Comprehensive description of clinical characteristics of a large systemic Lupus Erythematosus Cohort from the Spanish Rheumatology Society Lupus Registry (RELESSER) with emphasis on complete versus incomplete lupus differences

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by multiple organ involvement and pronounced racial and ethnic heterogeneity. The aims of the present work were (1) to describe the cumulative clinical characteristics of those patients included in the Spanish Rheumatology Society SLE Registry (RELESSER), focusing on the differences between patients who fulfilled the 1997 ACR-SLE criteria versus those with less than 4 criteria (hereafter designated as incomplete SLE (iSLE)) and (2) to compare SLE patient characteristics with those documented in other multicentric SLE registries. RELESSER is a multicenter hospital-based registry, with a collection of data from a large, representative sample of adult patients with SLE (1997 ACR criteria) seen at Spanish rheumatology departments. The registry includes demographic data, comprehensive descriptions of clinical manifestations, as well as information about disease activity and severity, cumulative damage, comorbidities, treatments and mortality, using variables with highly standardized definitions. A total of 4.024 SLE patients (91% with ≥4 ACR criteria) were included. Ninety percent were women with a mean age at diagnosis of 35.4 years and a median duration of disease of 11.0 years. As expected, most SLE manifestations were more frequent in SLE patients than in iSLE ones and every one of the ACR criteria was also associated with SLE condition; this was particularly true of malar rash, oral ulcers and renal disorder. The analysis-adjusted by gender, age at diagnosis, and disease duration-revealed that higher disease activity, damage and SLE severity index are associated with SLE [OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.08-1.20 (P < 0.001); 1.29; 95% CI: 1.15-1.44 (P < 0.001); and 2.10; 95% CI: 1.83-2.42 (P < 0.001), respectively]. These results support the hypothesis that iSLE behaves as a relative stable and mild disease. SLE patients from the RELESSER register do not appear to differ substantially from other Caucasian populations and although activity [median SELENA-SLEDA: 2 (IQ: 0-4)], damage [median SLICC/ACR/DI: 1 (IQ: 0-2)], and severity [median KATZ index: 2 (IQ: 1-3)] scores were low, 1 of every 4 deaths was due to SLE activity. RELESSER represents the largest European SLE registry established to date, providing comprehensive, reliable and updated information on SLE in the southern European population

Impact of Comorbidity on Physical Function in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis Attending Rheumatology Clinics: Results From a Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To evaluate the impact of comorbidities on physical function in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline visit from the Cardiovascular in Rheumatology study. Multivariate models with physical function as the dependent variable (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index and Health Assessment Questionnaire for AS and PsA, respectively) were performed. Independent variables were a proxy for the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCIp; range 0-27), sociodemographic data, disease activity (erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR] and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index [BASDAI] in AS; Disease Activity Score in 28 joints [DAS28] using the ESR in PsA), disease duration, radiographic damage, and treatments. Results were reported as beta coefficients, 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), and P values. Results: We included 738 patients with AS and 721 with PsA; 21% of patients had >1 comorbidity. Comorbidity burden (CCIp) was independently associated with worse adjusted physical function in patients with PsA (? = 0.11). Also, female sex (? = 0.14), disease duration (? = 0.01), disease activity (DAS28-ESR; ? = 0.19), and the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (? = 0.09), glucocorticoids (? = 0.11), and biologics (? = 0.15) were associated with worse function in patients with PsA. A higher education level was associated with less disability (? = -0.14). In patients with AS, age (? = 0.03), disease activity (BASDAI; ? = 0.81), radiographic damage (? = 0.61), and the use of biologics (? = 0.51) were independently associated with worse function on multivariate analyses, but CCIp was not. Conclusion: The presence of comorbidities in patients with PsA is independently associated with worse physical function. The detection and control of the comorbidities may yield an integral management of the disease.The CARMA project has been supported by an unrestricted Grant from Abbvie, Spain. The sponsor had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis or interpretation of the data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication. Dr. González-Gay’s studies have been supported by Grants from “Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias,” Spain PI06/0024, PI09/00748, PI12/00060, PI15/00525, PI18/00043 and RD12/0009/0013(RIER) and RD16/0012 (RIER) from “Instituto de Salud Carlos III” (ISCIII), Spain