Remission On Treatment Research Articles

Remission and low disease activity are associated with lower healthcare costs: results from the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) inception cohort

ObjectivesThis study aims to determine the independent impact of definitions of remission/low disease activity (LDA) on direct/indirect costs (DCs, ICs) in a multicentre inception cohort.MethodsPatients from 31 centres in 10...

Magnetic resonance imaging to monitor disease activity in giant cell arteritis treated with ultra-short glucocorticoids and tocilizumab.

MRI is well established for diagnosing GCA. Its role in monitoring disease activity has yet to be determined. We investigated vascular and musculoskeletal inflammation using MRI in the patients of the GUSTO trial to assess the utility of MRI in monitoring disease activity. Eighteen patients with newly diagnosed GCA received 500 mg methylprednisolone intravenously for 3 consecutive days followed by tocilizumab monotherapy from day 3 until week 52. Cranial, thoracic and abdominal MRI exams were performed at baseline (active, new-onset disease), and at weeks 24, 52 (remission on-treatment), and 104 (remission off-treatment). MRI findings typical for PMR as well as extent and severity of vasculitic disease were rated. In total, 673 vascular segments and 943 musculoskeletal regions in 55 thoracic/abdominal MRI and 490 vascular segments in 49 cranial MRI scans of 18 patients were analysed. Vasculitic vessels were still detectable in one in four cranial segments at week 24. At weeks 52 and 104, no cranial vascular segment showed a vasculitic manifestation. Large vessels, except for the ascending aorta, and PMR displayed little or no decrease in inflammatory findings over time. Vasculitic manifestations in the cranial vessels normalised after 52 weeks of treatment, whereas large vessel and PMR findings persisted despite lasting full remission. The dynamics of cranial vessel signals suggest that MRI of these arteries might qualify as a potential diagnostic tool for monitoring disease activity and for detecting relapse after 52 weeks of treatment.

Sustained remission induced by 2 years of treatment with benralizumab in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma and nasal polyposis.

Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that benralizumab is characterized by a good profile of efficacy and safety, thereby being potentially able to elicit clinical remission on-treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA). The main goal of this multicentre observational study was to verify the effectiveness of benralizumab in inducing a sustained remission on-treatment of SEA in patients with or without comorbid chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Throughout 2 years of treatment with benralizumab, a four-component evaluation of sustained remission of SEA was performed, including the assessment of SEA exacerbations, use of oral corticosteroids (OCSs), symptom control and lung function. The present study recruited 164 patients suffering from SEA. After 24 months of add-on biological therapy with benralizumab, 69 (42.1%) achieved the important target of sustained remission on-treatment (exacerbation rate = 0, OCS dose = 0, pre-bronchodilator FEV1 ≥80% pred., ACT score ≥ 20). During the same period, a persistent improvement of CRSwNP (SNOT-22 < 30, NP recurrence = 0) was observed in 33 (40.2%) out of 82 subjects with concomitant NP. The latter comorbidity and post-bronchodilator reversibility of airflow limitation were two independent predictors of sustained remission on-treatment (OR = 2.32, p < 0.05 and OR = 5.59, p < 0.01, respectively). Taken together, the results of this real-life clinical investigation indicate that benralizumab can induce a sustained remission on-treatment of SEA, especially in those patients with comorbid CRSwNP and reversible airflow limitation.

Health-related quality of life, remission and low lupus disease activity state in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

To measure the association between SLE remission and scores of patients-reported outcome (PRO) measures. We performed a prospective cohort study of SLE patients with a 2-year follow-up, using Lupus Patient-Reported Outcome (LupusPRO), Lupus Quality of Life (LupusQoL), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Quality of Life (SLEQOL) and 36-item Short Form (SF-36) questionnaires. Remission was defined as remission off treatment (ROFT) and remission on treatment (RONT) according to the definitions of remission in SLE consensus. Mixed models accounting for repeated measures were used to compare groups as follow: ROFT and RONT vs no remission and lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS) vs no LLDAS. A total of 1478 medical visits and 2547 PRO questionnaires were collected during the follow-up from the 336 recruited patients. A between-group difference in PRO scores reaching at least 5 points on a 0-100 scale was obtained in the following domains: lupus symptoms (LLDAS: +5 points on the 0-100 scale, RONT: +9, ROFT: +5), lupus medication (LLDAS: +5, RONT: +8, ROFT: +9), pain vitality (LLDAS: +6, RONT: +9, ROFT: +6) of LupusPRO; role emotional (LLDAS: +5, RONT: +8), role physical (RONT: +7 and ROFT: +7), bodily pain (RONT: +6), mental health (RONT: +5) and social functioning (RONT: +6) of SF-36. In contrast, a between-group difference reaching at least 5 points was not achieved for any of the LupusQoL and SLEQOL domains. RONT, ROFT and LLDAS were associated with significant and clinically relevant higher QoL in most PRO domains of the LupusPRO (disease specific) and SF-36 (generic) questionnaires, but not with LupusQoL and SLEQOL disease-specific questionnaires.

Remission and low disease activity in Polish patients with systemic lupus erythematosus - real-life, five-year follow-up outcomes.

Remission in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) are associated with less organ damage and thus create new perspectives for effective damage-limiting treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of remission defined by The Definition of Remission In SLE (DORIS) and of LLDAS as well as their predictors in the Polish SLE cohort. In this retrospective study data were collected on patients with SLE that achieved at least one year of DORIS remission or LLDAS and were followed up for 5 years. Clinical and demographic data were gathered; DORIS and LLDAS predictors were determined by univariate regression analysis. The full analysis set included 80 patients at baseline and 70 at follow-up. Over half of patients with SLE (39; 55.7%) fulfilled the DORIS remission criteria. In this group, 53.8% (21) of patients were in remission on-treatment and 46.1% (18) in remission off-treatment. LLDAS was fulfilled by a cohort of 43 (61.4%) patients with SLE. Among patients that achieved DORIS or LLDAS at follow-up, 77% were not treated with glucocorticoids (GCs). The most important predictors for DORIS and LLDAS off-treatment were mean SLEDAI-2K score with cut-off of ≤8.0, treatment with mycophenolate mofetil or antimalarials, and the age at disease onset above 43 years. Remission and LLDAS are achievable goals in treating SLE as over half of study patients fulfilled the DORIS remission and LLDAS criteria. The identified predictors for DORIS and LLDAS indicate the importance of effective therapy leading to reduction of GC use.

Remission and low disease activity (LDA) prevent damage accrual in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: results from the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) inception cohort

ObjectiveTo determine the independent impact of different definitions of remission and low disease activity (LDA) on damage accrual.MethodsPatients with ≥2 annual assessments from a longitudinal multinational inception lupus cohort were...

Attainment of low disease activity and remission targets reduces the risk of severe flare and new damage in childhood lupus.

ObjectivesTo assess the achievability and effect of attaining low disease activity (LDA) or remission in childhood-onset SLE (cSLE).MethodsAttainment of three adult-SLE derived definitions of LDA (LLDAS, LA, Toronto-LDA), and four definitions of remission (clinical-SLEDAI-defined remission on/off treatment, pBILAG-defined remission on/off treatment) was assessed in UK JSLE Cohort Study patients longitudinally. Prentice–Williams–Petersen gap recurrent event models assessed the impact of LDA/remission attainment on severe flare/new damage.ResultsLLDAS, LA and Toronto-LDA targets were reached in 67%, 73% and 32% of patients, after a median of 18, 15 or 17 months, respectively. Cumulatively, LLDAS, LA and Toronto-LDA was attained for a median of 23%, 31% and 19% of total follow-up-time, respectively. Remission on-treatment was more common (61% cSLEDAI-defined, 42% pBILAG-defined) than remission off-treatment (31% cSLEDAI-defined, 21% pBILAG-defined). Attainment of all target states, and disease duration (>1 year), significantly reduced the hazard of severe flare (P < 0.001). As cumulative time in each target increased, hazard of severe flare progressively reduced. LLDAS attainment reduced the hazard of severe flare more than LA or Toronto-LDA (P < 0.001). Attainment of LLDAS and all remission definitions led to a statistically comparable reduction in the hazards of severe flare (P > 0.05). Attainment of all targets reduced the hazards of new damage (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThis is the first study demonstrating that adult-SLE-derived definitions of LDA/remission are achievable in cSLE, significantly reducing risk of severe flare/new damage. Of the LDA definitions, LLDAS performed best, leading to a statistically comparable reduction in the hazards of severe flare to attainment of clinical remission.

Efficacy of tight control strategy in the treatment of adult-onset Still disease.

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) characterized by a high spiking fever, skin rash, arthritis, and leukocytosis. The aim of the present study was considering the long-term outcomes of patients with AOSD who were treated with tight control strategy with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Fifty-six patients with AOSD treated with tight control strategy were included. Four levels of remission were defined. Remission on-treatment was defined as the clinical remission, patient global assessment (PGA) ≤ 1, and prednisolone dose ≤ 5mg/day for at least 6months. Remission off-treatment was defined as the clinical remission and PGA ≤ 1 for at least 6months as well as discontinuation of prednisolone, DMARDs, and biologics. Sustained remission on-treatment was defined as the clinical remission, PGA ≤ 1, and prednisolone dose ≤ 5mg/day for ≥ 5years. Sustained remission off-treatment was defined as the clinical remission and PGA ≤ 1 for ≥ 5years as well as discontinuation of prednisolone, DMARDs, and biologics. Throughout a median follow-up of 47months, remission on-treatment and off-treatment were obtained in 94.6% and 44.6% of patients, respectively. Sustained remission on-treatment and off-treatment were obtained in 79.2 and 8.3% of patients, respectively. Glucocorticoids (GCs) and DMARDs were discontinued in 66.1% and 48.2% of the patients, respectively. Apart from the older age of the patients in the on-GCs group, no significant differences were observed between the groups. Our study showed that using DMARDs with tight control strategy at the presentation of AOSD may control disease activity successfully. Key Points • Using DMARDs with tight control strategy at the presentation of adult-onset Still's disease may control disease activity successfully.

Long-term remission in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Remission has been introduced as a desirable outcome and the primary target of treatment in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The purpose of this study was to identify the number of patients in remission and the long-term outcome of the disease and their predictors. Of the 379 patients in our SLE Database, a total of 193 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Remission was definition according to the definitions of remission in SLE. Three levels of remission were defined, including remission on-treatment, remission off-treatment and complete remission. In addition, we have defined a sustained remission for each level of remission in which the remission should last at least 5years. During a median follow-up of 96months, remission on-treatment and off-treatment, and complete remission were obtained in 49.2%, 38.9% and 19.2% of patients, respectively. Predictors of remission on-treatment in multivariate regression analysis were adherence to therapy and remission induction during 6months after treatment. Predictors of remission off-treatment were age ≥40 at the time of analysis and remission induction during 6months after treatment. Poor outcome (SLE Damage Index ≥1) was observed in 28% of the patients. Age at disease onset <30, kidney and nervous system involvement and SLEDAI-2K≥11 at the cohort entry were the risk factors of poor outcome in multivariate analysis. However, sustained remission on-treatment had a negative association with poor outcome. Treatment with glucocorticoids, antimalarials, immunosuppressants and biologics in sequential or in combination may cause durable remission. Patients with durable remission have significantly lower organ damage.

Frequencies and predictors of the Lupus Low Disease Activity State and remission in treatment-naïve patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

To evaluate the attainability of Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) and definitions of remission in SLE (DORIS) in a treatment-naïve cohort of SLE. LLDAS5 was defined as LLDAS with a prednisone dose ≤5 mg/day. There were four definitions in DORIS: clinical remission on treatment (RONT), complete RONT, clinical remission off treatment (ROFT) and complete ROFT. The treatment-naïve patients from Peking University First Hospital SLE cohort were enrolled. The time to each state and their annual cumulative probabilities were estimated. The frequencies of patients who achieved each component of LLDAS or DORIS during follow-up were determined. The predictors of time to each state were identified. A total of 218 patients were included, with a median follow-up of 4.48 years. Respectively, 190 (87.2%), 160 (73.4%), 148 (67.9%), 94 (43.1%), 23 (10.6%) and 18 (8.3%) patients achieved LLDAS, LLDAS5, clinical RONT, complete RONT, clinical ROFT and complete ROFT. The median time to LLDAS, LLDAS5, clinical RONT and complete RONT were 1.4, 2.3, 2.6 and 4.7 years, respectively. Positive anti-dsDNA, RP and anaemia were significantly associated with prolonged time to LLDAS, LLDAS5 or clinical RONT. Our data confirmed that LLDAS is an attainable early treatment target for SLE. Though with more difficulty, RONT can be achieved in two-thirds of our patients. ROFT may not be an ideal treatment target at present as it is only attained in few patients.

Remission in systemic lupus erythematosus: durable remission is rare

IntroductionRemission is the ultimate goal in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we applied four definitions of remission agreed on by an international collaboration (Definitions of Remission in SLE,...

Does right ventricular function predict survival in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease?

Non-invasive measurements of the right ventricular ejection fraction by radionuclide ventriculography were made in 115 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. Survival was assessed over a mean period of 918 days. The right ventricular ejection fraction was reasonably normal in most patients (mean 0.42, range 0.10-0.66) but was lower in those with peripheral oedema, indicating cor pulmonale (mean 0.31 (SD 0.07); p less than 0.0001). Right ventricular ejection fraction was related to survival, but the relationship was weak (p = 0.03) by comparison with the association between the arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions and survival (both p less than 0.0001). It is concluded that, although right ventricular function is predictive of survival in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease, it is probably a reflection of severity of disease and does not directly affect the prognosis.

THROMBOTIC THROMBOCYTOPENIC PURPURA: REMISSION ON TREATMENT WITH HEPARIN

THROMBOTIC THROMBOCYTOPENIC PURPURA: REMISSION ON TREATMENT WITH HEPARIN