This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as

Physical and mental illnesses are driven by ethnicity, social, environmental and economic determinants. Novel theoretical frameworks in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) focus on links and adverse interactions between and within biological and social factors. This review aimed to summarise associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and RA disease activity, and implications for future research. Articles studying the association between SES and RA disease activity were identified, from 1946 until March 2021. The research question was: Is there an association between social deprivation and disease activity in people with RA? Articles meeting inclusion criteria were examined by one author, with 10% screened at abstract and full paper stage by a second author. Disagreements were resolved with input from a third reviewer. Information was extracted on definition/measure of SES, ethnicity, education, employment, comorbidities, disease activity and presence/absence of association between SES and disease activity. Initially, 1750 articles were identified, with 30 articles ultimately included. SES definition varied markedly—10 articles used a formal scale and most used educational attainment as a proxy. Most studies controlled for lifestyle factors including smoking and body mass index, and comorbidities. Twenty-five articles concluded an association between SES and RA disease activity; two were unclear; three found no association. We have demonstrated the association between low SES and worse RA outcomes. There is a need for further research into the mechanisms underpinning this, including application of mixed-methods methodology and consideration of syndemic frameworks to understand bio–bio and bio–social interactions, to examine disease drivers and outcomes holistically.

A literature review on new-onset autoimmune connective tissue diseases (ACTDs) following COVID-19 is lacking. We evaluated potential associations between COVID-19 and the development of new-onset ACTDs. The “population” was adults with disease terms for ACTDs, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren’s syndrome, systemic sclerosis (SSc), idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM), anti-synthetase syndrome, mixed CTD and undifferentiated CTD, and “intervention” as COVID-19 and related terms. Databases were searched for English-language articles published until September 2022. We identified 2236 articles with 28 ultimately included. Of the 28 included patients, 64.3% were female, with a mean age was 51.1 years. The USA reported the most cases (9/28). ACTD diagnoses comprised: 11 (39.3%) IIM (including four dermatomyositis); 7 (25%) SLE; four (14.3%) anti-synthetase syndrome; four (14.3%) SSc; two (7.1%) other ACTD (one lupus/MCTD overlap). Of eight, four (14.3%) patients (including that with lupus/MCTD) had lupus nephritis. The average time from COVID-19 to ACTD diagnosis was 23.7 days. A third of patients were admitted to critical care, one for treatment of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in SLE (14 sessions of plasmapheresis, rituximab and intravenous corticosteroids) and nine due to COVID-19. 80% of patients went into remission of ACTD following treatment, while three (10%) patients died—one due to macrophage activation syndrome with anti-synthetase syndrome and two from unreported causes. Our results suggest a potential association between COVID-19 and new-onset ACTDs, notably in young females, reflecting more comprehensive CTD epidemiology. The most common diagnosis in our cohort was IIM. The aetiology and mechanisms by which ACTDs emerge following COVID-19 remain unknown and require further research.

This systematic literature review aimed to analyse term(s) describing co-existing conditions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) literature, informing the need for an operationalised definition of multimorbidity. Articles discussing RA with multimorbidity, published 1946 until August 2020, were identified. The primary outcome was use and/or definition of “multimorbidity” in RA. Information extracted included: term(s) defining co-existing conditions; use of comorbidity/multimorbidity score; use of “index disease” to describe RA (more applicable to comorbidity than multimorbidity). Thirty-nine articles were included. Eight articles used the term “multimorbidity”; 18 used “comorbidity.” 12 used both terms, seven synonymously. One used no term. Fourteen articles fully defined the term. The number of co-existing conditions ranged from one-121. Twelve articles used a comorbidity/multimorbidity score. Four articles described RA as the “index disease”. Our results demonstrate inconsistent use of the term multimorbidity. Improved assessment of multimorbidity is indicated in RA patients, including an operationalised use and definition.

No abstract

Background/Aims Cases of new autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions have been reported among COVID-19 survivors. A literature review on new-onset autoimmune connective tissue diseases (ACTDs) following infection with COVID-19 is lacking.This systematic literature review aimed to evaluate the potential association between COVID-19 infection and the development of new-onset ACTDs in adults. Methods Articles published until September 2022, investigating the association between COVID-19 infection and new-onset ACTDs were included. The “population” searched was patients with disease terms for autoimmune connective tissue diseases, including (but not limited to) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren’s syndrome, systemic sclerosis (SSc), any idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM), anti-synthetase syndrome, mixed CTD and undifferentiated CTD (and related MeSH terms), with “intervention” as COVID-19 and related terms. For terms for COVID-19, a dedicated search strategy developed by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence was used.Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched, restricted to English-language articles only. Eligible articles were: case reports and series (of any sample size), observational studies, qualitative studies and randomised controlled trials. Patients developing ACTDs without prior COVID-19 or reporting flares of existing ACTDs were excluded. Information was extracted on patient demographics, new ACTDs’ onset time, clinical characteristics, COVID-19 and ACTD treatment, and COVID-19 and ACTDs outcomes. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022358750). Results After deduplication, 2239 articles were identified. After screening title and abstract, 2196 papers were excluded, with 43 proceeding to full-text screening. Ultimately, 28 articles (all single case reports) were included. Of the 28 included patients, 64.3% were female. The mean age was 51.1 years (range 20-89 years). The USA reported the most cases (9/28). ACTD diagnoses comprised: 11 (39.3%) IIM (including 4 cases of dermatomyositis); 7 (25%) SLE; 4 (14.3%) anti-synthetase syndrome; 4 (14.3%) SSc; 2 (7.1%) other ACTD (one diagnosed with lupus/MCTD overlap). Of eight, four (14.3%) patients (including that with lupus/MCTD) were diagnosed with lupus nephritis. The average onset time from COVID-19 infection to ACTD diagnosis was 23.7days. A third of the patients were admitted to critical care, one for ACTD treatment for SLE with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (14 sessions of plasmapheresis, rituximab and intravenous corticosteroids) and nine due to COVID-19. The majority (80%) of patients went into remission of ACTD following treatment, while two (10%) patients died- one due to macrophage activation syndrome associated with anti-synthetase syndrome and two from unreported causes. Conclusion Our results suggest a potential association between COVID-19 infection and new-onset ACTDs, predominantly in young females, reflective of wider CTD epidemiology. The aetiology and mechanisms by which ACTDs arise following COVID-19 infection remain unknown and require more robust epidemiological data. Disclosure K. Kouranloo: None. M. Dey: None. H. Elwell: None. A. Nune: None.

Background/Aims It is clear that physical and mental illnesses are driven by ethnicity, social, environmental and economic determinants. Novel theoretical frameworks in RA focus on links between biological and non-biological (social) factors and adverse interactions within specific social contexts. This review aimed to summarise the existing evidence on associations between social deprivation and RA disease activity, and implications for research going forward. Methods Articles studying the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and RA disease activity were included, published from 1946 until March 2021. Initial scoping reviews were performed to optimise the search strategy, especially with regards to the exposure and outcome variables. The focus of the review was on the effect of “socioeconomic status” or similar database indexing terms, on disease activity (and similar indexing terms). The databases Medline, Embase, International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment, PsychInfo and Cochrane Databases were searched. The research question, using the ‘Patients, Intervention, Comparator or Control, Outcome, Type of study’ format was as follows: Is there an association between social deprivation and disease activity in people with rheumatoid arthritis? The search was restricted to English-language articles only. Articles deemed eligible were: observational studies, qualitative studies and randomised controlled trials. Titles and abstracts were screened to assess eligibility. The full articles which met inclusion criteria were then examined in detail by one author. For validation, 10% of articles were screened at the abstract and full paper stage by a second author. Disagreements were resolved through discussion and input from a third reviewer. Information was extracted on definition/measure of SES, ethnicity, education, employment comorbidities, disease activity and the presence/absence of association between social deprivation and disease activity. Results In the initial search, 1750 articles and 797 conference abstracts were identified. After deduplication, this was reduced to 1299 full papers. After screening title and abstract, 1268 papers were excluded, with 31 proceeding to full-text screening. Ultimately, 30 articles (all observational studies) were included in the review. There was marked variation in definition of SES, with ten articles using a formal scale or measure, the majority using educational attainment as a proxy. Most studies controlled for lifestyle factors including smoking and BMI, as well as comorbidities. 25 articles concluded an association between SES and RA disease activity, two articles were unclear, and three found no association. Conclusion Our review highlights the association between low SES and worse disease outcomes in patients with RA, consistent with previous work in this area. We have demonstrated the complex multifaceted relationships giving rise to this association. There is a need for increased application of mixed-methods methodology and consideration of syndemic frameworks to understand bio-bio and bio-social interactions, to examine drivers of disease and poor clinical outcomes more holistically. Disclosure M. Dey: None. A. Busby: None. H. Elwell: None. H. Lempp: None. A. Pratt: None. J.D. Isaacs: None. E. Nikiphorou: None.