[Frailty syndrome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis]. / Síndrome de fragilidad en pacientes con artritis reumatoide.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disabling disease, which leads to joint destruction and functional limitations. It diminishes health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and life expectancy. Frailty is a chronic inflammatory process related to aging that causes disability and affects HRQoL. The presence of comorbidity and polypharmacy are both related to RA severity. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of frailty and comorbidities in patients with RA. METHODS: Based on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, we studied patients with RA that were seen at the outpatient clinic of the Rheumatology Department of a third level hospital. We applied the frailty criteria according to the Cardiovascular Health Study. We registered demographic data along with comorbidities and polypharmacy, using a cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study design. RESULTS: Five hundred consecutive RA patients were included, 453 (90.6 %) were female.Mean age was 51.3 years and mean disease duration was 13.2 years; 23.4 % met frailty criteria. Mean number of comorbidities was 1.59, with systemic hypertension and obesity as the most frequent ones (25.2 % and 18.2 %, respectively). Polypharmacy was found in 99.6 % and 69.6 % received more than five drugs simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of frailty in this study was unexpectedly high and so were comorbidities and multiple drug usage. Clinicians should make an early detection of signs of frailty and comorbidity in RA patients.

Introducción: la artritis reumatoide (AR) es una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica que causa daño articular progresivo, y afecta la calidad y la esperanza de vida. El síndrome de fragilidad (SF) es un precursor de limitaciones y discapacidad. La comorbilidad es un indicador de gravedad. Se buscó evaluar la frecuencia de fragilidad y comorbilidad en pacientes con AR. Métodos: se evaluaron pacientes consecutivos con AR atendidos en el departamento de Reumatología de un hospital de tercer nivel en los que fue posible aplicar los criterios para definir fragilidad según el Estudio de Salud Cardiovascular. Se registraron datos demográficos, el número de comorbilidades y la presencia de polifarmacia con un diseño observacional, descriptivo y transversal. Resultados: se analizaron 500 pacientes con AR. Fueron 453 mujeres (90.6 %). La edad promedio fue de 51.3 años y el tiempo promedio de evolución de la AR de 13.2 años. El 23.4 % cumplió con criterios para SF. El promedio de comorbilidades fue de 1.59 y las más frecuentes fueron la hipertensión arterial sistémica (25.2 %) y la obesidad (18.2 %). Los pacientes tomaban en promedio 5.81 fármacos; el 99.6 % incurría en polifarmacia y el 69.6 %, en polifarmacia mayor. Conclusiones: hubo una prevalencia muy alta de SF, mayor que la esperada en población general; asimismo, el número de comorbilidades y la presencia de polifarmacia fueron muy frecuentes. Se debe vigilar la aparición de datos clínicos de SF y comorbilidad en AR aun en sujetos jóvenes con enfermedad de corta evolución.

Update of the Mexican College of Rheumatology guidelines for the pharmacologic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: The pharmacologic management of rheumatoid arthritis has progressed substantially over the past years. It is therefore desirable that existing information be periodically updated. There are several published international guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis that hardly adapt to the Mexican health system because of its limited healthcare resources. Hence, it is imperative to unify the existing recommendations and to incorporate them to a set of clinical, updated recommendations; the Mexican College of Rheumatology developed these recommendations in order to offer an integral management approach of rheumatoid arthritis according to the resources of the Mexican health system. OBJECTIVE: To review, update and improve the available evidence within clinical practice guidelines on the pharmacological management of rheumatoid arthritis and produce a set of recommendations adapted to the Mexican health system, according to evidence available through December 2012. METHODS: The working group was composed of 30 trained and experienced rheumatologists with a high quality of clinical knowledge and judgment. Recommendations were based on the highest quality evidence from the previously established treatment guidelines, meta-analysis and controlled clinical trials for the adult population with rheumatoid arthritis. RESULTS: During the conformation of this document, each working group settled the existing evidence from the different topics according to their experience. Finally, all the evidence and decisions were unified into a single document, treatment algorithm and drug standardization tables. CONCLUSIONS: This update of the Mexican Guidelines for the Pharmacologic Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis provides the highest quality information available at the time the working group undertook this review and contextualizes its use for the complex Mexican health system.