Efficacy of an Interinstitutional Mentoring Program Within Pediatric Rheumatology

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135109/1/acr22732_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135109/2/acr22732.pd

Clinical practice guidelines for the foot and ankle in rheumatoid arthritis: a critical appraisal

Background: Clinical practice guidelines are recommendations systematically developed to assist clinical decision-making and inform healthcare. In current rheumatoid arthritis (RA) guidelines, management of the foot and ankle is under-represented and the quality of recommendation is uncertain. This study aimed to identify and critically appraise clinical practice guidelines for foot and ankle management in RA. Methods: Guidelines were identified electronically and through hand searching. Search terms 'rheumatoid arthritis', 'clinical practice guidelines' and related synonyms were used. Critical appraisal and quality rating were conducted using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. Results: Twenty-four guidelines were included. Five guidelines were high quality and recommended for use. Five high quality and seven low quality guidelines were recommended for use with modifications. Seven guidelines were low quality and not recommended for use. Five early and twelve established RA guidelines were recommended for use. Only two guidelines were foot and ankle specific. Five recommendation domains were identified in both early and established RA guidelines. These were multidisciplinary team care, foot healthcare access, foot health assessment/review, orthoses/insoles/splints, and therapeutic footwear. Established RA guidelines also had an 'other foot care treatments' domain. Conclusions: Foot and ankle management for RA features in many clinical practice guidelines recommended for use. Unfortunately, supporting evidence in the guidelines is low quality. Agreement levels are predominantly 'expert opinion' or 'good clinical practice'. More research investigating foot and ankle management for RA is needed prior to inclusion in clinical practice guidelines

Total Knee Arthroplasty in Rheumatoid Arthritis

The course of rheumatoid arthritis varies from mild disease to severe joint destructive variant that progresses rapidly, eventually leading to unremitting pain and joint deformity. In advanced disease, total knee arthroplasty has proven to be the most successful intervention that reduces knee pain and improves physical function in rheumatoid arthritis patients. However, as rheumatoid arthritis patients carry additional potential for late complications, many important considerations regarding preoperative evaluation and surgical technique must be taken into account in order to improve the results of total knee arthroplasty in this subgroup of patients

A multinational randomized, controlled, clinical trial of etoricoxib in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis [ISRCTN25142273]

BACKGROUND: Etoricoxib is a highly selective COX-2 inhibitor which was evaluated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Double-blind, randomized, placebo and active comparator-controlled, 12-week study conducted at 67 sites in 28 countries. Eligible patients were chronic NSAID users who demonstrated a clinical worsening of arthritis upon withdrawal of prestudy NSAIDs. Patients received either placebo, etoricoxib 90 mg once daily, or naproxen 500 mg twice daily (2:2:1 allocation ratio). Primary efficacy measures included direct assessment of arthritis by counts of tender and swollen joints, and patient and investigator global assessments of disease activity. Key secondary measures included the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire, patient global assessment of pain, and the percentage of patients who achieved ACR20 responder criteria response (a composite of pain, inflammation, function, and global assessments). Tolerability was assessed by adverse events and routine laboratory evaluations. RESULTS: 1171 patients were screened, 891 patients were randomized (N = 357 for placebo, N = 353 for etoricoxib, and N = 181 for naproxen), and 687 completed 12 weeks of treatment (N = 242 for placebo, N = 294 for etoricoxib, and N = 151 for naproxen). Compared with patients receiving placebo, patients receiving etoricoxib and naproxen showed significant improvements in all efficacy endpoints (p<0.05). Treatment responses were similar between the etoricoxib and naproxen groups for all endpoints. The percentage of patients who achieved ACR20 responder criteria response was 41% in the placebo group, 59% in the etoricoxib group, and 58% in the naproxen group. Etoricoxib and naproxen were both generally well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, etoricoxib 90 mg once daily was more effective than placebo and similar in efficacy to naproxen 500 mg twice daily for treating patients with RA over 12 weeks. Etoricoxib 90 mg was generally well tolerated in RA patients

Validation of potential classification criteria for systemic sclerosis

Objective Classification criteria for systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma) are being updated jointly by the American College of Rheumatology and European League Against Rheumatism. Potential items for classification were reduced to 23 using Delphi and nominal group techniques. We evaluated the face, discriminant, and construct validity of the items to be further studied as potential criteria. Methods Face validity was evaluated using the frequency of items in patients sampled from the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group, 1000 Faces of Lupus, and the Pittsburgh, Toronto, Madrid, and Berlin connective tissue disease (CTD) databases. Patients with SSc (n = 783) were compared to 1,071 patients with diseases similar to SSc (mimickers): systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 499), myositis (n = 171), Sjögren's syndrome (n = 95), Raynaud's phenomenon (RP; n = 228), mixed CTD (n = 29), and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH; n = 49). Discriminant validity was evaluated using odds ratios (ORs). For construct validity, empirical ranking was compared to expert ranking. Results Compared to mimickers, patients with SSc were more likely to have skin thickening (OR 427); telangiectasias (OR 91); anti–RNA polymerase III antibody (OR 75); puffy fingers (OR 35); finger flexion contractures (OR 29); tendon/bursal friction rubs (OR 27); anti–topoisomerase I antibody (OR 25); RP (OR 24); fingertip ulcers/pitting scars (OR 19); anticentromere antibody (OR 14); abnormal nailfold capillaries (OR 10); gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms (OR 8); antinuclear antibody, calcinosis, dysphagia, and esophageal dilation (all OR 6); interstitial lung disease/pulmonary fibrosis (OR 5); and anti–PM‐Scl antibody (OR 2). Reduced carbon monoxide diffusing capacity, PAH, and reduced forced vital capacity had ORs of <2. Renal crisis and digital pulp loss/acroosteolysis did not occur in SSc mimickers (OR not estimated). Empirical and expert ranking were correlated (Spearman's ρ = 0.53, P = 0.01). Conclusion The candidate items have good face, discriminant, and construct validity. Further item reduction will be evaluated in prospective SSc and mimicker cases.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90121/1/20684_ftp.pd

General practitioners’ perspectives on campaigns to promote rapid help-seeking behaviour at the onset of rheumatoid arthritis

Objective. To explore general practitioners’ (GPs’ ) perspectives on public health campaigns to encourage people with the early symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to seek medical help rapidly. Design. Nineteen GPs participated in four semistructured focus groups. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis. Results. GPs recognised the need for the early treatment of RA and identified that facilitating appropriate access to care was important. However, not all held the view that a delay in help seeking was a clinically significant issue. Furthermore, many were concerned that the early symptoms of RA were often non-specific, and that current knowledge about the nature of symptoms at disease onset was inadequate to inform the content of a help-seeking campaign. They argued that a campaign might not be able to specifically target those who need to present urgently. Poorly designed campaigns were suggested to have a negative impact on GPs’ workloads, and would “clog up” the referral pathway for genuine cases of RA. Conclusions. GPs were supportive of strategies to improve access to Rheumatological care and increase public awareness of RA symptoms. However, they have identified important issues that need to be considered in developing a public health campaign that forms part of an overall strategy to reduce time to treatment for patients with new onset RA. This study highlights the value of gaining GPs’ perspectives before launching health promotion campaigns

Evaluating the health and economic impact of osteoarthritis pain in the workforce: results from the National Health and Wellness Survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There has been increasing recognition that osteoarthritis (OA) affects younger individuals who are still participants in the workforce, but there are only limited data on the contribution of OA pain to work productivity and other outcomes in an employed population. This study evaluated the impact of OA pain on healthcare resource utilization, productivity and costs in employed individuals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were derived from the 2009 National Health and Wellness Survey. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to characterize employed individuals (full-time, part-time, or self-employed) ≥20 years of age who were diagnosed with OA and had arthritis pain in the past month relative to employed individuals not diagnosed with OA or not experiencing arthritis pain in the past month. Work productivity was assessed using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire; health status was assessed using the physical (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores from the SF-12v2 Health Survey and SF-6D health utilities; and healthcare utilization was evaluated by type and number of resources within the past 6 months. Direct and indirect costs were estimated and compared between the two cohorts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Individuals with OA pain were less likely to be employed. Relative to workers without OA pain (n = 37,599), the OA pain cohort (n = 2,173) was significantly older (mean age 52.1 ± 11.5 years vs 41.4 ± 13.2 years; <it>P </it>< 0.0001) and with a greater proportion of females (58.2% vs 45.9%; <it>P </it>< 0.0001). OA pain resulted in greater work impairment than among workers without OA pain (34.4% versus 17.8%; <it>P </it>< 0.0001), and was primarily due to presenteeism (impaired activity while at work). Health status, assessed both by the SF-12v2 and the SF-6D was significantly poorer among workers with OA pain (<it>P </it>< 0.0001), and healthcare resource utilization was significantly higher (<it>P </it>< 0.0001) than workers without OA pain. Total costs were higher in the OA pain cohort ($15,047 versus$8,175; <it>P </it>< 0.0001), driven by indirect costs that accounted for approximately 75% of total costs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A substantial proportion of workers suffer from OA pain. After controlling for confounders, the impact of OA pain was significant, resulting in lower productivity and higher costs.</p

Feasibility of using quadriceps-strengthening exercise to improve pain and sleep in a severely demented elder with osteoarthritis – a case report

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, which is prevalent among older adults in nursing homes, causes significant pain and suffering, including disturbance of nocturnal sleep. One nonpharmacologic treatment option is quadriceps-strengthening exercise, however, the feasibility of such a treatment for reducing pain from OA in severely demented elders has not been studied. This report describes our test of the feasibility of such an exercise program, together with its effects on pain and sleep, in a severely demented nursing home resident. CASE PRESENTATION: The subject was an elderly man with severe cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental Status Exam score 4) and knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence radiographic grade 4). He was enrolled in a 5-week, 10-session standardized progressive-resistance training program to strengthen the quadriceps, and completed all sessions. Pain was assessed with the Western Ontario and MacMaster OA Index (WOMAC) pain subscale, and sleep was assessed by actigraphy. The patient was able to perform the exercises, with a revision to the protocol. However, the WOMAC OA pain subscale proved inadequate for measuring pain in a patient with low cognitive functioning, and therefore the effects on pain were inconclusive. Although his sleep improved after the intervention, the influence of his medications and the amount of daytime sleep on his nighttime sleep need to be considered. CONCLUSIONS: A quadriceps-strengthening exercise program for treating OA of the knee is feasible in severely demented elders, although a better outcome measure is needed for pain

Health Professionals' Perceptions of the Effects of Exercise on Joint Health in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Objectives: Although exercise is an important factor in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), research indicates that patients perceive that health professionals (HPs) are uncertain about the place of exercise in treatment and its relationship with joint damage. The present study investigated the perceptions of HPs regarding the effects of exercise on joint health in RA patients. Methods: A questionnaire investigating perceptions of exercise and joint health was distributed via professional networks and websites. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to analyse questionnaire data and develop a focus group interview guide. Focus groups were conducted with multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) of rheumatology HPs and analysed using framework analysis. Results: A total of 137 rheumatology HPs (95 female; 27–65 years of age) completed questionnaires. CFA showed that a four-factor model provided a marginally acceptable fit. Analysis of four focus groups (n = 24; 19 female; 30–60 years of age) identified five themes relating to HPs' perceptions of exercise and joint health in RA patients: ‘Exercise is beneficial’, ‘Concerns about damage to joints’, ‘Patients have barriers to exercise’, ‘HP knowledge differs’ and ‘Patients may think service delivery is vague’. Conclusions: HPs were highly aware of the benefits and importance of exercise for RA patients. However, to remove the patient perception that HPs lack certainty and clarity regarding exercise it is important to ensure: (i) consistent promotion of exercise across the whole MDT; (ii) clear provision of information regarding rest, joint protection and exercise; (iii) HP education to ensure consistent, accurate knowledge, and understanding of the potential for conflicting advice when promoting exercise as part of an MDT. Copy © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

MRI assessment of suppression of structural damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving rituximab: results from the randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind RA-SCORE study

Objective To evaluate changes in structural damage and joint inflammation assessed by MRI following rituximab treatment in a Phase 3 study of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) despite methotrexate (MTX) who were naive to biological therapy. Methods Patients were randomised to receive two infusions of placebo (n=63), rituximab 500 mg (n=62), or rituximab 1000 mg (n=60) intravenously on days 1 and 15. MRI scans and radiographs of the most inflamed hand and wrist were acquired at baseline, weeks 12 (MRI only), 24 and 52. The primary end point was the change in MRI erosion score from baseline at week 24. Results Patients treated with rituximab demonstrated significantly less progression in the mean MRI erosion score compared with those treated with placebo at weeks 24 (0.47, 0.18 and 1.60, respectively, p=0.003 and p=0.001 for the two rituximab doses vs placebo) and 52 (−0.30, 0.11 and 3.02, respectively; p<0.001 and p<0.001). Cartilage loss at 52 weeks was significantly reduced in the rituximab group compared with the placebo group. Other secondary end points of synovitis and osteitis improved significantly with rituximab compared with placebo as early as 12 weeks and improved further at weeks 24 and 52. Conclusions This study demonstrated that rituximab significantly reduced erosion and cartilage loss at week 24 and week 52 in MTX-inadequate responder patients with active RA, suggesting that MRI is a valuable tool for assessing inflammatory and structural damage in patients with established RA receiving rituxima