Spondyloarthritis Research Articles

Disease-specific definitions of new bone formation on spine radiographs: a systematic literature review.

We aimed to explore the radiographic definitions of types of New Bone formation (NBF) by focusing on the terminology, description and location of the findings. Three systematic literature reviews were conducted in parallel to identify the radiographic spinal NBF definitions for spondyloarthritis (SpA), Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH) and Osteorathritis (OA). Study characteristics and definitions were extracted independently by two reviewers. Definitions were analysed and collated based on whether they were unique, modified or established from previous research. We identified 33 studies that indicated a definition for the NBF in SpA, 10 for DISH and 7 for spinal OA. In SpA, the variations in syndesmophytes included the description as well as the subtypes and locations. The differentiation of syndesmophytes from osteophytes were included in 12 articles, based on the origin and the angle of the NBF and associated findings. The definitions of DISH varied in the number of vertebrae, level and laterality. For OA, five articles indicated that osteophytes arose from the anterior or lateral aspects of the vertebral bodies, and two studies required a size cut-off. Our ultimate aim is to create formal NBF definitions for SpA, DISH and OA guided by an atlas, through a Delphi exercise with international experts. The improved ability to differentiate these conditions radiographically will not only allow the clinicians to accurately approach patients but also will help the researchers to better classify patient phenotypes and focus on accurate radiographic outcomes.

Validation of computer-based analysis of static ultrasound images of patellar and Achilles tendon enthesis territories

Aim: The aim of the present study is to conduct interobserver and intra-observer validation of computer analysis of static ultrasound images of entheseal territories of the Achilles and distal patellar tendons. Methods: Three rheumatologists with varying levels of experience underwent training in the use of ImageJ software for the analysis of 384 pairs of ultrasound images (long and short axis) from recorded studies of the Achilles and patellar tendons of both spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients and controls. Intra-observer and interobserver tests were conducted by calculating the differences in measurements of the same image at two different times by the same observer and by two different observers assessing the same image. The measurements included the area of analysis, the mean grayscale intensity, and the dispersion of grayscale intensity. Results: In the intra-observer test, no measurement showed a difference greater than 15%, ranging from 4.10% to 14.14%. In the interobserver test, no measurement exhibited a difference greater than 16%, ranging from 7.96% to 15.87%. The differences detected were evenly distributed among observers in both the intra-observer and inter-observer tests. Higher differences were detected in the analysis of images obtained from patient studies compared to control studies in almost all measurements. Conclusions: Whether analyzing control or patient ultrasound images of Achilles and patellar tendons, the intra-observer and interobserver agreement of computer-based analysis of static ultrasound images is more than acceptable and predominantly excellent.

Effect of Lifestyle Counselling via a Mobile Application on Disease Activity Control in Inflammatory Arthritis: A Single-Blinded, Randomized Controlled Study.

Mobile applications (apps) are a resource for information on lifestyle and nutrition which are associated to improved outcomes in inflammatory arthritis. The aim of this study was to explore whether targeted lifestyle counselling via an app improves disease activity in arthritis patients. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SpA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) were randomized to 12 weeks of lifestyle counselling via an app (Mida, Midaia GmbH, Germany) pertaining to a healthy Mediterranean Diet, physical activity, and mental health. Disease activity was measured with specific instruments by a blinded physician and categorized (remission, low, moderate, high). Dietary adherence was assessed by the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS). Mixed effects logistic regression adjusted to baseline disease activity, age, and sex were calculated. Of 158 patients included (73% female, 53.3 ± 11.7 years), 74 were in the active counselling group (ACG). All showed improvement in low disease activity or remission. ACG patients had an odds ratio (OR) of 2.8 (95%-CI 1.1-7.2, p = 0.035), while OR in the control group was not significant OR = 2.1 (0.9-5.0, p = 0.097). The control group was less likely to reach a MEDAS >= 4 (OR = 0.16 (0.03-0.77), p = 0.02), while this was not seen in the ACG (OR = 0.54 (0.06-4.63), p = 0.6). Patients in the ACG showed a tendency towards improved adhesion to a Mediterranean Diet (MEDAS) (β = 0.35 (-0.05-0.74), p = 0.086). This tendency was not observed in the control group (β = 0.09 (-0.29-0.46), p = 0.64). Individualized lifestyle and dietary counselling via app may help to improve disease control in inflammatory arthritis patients.

Presentation of enthesitis-related arthritis and juvenile-onset spondyloarthritis: a cross-sectional study in a pediatric and adult clinic

BackgroundJuvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) comprises a whole spectrum of chronic arthritis starting before 16 years of age. The study aims to explore the clinical and demographic descriptors, treatment, and disease progression of enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) in comparison with juvenile-onset spondyloarthritis (SpA).MethodsCross-sectional analysis of consecutive patients in two dedicated clinics, with a single visit and retrospective case-notes review. Arthritis, enthesitis and sacroiliitis were evaluated by scoring disease activity and damage. Continuous variables were reported by median, interquartile range; categorical variables were reported by the frequency comparison of the two groups.ResultsThirty-three cases were included, being 23 (69.7%) with ERA. The median age at diagnosis was 12.5 y (SpA) vs. 9 y (ERA) (p < 0.01); the time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 5.5 y (SpA) vs. 1.5 y (ERA) (p < 0.03). In both groups, the predominant presentation was a single joint or < 5 lower limb joints and asymmetric involvement, with a high frequency of enthesitis. There was a higher frequency of mid-tarsal and ankle synovitis in the ERA group and hip involvement in those with SpA. The comparison of the frequency of spine symptoms at presentation, 30% SpA vs. 21.7% ERA (p = 0.7), was not significant, and radiographic progression to spinal involvement occurred in 43.5% of ERA patients. The median time for spinal progression and age at onset was 2.2 and 12 y for ERA, and 4 and 16.5 y for SpA, respectively. Activity and damage scores were not significantly different between the groups. Treatment comparison resulted in 91.3% of ERA and 100% SpA being treated, predominantly with NSAIDs in both groups, followed by DMARDs and biologics, with a higher frequency of biologics in SpA.ConclusionThe main differences were the late diagnoses of SpA, and the hip and spine involvement, with higher frequency of biologic treatment in juvenile-onset SpA compared to ERA.

The gut microbiome and HLA-B27-associated anterior uveitis: a case-control study

BackgroundThe human gut microbiome (GM) is involved in inflammation and immune response regulation. Dysbiosis, an imbalance in this ecosystem, facilitates pathogenic invasion, disrupts immune equilibrium, and potentially triggers diseases including various human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B27-associated autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and spondyloarthropathy (SpA). This study assesses compositional and functional alterations of the GM in patients with HLA-B27-associated non-infectious anterior uveitis (AU) compared to healthy controls.MethodsThe gut metagenomes of 20 patients with HLA-B27-associated non-infectious AU, 21 age- and sex-matched HLA-B27-negative controls, and 6 HLA-B27-positive healthy controls without a history of AU were sequenced using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform for whole metagenome shotgun sequencing. To identify taxonomic and functional features with significantly different relative abundances between groups and to identify associations with clinical metadata, the multivariate association by linear models (MaAsLin) R package was applied.ResultsSignificantly higher levels of the Eubacterium ramulus species were found in HLA-B27-negative controls (p = 0.0085, Mann-Whitney U-test). No significant differences in microbial composition were observed at all other taxonomic levels. Functionally, the lipid IVA biosynthesis pathway was upregulated in patients (p < 0.0001, Mann-Whitney U-test). A subgroup analysis comparing patients with an active non-infectious AU to their age- and sex-matched HLA-B27-negative controls, showed an increase of the species Phocaeicola vulgatus in active AU (p = 0.0530, Mann-Whitney U-test). An additional analysis comparing AU patients to age- and sex-matched HLA-B27-positive controls, showed an increase of the species Bacteroides caccae in controls (p = 0.0022, Mann-Whitney U-test).ConclusionIn our cohort, non-infectious AU development is associated with compositional and functional alterations of the GM. Further research is needed to assess the causality of these associations, offering potentially novel therapeutic strategies.

Differences between radiographic and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis patients in a Mexican cohort

To compare the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics, disease onset, and clinical features of radiographic axial Spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) and non-radiographic axial Spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) patients. All patients who attended outpatient spondylarthritis (SpA) clinics at Hospital General de Mexico and the Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición from 1998 to 2005 and met the rheumatologist diagnostic criteria for SpA were selected. Then the SpA patients were classified by European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group criteria (ESSG). We selected SpA patients with axial presentation as axial SpA (axSpA), and they were classified as r-axSpA if they met modified New York (mNY) criteria for sacroiliitis and as nr-axSpA if they did not meet mNY criteria; to compared clinical, demographic, and laboratory test between the subgroups. It included 148 SpA patients; 55 (37.2%) patients had r-axSpA, and 70 (47.3%) had nr-axSpA. The nr-axSpA patients had a lower proportion of males (58.6% vs 78.2%, P < 0.05), lower HLA-B27 frequency (54.3%. vs. 92.7%, P < 0.05), were older at disease onset (21 vs 16 years; P < 0.01) and had a higher frequency of infections at disease onset (9.1% vs 32.9, P < 0.05) than r-axSpA. BASFI (2.9 vs 4.8; P < 0.0001), Dougados functional index (7 vs. 14; P < 0.05), and BASDAI (4.1 vs. 5.2; P < 0.001) were lower in patients with nr-axSpA than r-axSpA, respectively. The factors that most influenced the presentation of r-axSpA were history of uveitis (OR 14, 95% CI 2.3–85), HLA-B27 (OR 7.97, 95% CI, 2.96–122), male sex (OR 6.16, 95% CI, 1.47–25.7), axial enthesopathy count (OR 1.17 95% CI, 1.03–1.33). This study provides insight into the differences between nr-axSpA and r-axSpA in Mexico. Patients with r-axSpA were mainly male, with a younger presentation age, a higher prevalence of HLA-B27, more history of uveitis, fewer episodes of dactylitis, more axial enthesopathy, and higher disease activity than nr-axSpA.

Natural language processing to identify and characterize spondyloarthritis in clinical practice

ObjectiveThis study aims to use a novel technology based on natural language processing (NLP) to extract clinical information from electronic health records (EHRs) to characterise the clinical profile of patients...

Genetic biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of spondyloarthropathies in Moroccan population

BackgroundThe spondyloarthropathies (SpA) are inflammatory rheumatologic diseases whose pathogenesis comes from interaction between genetic and environmental factors. MethodsThis is a case-control analysis that aims to explore in Moroccan population the relationship of some allelic polymorphisms of the CTLA-4 CT60, FCGR3A-158G/T SNPs and HLA-B locus with SpA disease. Eighty-four Spa patients grouped according to pain site and 95 healthy individuals from Morocco were typed by sequence-based-typing methods. ResultsThe CTLA-4 CT60 investigation showed a significantly increased frequency of rs11571319 A allele in male patients with sacroiliitis (pcorr.=0.048, OR=2.756) and a protective role of A/G genotype in SPA patients with thoracic spine (pcorr.=0.016, OR=0.055) and peripheral joints pain (pcorr.=0.036 OR=0.068), compared to controls. Furthermore, a significant increase of A/A in rs3087243 was shown in male patients with peripheral joints pain (p = 0.035 OR = 4.45). Data from FCGR3A-158 analysis evidenced a reduction of T/T (F/F) genotype in patients with thoracic spine pain (p = 0.030, OR = 0.09) and a higher frequency of G/T (F/V) (p = 0.038 OR = 5.045) towards controls. With regard to HLA-B locus, we noticed a protective role of HLA-B*45:01 (pcorr. = 0.033,OR = 0.041) and an increased frequency of HLA-B*51 alleles (51:01, 51:02, 51:08, 51:09, 51:29) and B*52:01:01 (p = 0.041,OR = 2.714), in addition to HLA-B*27 alleles (p = 0.028, OR = 2.593) commonly associated with AS pathologies. ConclusionsOur data suggest the role of some additional CTLA-4, FCGR3A and HLA-B gene polymorphisms in SPA pathogenesis of Moroccan population, useful as new diagnostic biomarkers and targets for immunotherapy.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Moroccan Community Rheumatologists' Regarding the Management of Non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis: A National Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction Non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) is within the spectrum of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). The emergence of the nr-axSpA concept, defined by the absence of significant erosive damage to the sacroiliac joints, has prompted numerous initiatives aimed at enhancing the early detection and management of this condition. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the diagnosis and management of nr-axSpA by rheumatologists in Morocco. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey among the rheumatologist community in Morocco. Rheumatologists received via e-mail a structured Google Forms (Google Inc., Mountainview, CA) questionnaire divided into four sections: sociodemographic data of rheumatologists, knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the diagnosis and treatment management of nr-axSpA. Results A total of 110 rheumatologists (mean age of 44±13 years, 77.3% females, median professional experience of 12 years (4, 75; 26.25 years)) participated in the survey (response rate of 25%). Most responders reported a diagnosis delay issue in spondyloarthritis(SpA) (93.6%); 70.9% of rheumatologists incorrectly regarded the 2009 Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) classification criteria for axSpA as diagnostic criteria. Rheumatologists' awareness of recommended magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences for detecting sacroiliac joint inflammation and structural changes in SpA varied significantly, from 69.1% to 14.5%. Their knowledge of additional subchondral edema cases in these joints, beyond SpA, ranged from 48.2% to 87.3%. Almost all rheumatologists believed that the use of sacroiliac MRI would contribute to the early diagnosis of axSpA (97.3%) but could also lead to false positive diagnoses, according to 47.3% of rheumatologists; 73.6% believed that incorrectly using the 2009 ASAS classification criteria as diagnostic criteria in nr-axSpA could also result in false-positive diagnoses. In their practice, 2009 ASAS classification criteria were used as diagnostic criteria in axSpA by 39.1% of rheumatologists. Of the total participants, 91.8% indicated that they approach nr-axSpA similarly to radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, with disparities in recommendations of biological therapies. Conclusion Our survey provides insight into the current status of nr-axSpA management among Moroccan rheumatologists. It also addresses concerns regarding the risk of false positive diagnoses when using the 2009 ASAS classification criteria for axSpA as diagnostic criteria by rheumatologists and the potential risk of misdiagnosis associated with excessive reliance on MRI, despite its utility for early diagnosis.

Potential Efficacy of Janus Kinase Inhibitors in the Treatment of a Patient With Coexisting Peripheral and Axial Spondyloarthritis and Ulcerative Colitis.

Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors are effective and recommended in treating patients with coexisting spondyloarthritis (SpA) and ulcerative colitis (UC); however, the evidence of their superiority over other drugs is insufficient.1 Although Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) have shown effectiveness in treating UC and psoriatic arthritis, there are no reports of treating coexisting SpA and UC with JAKi monotherapy.

Effect of Secukinumab Versus Adalimumab Biosimilar on Radiographic Progression in Patients With Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis: Results From a Head-to-Head Randomized Phase IIIb Study.

Spinal radiographic progression is an important outcome in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (SpA). The objective of the phase IIIb SURPASS study was tocompare spinal radiographic progression in patients with radiographic axial SpA treated with secukinumab (interleukin-17A inhibitor) versus adalimumab biosimilar (Sandoz adalimumab [SDZ-ADL]; tumor necrosis factor inhibitor). Biologic-naive patients with active radiographic axial SpA, at high risk of radiographic progression (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP] ≥5 mg/L and/or ≥1 syndesmophyte[s] on spinal radiographs), were randomized (1:1:1) to secukinumab (150/300 mg) or SDZ-ADL (40 mg). The proportion of patients with no radiographic progression (change from baseline [CFB] in modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score [mSASSS] ≤0.5) on secukinumab versus SDZ-ADL at week 104 (primary endpoint), mean CFB-mSASSS, proportion of patients with ≥1 syndesmophyte(s) at baseline with no new syndesmophyte(s), and safety were evaluated. Overall, 859 patients (78.5% male, mSASSS 16.6, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index 7.1, hsCRP 20.4 mg/L, and 73.0% with ≥1 syndesmophyte[s]) received secukinumab 150 mg (n = 287), secukinumab 300 mg (n = 286), or SDZ-ADL (n = 286). At week 104, the proportion of patients with no radiographic progression was 66.1%, 66.9%, and 65.6% (P = not significant, both secukinumab doses) and mean CFB-mSASSS was 0.54, 0.55, and 0.72 in secukinumab 150 mg, secukinumab 300 mg, and SDZ-ADL arms, respectively. Overall, 56.9%, 53.8%, and 53.3% of patients on secukinumab 150 mg, secukinumab 300 mg, and SDZ-ADL, respectively, with ≥1 syndesmophyte(s) at baseline did not develop new syndesmophyte(s) by week 104. There were no unexpected safety findings. Spinal radiographic progression over two years was low with no significant difference between secukinumab and SDZ-ADL arms. The safety of both treatments was consistent with previous reports.

To be or not to B27 positive: implications for the phenotypes of axial spondyloarthritis outcomes. Data from a large multiracial cohort from the Brazilian Registry of Spondyloarthritis

BackgroundThere is a remarkable variability in the frequency of HLA-B27 positivity in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA), which may be associated with different clinical presentations worldwide. However, there is a lack of data considering ethnicity and sex on the evaluation of the main clinical and prognostic outcomes in mixed-race populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of HLA-B27 and its correlation with disease parameters in a large population of patients from the Brazilian Registry of Spondyloarthritis (RBE).MethodsThe RBE is a multicenter, observational, prospective cohort that enrolled patients with SpA from 46 centers representing all five geographic regions of Brazil. The inclusion criteria were as follow: (1) diagnosis of axSpA by an expert rheumatologist; (2) age ≥18 years; (3) classification according to ASAS axial. The following data were collected via a standardized protocol: demographic data, disease parameters and treatment historical.ResultsA total of 1096 patients were included, with 73.4% HLA-B27 positivity and a mean age of 44.4 (±13.2) years. Positive HLA-B27 was significantly associated with male sex, earlier age at disease onset and diagnosis, uveitis, and family history of SpA. Conversely, negative HLA-B27 was associated with psoriasis, higher peripheral involvement and disease activity, worse quality of life and mobility.ConclusionsOur data showed that HLA-B27 positivity was associated with a classic axSpA pattern quite similar to that of Caucasian axSpA patients around the world. Furthermore, its absence was associated with peripheral manifestations and worse outcomes, suggesting a relevant phenotypic difference in a highly miscegenated population.

Assessment of the public knowledge, perception and attitude in Indonesia toward spondyloarthritis: a national survey

ABSTRACT Lack of public awareness of spondyloarthritis (SpA) leads to diagnosis delay and high disease activity. This study aimed to assess the public knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes towards SpA in Indonesia. This research was a cross-sectional study with an online questionnaire. A total of 1084 participants’ demographics, knowledge, attitude, and perception of SpA were obtained using convenience sampling. Respondents’ knowledge, attitude, and perception levels were scored numerically and categorized (satisfactory and unsatisfactory). Associations were assessed using a logistic regression analysis. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) knowledge score was 5.21 ± 1.89 (45.11% of respondents had satisfactory knowledge). Living on Java Island was associated with the participants’ unsatisfactory knowledge (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 1.33; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03 to 1.71; p = 0.027). The mean ± SD perception score was 3.14 ± 1.21 (35.98% of respondents had a satisfactory perception). Education (bachelor AOR: 1.46; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.98; p = 0.014) and occupation (employed AOR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.20; p = 0.020) were significantly associated with poor perception. The mean ± SD score of attitudes was 2.52 ± 1.54, while only 54.24% of participants preferred went to the doctor if they had symptoms of SpA. Employed respondents (AOR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.01; p = 0.046) and living inside Java Island (AOR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.87; p = 0.004) were associated with attitudes towards SpA. In conclusion, more than half of the subjects had a poor knowledge, perception, or attitude towards SpA. Therefore, programs that empower the knowledge, attitude, and perception towards SpA in community need to be developed to close this gap.

E033 Beyond the surface: artful imitation of Hodgkin’s lymphoma as axial spondyloarthritis

Abstract Background/Aims Rheumatic conditions may be associated with different neoplastic-diseases. Sacroiliitis is not defined as a paraneoplastic syndrome in the literature and considered as the direct involvement of the sacral/iliac bones or sacroiliac joints. There are only few reported cases of back pain and sacroiliac bones/joint involvement as an initial presentation of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Methods An 18 year boy presented with low back pain of 18 months duration. He had significant morning stiffness and reported good response with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. He also complained of intermittent fever, insignificant weight loss and occasional dry cough. He denied peripheral joint pain, skin lesions, urethritis, conjunctivitis, uveitis and gastrointestinal disease. The family history was negative for spondyloarthritis (SpA) and neoplastic diseases. He was given empirical anti-tubercular drugs for 6 months with no significant improvement. He was evaluated by physician and rheumatologist elsewhere and treated as SpA in view of inflammatory low back pain, very high inflammatory markers and sacroiliac bones/joint involvement on MRI. The patient tested negative for HLA-B27 (PCR). He was initially started on sulfasalazine, however there was no induction of remission and later switched to tofacitinib since last 4 months. General examination was unremarkable. Bilateral sacroiliac compression and FABER tests were the only positive findings on systemic examination. Results There was leukocytosis (14,100/mm3) with predominant polymorphs, hemoglobin was 9.8g/dl, thrombocytosis (5.4 lakhs/mm3), serum CRP was markedly raised (123mg/L) and ESR was 57mm/hr. His workup for infectious diseases and rheumatic diseases were unremarkable. Repeat MRI according to SpA protocol showed altered marrow signal intensity in lumbar and sacral vertebral bodies and enhancing lytic lesion in right iliac bone till sacroiliac joint. PET-CT revealed multifocal FDG avid mixed lytic sclerotic lesions disseminated in the axial as well as appendicular skeleton with FDG avid sub-centimetric bilateral neck, supraclavicular, axillary, mediastinal and bilateral external/internal iliac and inguinal lymph nodes. Excision biopsy of right supra-clavicular node showed classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CD15 and CD30+ve). He was referred to the haematology clinic for further management. Bone marrow examination was suggestive of tumour infiltration. He received chemotherapy according to the protocol. He is under haematologist care and on a regular follow up with significant improvement in symptoms along with normal inflammatory markers. Conclusion There may be involvement of sacral/ iliac bones and sacroiliac joints by various malignancies including Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Morning stiffness, good response to NSAIDs and MRI findings may delay the diagnosis of primary malignancy, however we should keep a differential of lymphoproliferative disorders as in the aforementioned case and perform other diagnostic modalities. When the expected clinical response is not achieved, the physician must think of a malignancy in cases with persistently high inflammatory markers and marked constitutional symptoms. Disclosure P. Khatri: None. J. Yadavalli: None. K. Shivam: None. R. Gupta: None.

P021 Uptake, safety, and effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination in adults with immune mediated inflammatory diseases: a UK wide study using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink

Abstract Background/Aims The safety and effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccine in people with immune mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) is not known, which may contribute to suboptimal uptake. We investigated UK wide pneumococcal vaccine uptake in adults with IMIDs, the association between pneumococcal vaccination and disease flares, and the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccine in preventing pneumonia in this at-risk population. Methods Adults with incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) prior to 31st August 2018 in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Gold were included. The study was approved by CPRD research data governance (Reference 21_000614). We calculated the proportion of patients vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia. To investigate the association between vaccination and IMID flare, we employed a self-controlled case series analysis, adjusted for season. The study period was up-to six-month before and six-month after the date of pneumococcal vaccination. This period was partitioned into induction (14 days pre-vaccination) and exposed periods (up-to 90 days post vaccination) with the remaining time considered unexposed. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% CI were calculated. We conducted a multivariable nested case-control study to assess vaccine effectiveness. Cases were patients hospitalised with pneumonia and were matched to up to ten controls for age and sex. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI. Results We included 32,277 IMID patients: 14,151 with RA, 13,631 with IBD, 3,804 with SpA and 691 with SLE. Overall uptake of pneumococcal vaccination was 50% (95% CI 49.4% -50.5%). Vaccination uptake was significantly lower in the under 45-year-olds, in patients with IBD and in those without additional indication for vaccination at 29.7%, 38.4%, 42.7% respectively. In the safety study, data for 1001, 854, 424 vaccinated patients with primary care consultations for joint pain, AIRD flare, and IBD flare respectively were included. Vaccination against pneumococcal pneumonia was not associated with AIRD flare (IRR (95% CI) 1.07 (0.93-1.22)), primary care consultations for joint pain (IRR (95% CI) 0.95 (0.83-1.10)), and IBD flare (IRR (95% CI) 0.82 (0.64-1.06)) in the 90-days post vaccination. The vaccine effectiveness study included 25,707 patients, either with (n = 2,771) or without (n = 22,936) a hospitalisation record for pneumonia after IMID diagnosis. Patients hospitalised for pneumonia compared with their matched controls, had higher odds of current smoking, deprivation, corticosteroid prescriptions, additional indication for vaccination, primary care consultations, hospital admissions and prescriptions. In the multivariable adjusted model, pneumococcal vaccination was associated with reduced odds of hospitalisation for pneumonia (OR (95% CI) 0.88 (0.78-0.98). Conclusion The uptake of pneumococcal vaccine is low in IMID patients. Pneumococcal vaccination is not associated with IMID flare and is protective against pneumonia. These findings call for promotion of pneumococcal vaccination in IMID by health professionals. Disclosure G. Nakafero: None. M.J. Grainge: None. C.D. Mallen: Grants/research support; NIHR, MRC, Versus Arthritis and BMS. T. Card: None. J.S. Nguyen Van-Tam: Consultancies; CSL Seqirus and Moderna. Royalties; AstraZeneca and Sanofi Pasteur. A. Abhishek: Consultancies; NGM Bio, Limbic and Inflazome.. Royalties; UpToDate, Springer, Cadilla Pharmaceuticals.. Grants/research support; AstraZeneca and Oxford Immunotech..

P166 Assessing the effectiveness of a musculoskeletal rheumatology back pain questionnaire in early referral and diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis in uveitis patients

Abstract Background/Aims Spondyloarthritis represents a chronic inflammatory condition primarily targeting the joints of the spine. Uveitis stands as the most common initial extra-articular manifestation of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA), occurring in up to a third of patients. There is a diagnostic delay in axial SpA, with studies showing that the time from symptom onset to diagnosis is 5-7 years. The delay of diagnosis can be attributed to the non-specific presentation of chronic back pain as well as late ophthalmology referrals to rheumatology. A previous audit in our department showed that 25% of uveitis patients who were clinically indicated to have been referred to rheumatology were not. One main objective was to implement the use of the MSK Rheumatology Inflammatory Back Pain Questionnaire as a referral tool, to find out whether the relevant history and questions were asked to all uveitis patients, to mitigate diagnostic delays and enable early management. Methods Patients presenting to the uveitis clinic at NGH were reviewed prospectively from May 2023-July 2023. Medi-viewer/Symphony were used to see patient details, whether the patients were already under rheumatology, any previous episodes and family history. The MSK Rheumatology Inflammatory Back Pain questionnaire was completed by all attending patients. It included 12 questions; a score ⩾4 signified a need for referral. Results A total of 40 patients (M:F ratio 2:3, mean age 52) presented to the uveitis clinic and were reviewed. All patients with uveitis were investigated with the relevant blood tests to rule out any inflammatory conditions. 16 patients were HLA B27 positive. All patients were asked to complete MSK Rheumatology Inflammatory Back Pain questionnaires to rule out inflammatory disease. 60% had back pain history before the age of 45, 21 were of inflammatory type of pain, 15 had disturbed second half of sleep. 25% of patients had other positive inflammatory markers. 40% of patients had a strong family history of HLA-B27. 67% scored ⩾4 on our questionnaire. 23% were already under rheumatology care, 20% were referred to rheumatology and 23 were not referred, of which 13/23 scored ⩽4. The remaining 10 were not referred due to awaiting blood results, further follow up, or lack of systemic features resulting in discharge. Conclusion Uveitis ranks among the most frequent occurrences in the field of ophthalmology, with a significant proportion being associated with HLA-B27. A considerable 40% of uveitis patients have undiagnosed spondyloarthritis due to inadequate referrals. A comprehensive questionnaire and utilising pain scoring can serve as effective tools for directing patients toward proper evaluation for inflammatory diseases. Our study shows that only appropriate cases were referred and had relevant investigations before referral, underscoring the importance of a partnership between ophthalmology and rheumatology to optimise the management of inflammatory spondyloarthritis. Disclosure F. Bangash: None. N. Kalla: None. A. Bangash: None. A. Rahim: None. M. Kamal: None. I. Mahmood: None.

Toward Telemonitoring in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: Protocol for a Mixed Attention Model Study.

Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are chronic diseases that may alternate between asymptomatic periods and flares. These conditions require complex treatments and close monitoring by rheumatologists to mitigate their effects and improve the patient's quality of life. Often, delays in outpatient consultations or the patient's difficulties in keeping appointments make such close follow-up challenging. For this reason, it is very important to have open communication between patients and health professionals. In this context, implementing telemonitoring in the field of rheumatology has great potential, as it can facilitate the close monitoring of patients with RMDs. The use of these tools helps patients self-manage certain aspects of their disease. This could result in fewer visits to emergency departments and consultations, as well as enable better therapeutic compliance and identification of issues that would otherwise go unnoticed. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the implementation of a hybrid care model called the mixed attention model (MAM) in clinical practice and determine whether its implementation improves clinical outcomes compared to conventional follow-up. This is a multicenter prospective observational study involving 360 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondylarthritis (SpA) from 5 Spanish hospitals. The patients will be followed up by the MAM protocol, which is a care model that incorporates a digital tool consisting of a mobile app that patients can use at home and professionals can review asynchronously to detect incidents and follow patients' clinical evolution between face-to-face visits. Another group of patients, whose follow-up will be conducted in accordance with a traditional face-to-face care model, will be assessed as the control group. Sociodemographic characteristics, treatments, laboratory parameters, assessment of tender and swollen joints, visual analog scale for pain, and electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) reports will be collected for all participants. In the MAM group, these items will be self-assessed via both the mobile app and during face-to-face visits with the rheumatologist, who will do the same for patients included in the traditional care model. The patients will be able to report any incidence related to their disease or treatment through the mobile app. Participant recruitment began in March 2024 and will continue until December 2024. The follow-up period will be extended by 12 months for all patients. Data collection and analysis are scheduled for completion in December 2025. This paper aims to provide a detailed description of the development and implementation of a digital solution, specifically an MAM. The goal is to achieve significant economic and psychosocial impact within our health care system by enhancing control over RMDs. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06273306; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT06273306. PRR1-10.2196/55829.

Prevalence of spondyloarthritis in inflammatory bowel disease according ASAS and ultrassonography and its correlation with plasma calprotectin

BackgroundEnteropathic spondyloarthritis is underdiagnosed and inflammatory biomarkers and ultrasonography (US) could be useful for screening inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of spondyloarthritis (SpA) in IBD patients, according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria and the correlation of results of US of entheses and joints with plasma calprotectin levels.MethodsThis was an observational cross-sectional study. Patients from the IBD outpatient clinic of a reference center were evaluated according to ASAS criteria classification, results of US of entheses and joints, and inflammatory biomarker measurements (erythrocyte sedimentation rates, C-reactive protein levels, fecal and plasma calprotectin levels). A p value lower than 0.05 was considered significant.ResultsA total of 30.5% of the studied sample (n = 118) of patients with IBD presented at least one inflammatory musculoskeletal manifestation. The overall prevalence of enteropathic SpA was 13.55%, with 10.16% axial SpA and 4.23% peripheral SpA according to the ASAS criteria. A total of 42.1% of patients had an MASEI score greater than 18, 35.2% had synovitis, and 14.7% had tenosynovitis on US, increasing the frequency of diagnosis of enteropathic SpA to 22.8%. Plasma calprotectin levels were similar to those in healthy controls, and correlated only with the fecal calprotectin level (p 0.041).ConclusionsA total of 13.5% of patients met the criteria in accordance with the ASAS criteria for enteropathic SpA, which increased to 22.8% with the addition of US. The prevalence of enthesitis, synovitis and tenosynovitis by US of symptomatic joints and entheses were 42%, 35% and 14.7% respectively. Plasma calprotectin was correlated with fecal calprotectin but not with inflammatory biomarkers or US or ASAS criteria.

Dysbiosis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Spondyloarthritis: Still a Long Way to Go?

The association between Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Spondyloarthritis (SpA) has been known for years, as has the concept that IBD is associated with an altered intestinal bacterial composition, a condition known as "dysbiosis". Recently, a state of intestinal dysbiosis has also been found in SpA. Dysbiosis in the field of IBD has been well characterized so far, as well as in SpA. The aim of this review is to summarize what is known to date and to emphasize the similarities between the microbiota conditions in these two diseases: particularly, an altered distribution in the gut of Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococcus, Haemophilus, Clostridium, Akkermansia, Ruminococcus, Faecalibacterium Prausnitzii, Bacteroides Vulgatus, Dialister Invisus, and Bifidubacterium Adolescentis is common to both IBD and SpA. At the same time, little is known about intestinal dysbiosis in IBD-related SpA. Only a single recent study has found an increase in Escherichia and Shigella abundances and a decrease in Firmicutes, Ruminococcaceae, and Faecalibacterium abundances in an IBD-related SpA group. Based on what has been discovered so far about the altered distribution of bacteria that unite both pathologies, it is appropriate to carry out further studies aiming to improve the understanding of IBD-related SpA for the purpose of developing new therapeutic strategies.

The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with spondyloarthritis compared to the general population in the southernmost region of Sweden: a case–control study

Spondyloarthritis (SpA) has been associated with comorbidities, e.g., cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the relation between SpA and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the study was to compare the prevalence of COPD in SpA to the general population. Patients with prevalent SpA in Skåne, Sweden, on December 31, 2018, were identified based on diagnostic codes in a regional register on primary care, secondary outpatient care and inpatient care. Population-based controls (5 per SpA case) were matched for age, sex and municipality. The base case definition for COPD required at least two prior visits with a registered COPD diagnosis. Stricter definitions included dispensed prescriptions for COPD and a COPD diagnosis made by a specialist in lung medicine. The prevalence of COPD in patients with SpA and controls, overall and stratified by sex and age, and the corresponding prevalence ratios, were estimated. A total of 3571 patients with SpA (51% male, mean age 53 years) were compared to 17,855 matched controls. The prevalence of COPD in patients with SpA was 37.8/1000, with a prevalence ratio compared to controls of 1.03 (95% CI 0.85–1.24). There were no significant differences in COPD prevalence between patients with SpA and controls in men or women, in any of the age groups, or in analyses using stricter definitions of COPD. In this regional study including data from primary care, the prevalence of COPD was not increased in patients with SpA compared to the background population.