‘It's magic stuff’: The experiences of patients with ankylosing spondylitis taking anti‐TNF‐α medication

Abstract

Anti-TNF-alpha treatment has a positive impact on the lives of people with AS, such that a major concern is being withdrawn from treatment, highlighting the need to provide tailored support to people being withdrawn from treatment. To capture the full impact of anti-TNF-alpha treatment, further consideration needs to be given to the choice of appropriate outcome measures.

Inflammation and ankylosis: still an enigmatic relationship in spondyloarthritis

“…Both the soluble TNF receptor etanercept and the different anti-TNF antibodies are highly successful in reducing the signs and symptoms of disease, thereby improving quality of life, participation in the work force and the overall wellbeing of patients 2 3. Clinical evidence suggests that anti-TNF therapies are more successful and the effect more sustained than in other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inflammatory bowel disease 4.…”

Health-related Quality of Life Assessment on 100 Tunisian Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis using the SF-36 Survey

“…28,29 It seems that a large proportion of patients with AS may be considered as candidates for new treatments like anti-TNF-α, which stops the inflammation process, delay disease progression, and improve their health-related quality of life. 30 In fact, Han et al while studying the impact of infliximab on the quality of life on patients with AS, and reported that patients who received anti-TNF-α therapy showed significant improvement on physical component summary scores compared with those who received placebo. The magnitude of the difference of improvement (effect size) between infliximab and placebo groups was 10.1 (9.2-11.0) in the AS patients.…”

A Narrative Literature Review of the Impact of Anti-TNFα Treatment on the Occupational Performance of People with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Ankylosing Spondylitis

“…Whilst Marshall et al do not explore these findings in depth in their discussion, similar experiences have been reported in other people with RA and AS, suggesting these improvements capture part of the meaning of being on anti-TNFα treatment (Edwards 2004, Lindén and Björklund 2010, Stockdale and Goodacre 2009.…”

“…Stockdale and Goodacre (2009) reported on a sample of eight men with AS, where one person previously unable to work had returned to employment and a further two had moved from desk-based jobs to more physically demanding roles.…”

“…They suggested that there may be psychological barriers preventing people from entering the workplace. Certainly, clients have reported concerns about continued efficacy of anti-TNFα treatment (Marshall et al 2004, Stockdale andGoodacre 2009). However, this may be too simplistic a view, as organisational structures and procedures can also be inhibitors to employment (Lacaille et al 2008).…”