Improved diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) contribute to the remission of the disease and improve the quality of life of patients. In this regard, more and more women with RA and SLE decide to have pregnancy, which makes it actual to study the features of its course and outcomes in these diseases.Objective: to evaluate maternal pregnancy outcomes in patients with RA and SLE.Subjects and methods. 76 cases of pregnancy were traced prospectively in 72 patients: 32 pregnancies in 29 patients with RA and 44 pregnancies in 43 patients with SLE.Results and discussion. 72 of 76 (94.7%) supervised pregnancies ended in childbirth with the birth of a viable baby. There were three cases of pregnancy loss in the second trimester in SLE patients with concomitant antiphospholipid syndrome (AFS) and one case (3.1%) of perinatal infant death (a boy and a girl, monochorionic diamniotic twins with reverse arterial perfusion syndrome) in a patient with seropositive RA. Compared with the all-Russian population, the supervised RA and SLE patients more often had prematurely birth (37.5‰, 18.7% and 22.7%) and caesarean section (CS; in 236.7‰, 50%, and 56.8% respectively). In the SLE group CS was conducted due to the emergency reasons more frequently than in RA, (respectively 47,7% and 25%, relative risk of 1.9 [1; 3.7]; p=0.04). CS at the first birth was performed more often during RA and SLE than before the onset of the disease (p<0.001). Preeclampsia in patients with RA was diagnosed more often than in the population (9.4% and 15.7 per 1000 births, respectively). There was a reverse correlation between the timing of delivery and disease activity according DAS28-CRP in II (r= 0.5; p=0.01) and III (r= 0.6; p=0.0005) trimesters of pregnancy, and in patients with moderate and high activity of RA in the third trimester (n=12) delivery was earlier than in the control group (n=20), remission or low activity of RA (p<0.01). In patients with SLE who had birth prematurely (22.7%), the duration of the disease (p=0.02) and the duration of oral glucocorticoid therapy (p=0.003) were greater compared with SLE patients having term birth (70.5%); the dose of glucocorticoids at the time of conception and delivery did not affect the timing of delivery.Conclusion. Planning of pregnancy in patients with RA and SLE, monitoring during pregnancy and timely correction of therapy contribute to uncomplicated course of gestation and improve maternal outcomes.
The prescribing of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and Janus kinase inhibitors (iJAK) during the COVID-19 pandemic requires a balanced approach and tight monitoring of the patients.The aim of the study was to study the effect of bDMARDs and iJAK inhibitors on the condition of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), taking the patients reported outcomes, as well as the incidence of COVID-19 in these patients.Materials and methods. A telephone survey was conducted of 254 patients with RA (average age – 49.8±13.7 years; 64.4% of patients are positive for rheumatoid factor; women – 83.5%; DAS28 score – 5.4±1.6 points), who in the period from January 2020 to June 2021 were prescribed bDMARDs or iJAK for the first time: 148 (58.3%) – rituximab; 57 (22.4%) – tumor necrosis factor α inhibitors; 20 (7.9%) – iJAK; 17 (6.7%) – interleukin 6 inhibitors; 12 (4.7%) – abatacept.Results. At the time of the survey, 204 (80.3%) patients continued taking prescribed medications. The main reason for the interruption of treatment was administrative problems. Synthetic DMARDs (mainly methotrexate and leflunomide) were received by 68.0%, glucocorticoids – 45.3%, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – 44.5% of respondents. Among patients treated with bDMARDs or iJAK, 68.1% noted «the state of symptoms acceptable to the patient», the absence of frequent joint pain – 65.3%, the absence of increased fatigue – 14.3%. The incidence of COVID-19 and hospitalization associated with this disease did not differ in individuals who continued and stopped using bDMARDs or iJAK: 41.2% and 44.6%, 13.7% and 14.0%, respectively (p=0.80884). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of COVID-19 and hospitalization associated with this disease in patients taking various bDMARDs or iJAK.Conclusion. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, rituximab remains one of the most popular bDMARDs. About a third of patients receiving bDMARDs or iJAK are not satisfied with their condition. More than 40% of patients who received these drugs suffered COVID-19; 14.0% required hospitalization.
Aim. To compare the features of the course of the disease and the therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who meet the criteria of difficult-to-treat RA (D2T). Materials and methods. The study included 505 RA patients (ACR/EULAR 2010). Rheumatologist experts discussed all patients, since the treatment of RA ware perceived as problematic and/or insufficient. All patients had at least one of the following signs: the activity of the disease is no lower than moderate; the inability to reduce the dose of glucocorticoids to low; rapid radiological progression; RA symptoms causing a decrease in quality of life. The D2T group included 35 patients with true inefficiency or intolerance of two or more of bDMARDs/tsDMARDs of different mechanism of action. The control group (K) included patients with RA who already had experience of taking at least one class of bDMARDs/tsDMARDs (n=291). Results. On average, every 15 patients (7%) with RA met the EULAR criteria for D2T. The median age of patients in the D2T group was 45 years, which is less than in K (Me 54 [43; 62] years; p=0.046). The duration of RA in both groups was comparable. The severity of articular destruction in D2T was higher than in K (stage IV in 40% and 23%, respectively). Positivity for the RF and ACPA in D2T was less common than in K (60% and 85.9%; 60% and 76.6%, respectively). The presence of systemic manifestations of RA was more typical for K than for D2T (28.6% and 63%, p=0.0001). In the group of D2T patients, the number of previously taken DMARDs was higher than in K (p=0.002). Methotrexate was more often prescribed as the first DMARDs in both groups (in 62.9 and 65.7%, respectively). Initiation of bDMARDs/tsDMARDs therapy in D2T was more often performed by TNF-a inhibitors (OR 2.8; p=0.003) and co-stimulation blocker abatacept (OR 4.6; p=0.004), and in control by B-cell inhibitor rituximab (OR 6.9; p0.0001). Conclusion. The results of this study suggest that in Russia, as well as abroad, the principle of RA treatment treat to target has not yet become widespread, and the development of adequate therapy takes too much time.
Objective: to compare the course of the disease and therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who meet and do not meet the criteria for difficult- to-treat RA (D2T).Patients and methods. The study included RA patients who met the 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria and who were hospitalized in the V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology from March to October 2021. All patients underwent a conventional clinical and laboratory examination, radiography of the hands and distal feet, and the radiological stage of RA according to Steinbroker was assessed. To determine the inflammatory activity, the DAS28-ESR and DAS28-CRP indices were calculated.Results and discussion. The study included 303 patients with RA, 25 (8.4%) of them had D2T RA. The duration of RA in the D2T group was significantly longer than in other patients (15.9±11.8 and 11.9±9 years, respectively; p=0.04). X-ray changes in the joints in D2T were more pronounced. Patients with D2T had higher inflammatory activity at the time of hospitalization than patients who had continued prior therapy with biologic/targeted synthetic DMARDs. The dose of glucocorticoids (GC) in patients with D2T RA was higher compared to patients of other groups: on average 8.3±5.1 and 6.4±2.9 mg/day, respectively (p=0.02).Conclusion. The results of this study suggest that in Russia, as well as abroad, the treat-to-target principle has not yet become widespread, and the selection of adequate therapy takes too much time. At the same time, Russian rheumatologists primarily use GC to suppress inflammatory activity. The introduction of modern recommendations for the management of patients with RA into routine clinical practice, could possibly restrain the formation of D2T RA.
Background. Slow-acting symptomatic agents (chondroprotectors) in osteoarthritis (OA) combined therapy is a promising approach. Aim. To compare the real-world results of combined therapy with glycosaminoglycan-peptide complex (GPC) and diacerein with GPC monotherapy in treating knee OA. Materials and methods. Statistical analysis of the data obtained during the observational, non-interventional study was conducted. The study group included 9190 patients with OA, 69.0% females, age 60.911.4, with moderate/severe pain (4 using a 010 numerical rating scale). Of these, 6199 received a combination of GPC (Rumalon, at least 20 intramuscular injections per course) + diacerein (Diaflex Rompharm) 100 mg/day, and 2991 patients received GPC monotherapy. The following indicators were evaluated: the change of pain during movement, at rest, and at night, the overall health assessment (using a 010 numerical rating scale), the number of patients with a pain reduction of 50% from the baseline, the patient's assessment of the treatment result using a 05 scale, a decrease in the need for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 2 months after the start of therapy. Results. The improvement of clinical indicators was more significant in patients who received a combination of GPC + diacerein, compared with GPC monotherapy: the decrease in pain during movement was 3.11.5 and 2.61.3, at rest 1 [0; 2] and 1 [0; 1], at night 2 [1; 4] and 2 [1; 3], the overall health assessment was 3.71.7 and 3.21.8, respectively (for all indicators p0.001). The percentage of patients with a 50% reduction in pain was 66.0 and 60.0% (p0.001), the assessment of treatment results was "good" or "excellent" in 62.1 and 42.9% (p0.001), a decrease in the need for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was reported in 60.9 and 57.1% (p=0.001) of patients, respectively. Conclusion. The therapeutic effect of the combination of GPC + diacerein in patients with OA is significantly higher than that of GPC monotherapy.
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