The primary objective of this study is to describe the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with Poncet's disease (PD) in the Makkah region in Saudi Arabia, where tuberculosis is on the rise. The secondary objective is conducting a PD systematic literature review to compare our findings. We studied seven patients who presented with arthritis within the first 3 years from diagnosis of active tuberculosis in two centers in the Makkah region: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and King Fahad Hospital in Jeddah from January 2005 to December 2011. We conducted a literature review on PD in multiple biomedical/pharmaceutical databases up to December 2011. We detected a new pattern of reactive arthritis associated with tuberculosis (TB). We identified this as PD or tuberculous rheumatism, which is a sterile reactive arthritis that can emerge during any stage of acute TB infection. Seven cases of Poncet's disease were identified in our study. The most common presentation was extrapulmonary with involvement of multiple sites. Six out of seven patients developed arthritis after initiation of anti-TB drugs; one patient developed polyarthritis after completion of anti-TB medication. Asymmetrical polyarthritis was the most common presentation and the resolution of the arthritis was with symptomatic treatment and continuation of anti-TB drugs except in one case. PD may manifest in a variable pattern during the course of active tuberculous infection. Physicians should be aware of this rare complication associated with a common disease to prevent delay in diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment.

Axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a spectrum of inflammatory disease with stages characterized by both nonradiographic and radiographic sacroiliitis. Nonradiographic axial SpA is associated with health-related quality-of-life impairment and may progress to ankylosing spondylitis. Axial SpA has a low prevalence in some countries in North Africa and the Middle East, and pooling of data and resources is needed to increase understanding of the regional picture. Early diagnosis and effective treatment are required to reduce disease burden and prevent progression. Anti-TNF therapy is recommended for patients with persistently high disease activity despite conventional treatment, and has been shown to be effective in patients without radiographic damage. Diagnostic delays can be an obstacle to early treatment and appropriate referral strategies are needed. In some countries, restricted access to magnetic resonance imaging and anti-TNF agents presents a challenge. In this article, a group of experts from North Africa and the Middle East evaluated the diagnosis and management of axial SpA with particular reference to this region.

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and postpartum complications, especially with severe disease activity. Objective The current study aimed to compare the pregnancy outcomes in patients with RA and healthy controls as well as to assess the impact of disease-related variables, medications and disease activity on pregnancy and neonatal-related outcomes in the Saudi population. Methods This prospective multicenter study included pregnant female patients with RA from three tertiary centers in Saudi Arabia. The demographics, disease activity scoring (DAS28-CRP), medication before and during pregnancy, pregnancy-related outcomes, and complications in comparison to age-matched healthy female controls were noted. Results A total of 77 pregnant patients with RA and 250 healthy age-matched pregnant controls were included in the study. A total of 67.53% were in remission before conception (DAS28CRP ≤2.6), and 81.8% of pregnancies were planned. Age of conception, preterm labor, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and low birth weight were statistically significant (p <0.05) and higher in RA patients than in healthy controls. Longer disease duration (p <0.001), and high C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate levels before conception (p ≤0.001) were statistically associated with preterm NICU admission. There was statistically significant association between mild (p = 0.015) or moderate to severe DAS28-CRP (p = 0.001) and RA patients regarding pregnancy outcomes. The classification table obtained from the logistic model showed patients with mild and moderate-severe DAS28-CRP have significantly high chances of having an adverse pregnancy outcome. Conclusion RA has a negative impact on pregnancy-related outcomes. Higher disease activity is considered a major risk; thus, tight disease control should be aimed. Planned pregnancy follow-up is associated with better pregnancy outcomes.

The prevalence of HLA-B27 in the general population and in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients in Saudi Arabia is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HLA-B27 in these two populations and describe the delay in diagnosis of axSpA patients. The prevalence of HLA-B27 in the general population was evaluated using cord blood and healthy organ transplant donor databases. Data from patients with axSpA were collected retrospectively from five centers. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was diagnosed based on a positive X-ray, as evaluated by two independent readers. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis were excluded. A total of 134 axSpA patients were included, of whom 107 (79.9%) had AS, and most (67.2%) were males. HLA-B27 was positive in 60.4, 69, and 25.9% of patients with axSpA, AS, and non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA), respectively. The median and interquartile range (IQR) ages at symptom onset and disease diagnosis were 26 (20-33) and 30 (25-38) years, respectively. The median delay to diagnosis was 3 (1-6) years. There was a negative correlation between the time of onset of symptoms and the delay in diagnosis (r = -0.587). Male gender and HLA-B27 positivity were associated with a younger age at symptom onset/diagnosis (p < 0.05). HLA-B27 was positive in 82/3332 (2.5%) and 27/1164 (2.3%) individuals in the cord blood and healthy organ transplant donor databases, respectively. The prevalence of HLA-B27 is lower in the general Saudi population and in axSpA patients compared to Caucasians, thus, limiting its utility as a diagnostic criterion.

Background The 2021 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) rheumatoid arthritis (RA) guideline considers the specific context of the United States which differs from that of Saudi Arabia in many aspects that may impact recommendations. The objective of this project was to adapt a set of prioritized recommendations from the 2021 ACR guideline for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis RA for the context of Saudi Arabia, by the Saudi Society for Rheumatology (SSR). Methods The process followed the GRADE-ADOLOPMENT methodology, and the reporting adhered to the RIGHT-Ad@pt checklist. Working groups included a coordination group and a 19-member panel representing different stakeholder groups. The Evidence to Decision (EtD) tables included evidence on health effects from the source guideline and contextual information from the Saudi setting. Results The panel prioritized and adapted five recommendations from the source guideline. The process led to modifying two out of the five prioritized recommendations, all listed here. In naive patients with low disease activity, methotrexate (MTX) is conditionally recommended over sulfasalazine (SSZ) (modified direction); hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is conditionally recommended over SSZ (unmodified). Initiation of csDMARDs with short-term glucocorticoids is conditionally recommended over csDMARDs alone in naive patients with moderate to high disease activity (modified direction). Switch to subcutaneous MTX is conditionally recommended over addition/switch to alternative DMARD(s) in patients taking oral MTX who are not at target (unmodified). Discontinuation of MTX is conditionally recommended over gradual discontinuation of the bDMARD or tsDMARD for patients taking MTX plus a bDMARD or tsDMARD who wish to discontinue a DMARD (unmodified). Conclusion Rheumatologists practicing in Saudi Arabia can use the adoloped recommendations generated by this project while adopting the rest of the recommendations from the 2021 ACR guidelines.