to increase access to healthcare by rheumatologists and dermatologists to improve training and education regarding PsA and to decrease time attributed to office visits associated with PsA. However, challenges in diagnosing PsA without a thorough in-person physical examination by a trained rheumatologist or dermatologist exist. We provide an overview of the ways telemedicine can be incorporated into clinical care and optimized for patients with PsA; characteristic clinical features of PsA, with a focus on skin and joint signs and symptoms; screening tools to be used in routine clinical care; assessments that can be used to evaluate quality of life, functional ability, and disease activity in PsA; and resources and recommendations for the development of future telemedicine use in rheumatology and dermatology. Key Points • Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are often misdiagnosed and/or undiagnosed. • Telemedicine can improve access to healthcare by rheumatologists and dermatologists. • Telemedicine can be incorporated into clinical care and optimized for managing PsA.

Efficacy and safety of risankizumab for active psoriatic arthritis: 24-week results from the randomised, double-blind, phase 3 KEEPsAKE 1 trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate risankizumab, a biological therapy that inhibits interleukin 23, in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who have responded inadequately or are intolerant to ≥1 conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARD). METHODS: In the randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind KEEPsAKE 1 trial, 964 patients with active PsA were randomised (1:1) to receive risankizumab 150 mg or placebo at weeks 0, 4 and 16. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving ≥20% improvement in American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR20) at week 24. Here, we report the results from the 24-week double-blind period; the open-label period with all patients receiving risankizumab is ongoing. RESULTS: At week 24, a significantly greater proportion of patients receiving risankizumab achieved the primary endpoint of ACR20 (57.3% vs placebo, 33.5%; p<0.001). Significant differences were also observed for risankizumab versus placebo for the first eight ranked secondary endpoints, including skin and nail psoriasis endpoints, minimal disease activity and resolution of enthesitis and dactylitis (p<0.001). Adverse events and serious adverse events were reported at similar rates in the risankizumab and placebo groups. Serious infections were reported for 1.0% and 1.2% of patients receiving risankizumab and placebo, respectively. There was one death in the risankizumab group (urosepsis deemed unrelated to the study drug). CONCLUSIONS: Risankizumab treatment results in significantly greater improvement of signs and symptoms of PsA compared with placebo and is well tolerated in patients with active PsA who have responded inadequately or are intolerant to ≥1 csDMARD. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03675308.

Immunogenicity of BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with psoriatic arthritis on TNF inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Scanty data on the immunogenicity of the BNT162b2 vaccine in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) on Tumor Necrosis Factor inhibitors (TNFi) have been published. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the humoral response to BNT162b2 vaccination patients with PsA on TNFi, comparing immunogenicity with healthy controls. METHODS: Forty patients with classified PsA on TNFi undergoing vaccination with the BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (BioNTech/Pfizer) were enrolled. Fifteen days after the second shot, serum IgG levels against SARS-CoV-2 (Abbott ARCHITECT i2000SR, positivity cut-off 50 AU/mL) were assayed in all patients. Clinimetrics and treatment data were gathered. TNFi treatment was not discontinued throughout the whole period, whereas methotrexate (MTX) was discontinued for 1 week after each shot in those on combination therapy. Sera from healthcare professionals were considered as healthy controls for 1:1 propensity score matching; any of them was taking medication.Student's t-test and logistic regression were used for investigating differences in immunogenicity between groups and predictors of antibody response. RESULTS: Clinical Disease Activity Index did not change before and after vaccination (7.06±5.23 to 7.10±5.27, p=0.92).Patients with PsA achieved a positive anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG level with a mean (±SD) of 13794.44±15 815.42 AU/mL. Although lower, the antibody level was not significantly different from matched controls (19227.4±11.8460.45 AU/mL, p=0.08). In the overall sample, those on MTX (12/80, 15%) had a trend toward lower immune response (p=0.07); glucocorticoid therapy (11/80, 13.8%) predicted lower antibody levels (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Continuing TNFi in patients with PsA throughout the vaccination did not hamper immunogenicity.

All-cause mortality in systemic rheumatic diseases under treatment compared with the general population, 2015-2019.

OBJECTIVES: To compare current all-cause mortality rates in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) versus general population. METHODS: In this population-based, retrospective cohort study, anonymised data on 11 186 586 citizens, including all patients with RA (42 735, 79% female), AS (9707, 43% female), PsA (13 779, 55% female), SLE (10 440, 89% female) and SSc (2277, 88% female), (median age of 64/47/54/53/59 years at study entry, respectively), under prescribed treatment between 2015 and 2019, were extracted from the electronic database covering nearly 99% of the Greek population. RESULTS: After 1:5 (patients:general population) matching for gender/age, we found that survival was worse in SSc, followed by SLE and inflammatory arthritis. Compared with the general population HRs for death increased from the first 3 years to 5 years of observation possibly due to increases in disease duration: RA (from 0.63 to 1.13 (95% CI: 1.05 to 1.22), AS (from 0.62 to 1.01, (95% CI: 0.76 to 1.33)), PsA (from 0.68 to 1.06, (95% CI: 0.88 to 1.28)), SLE (from 1.52 to 1.98, (95% CI: 1.67 to 2.33)) and SSc (from 2.27 to 4.24, (95% CI: 3.19 to 5.63)). In both SLE and SSc mortality was increased in men than women and in patients younger than 50 years. CONCLUSIONS: Survival rates over 5 years in inflammatory arthritis under treatment are currently becoming comparable (AS/PsA) or slightly higher (RA) than those of the general population. However, all-cause mortality is almost twofold and fourfold higher in SLE and SSc, respectively, being even higher for male and younger patients.

Use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with inflammatory arthritis: a retrospective study on feasibility and impact on patient-reported outcomes in a real-life setting.

Close follow-up is mandatory in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, rheumatological care was rapidly reorganized during the first peak from March 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020, and all patients with RA, PsA, and AS being treated with a subcutaneous biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug or oral targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug were followed remotely. A retrospective database analysis of these 431 patients before and after this period is presented herein. A rheumatologist directly contacted all patients by telephone. Patients could also enter data on patient-reported outcomes remotely using the digital platform iAR Plus. General health (GH) and visual analog scale (VAS) pain were the main outcomes along with FACIT and disease-specific questionnaires (RADAI, ROAD, PROCLARA for RA, and BASDAI, BASGI, BASFI for AS). In all, 449 visits were postponed (69.9% of all scheduled visits); telephone evaluation was deemed inadequate in 193 instances, and patients underwent a standard outpatient visit. Comparing patients on telemedicine to those who underwent hospital visits, we found no statistically significant differences in GH (35.3 vs 39.3; p = 0.24), VAS (33.3 vs 37.1; p = 0.29), or other specific outcome measures in patients with RA, PsA, or AS. These results show that telemedicine has undoubted benefits, and in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely that many patients with these diseases may prefer it.

Patient educational needs and challenges in psoriatic arthritis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To provide an overview of the recent research publications on educational needs of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and the associated challenges. RECENT FINDINGS: The rate of good treatment adherence in PsA can be as low as 57.7% and successful patient education can help improve treatment adherence. Also, 78.7% of patients who stopped their disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic did so without the advice of their clinician. In delivering educational needs, the aspects of disease process, treatment, self-help measures, managing pain, movement, psychological and social needs should all be addressed, whilst at the same time, recognising that PsA patients with multidomain disease, are likely to be dealing with more than just pain. Arthritis self-care management education is potentially beneficial, but up to 11% of educational YouTube videos may contain misleading patient opinion and many existing apps do not meet the needs of the patients with PsA. SUMMARY: Significant room for improvement exists in treatment adherence in PsA and patient education addressing the relevant educational needs could assist with this issue. However, patients should be advised to be wary of internet videos and other educational aids that were not created by health professionals.