December 2022 to March 2023
Authors: Daliya Pencheva and Cathy Melong
Floris et al (doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002701) performed a subanalysis of the multicentre Early Lupus inception cohort to investigate the real-world Glucocorticoids (GCs) use in newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients (GULP). They recruited patients (pts) who started prednisone (PDN) ≥5mg/day and hydroxychloroquine or an immunosuppressant within 12 months of fulfilling SLE classification criteria. The study included 127 SLE pts, of whom 73 (57.5%) tapered and maintained prednisone PDN<5mg/day, and 17 (13.4%) discontinued PDN within a 2-year follow-up. Disease relapse rate did not statistically differ (p=0.706) between the group tapering PDN<5mg/day (42/99, 42.4%) and those tapering PDN without dropping below 5mg/day (13/28, 46.4%), while every month on PDN <5 mg/day was associated with lower damage accrual (IRR:0.96; p=0.007).
De Vicente et al (doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002781) conducted a retrospective longitudinal study to assess the manifestations of uveitis in pts with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) classified according to CASPAR criteria. They included 406 pts with PsA in a single-centre study. Uveitis was observed in 20 (4.9%), and these pts had a higher prevalence of HLA-B27 (45% vs. 7.5%, p<0.0001), sacroiliitis on MRI (25% vs. 8.3% p=0.027), ocular surface pathology (10% vs. 0.8%, p=0. 021), and higher median PsA impact of disease (PsAID) score (5.9 (2.1-6.8) vs. 1.25 (0.0-3.0), p=0.001) and Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI) (4 (1.6-5) vs. 1.0 (0.0-3.5), p=0.01) than pts without uveitis.
De Angelis et al (doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002890) described longer Raynaud’s phenomenon duration, low percentages of digital pitting scars and peripheral microvascular abnormalities and increased anti-centromere seropositivity as features of systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma (ssSSc) in a large multicenter systemic sclerosis (SSc) cohort (n=1808) from Italian Systemic sclerosis PRogression INvestiGation registry, including 61 pts with ssSSc (3.4%).
Samson et al (doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002953) developed a score assessing the probability of relapse in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) – French Vasculitis Study Group Relapse Score (FRS), modelised from 5 randomized controlled trials in 427 pts (203 GPA; 224 MPA). Factors associated with a higher risk of relapse were proteinase 3 (PR3) positivity (HR=1.81 (95% CI 1.28 to 2.57);p<0.001), age ≤75 years (HR=1.89 (95% CI 1.15 to 3.13);p=0.012) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥30 mL/min/1.73 m² (HR=1.67 (95% CI 1.18 to 2.33); p=0.004).
Daliya Pencheva
Daliya is a rheumatology resident at the University Hospital “St. Ivan Rilski”, Sofia, Bulgaria. Her major interests are systemic lupus erythematosus, quality of life, patient-reported outcome measures, treat-to-target therapy. Daliya is a member of the Newsletter Sub-Committee.
Cathy Melong
Cathy Melong is an internist and rheumatologist in final training from Cameroon, currently working in Switzerland. Her main interests are systemic lupus erythematosus and gout, patient-oriented clinical epidemiology. Cathy is a member of the Newsletter Sub-committee.