O impacto da artrite psoriásica em diferentes domínios de saúde : um estudo qualitativo

Introdução/Objetivos: O impacto da artrite psoriásica (APso) percebido pelo paciente que vive fora do continente europeu ainda é pouco conhecido, uma vez que quase todos os estudos qualitativos sobre o tema recrutaram populações europeias. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o impacto físico, emocional, profissional e social da APso em pacientes brasileiros. Também se compara o impacto da APso percebido por pacientes franceses e brasileiros. Métodos: Um estudo qualitativo foi realizado em dois hospitais universitários no Brasil e na França; pacientes ambulatoriais que preenchiam critérios de classificação para APso participaram de entrevistas individuais na linguagem local. O tamanho da amostra foi definido através do princípio de saturação; as entrevistas foram gravadas, os dados foram transcritos e uma análise de conteúdo foi realizada. Resultados: Quinze pacientes foram entrevistados no Brasil e 13 na França. A média de duração da doença foi de 16,.5 ± 12,5 anos (variando de 8 meses até 47 anos) e 14,4 ± 8,4 anos (variando de 12 meses a 29 anos), para brasileiros e franceses, respectivamente. Medicamentos biológicos foram prescritos para 33% dos brasileiros (N=5) e 23% dos participantes franceses (N=3). Um amplo impacto foi reportado: 67 categorias emergiram durante as entrevistas e foram agrupadas em 24 domínios de saúde. O impacto da doença percebido pelos brasileiros e franceses foi globalmente similar: 67% dos domínios foram comuns a ambas as nacionalidades. Apesar do impacto percebido pelas duas amostras ser semelhante, alguns domínios importantes para os brasileiros e ainda pouco estudados nesta população como desordens do sono, disfunção sexual e fadiga foram identificados. Este trabalho também expõe o impacto emocional, social e profissional do preconceito causado pela psoríase em pacientes brasileiros. Conclusão: Brasileiros e franceses com APso percebem um amplo e similar impacto da doença, que transcende os aspectos físicos. Domínios importantes para pacientes que vivem fora da Europa e que permanecem pouco estudados podem ser reconhecidos através da metodologia qualitativa.Background: The patient-perceived impact of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) outside the European background is still few studied since almost all qualitative studies on the subject have been performed in European populations. This work aimed to evaluate the physical, emotional, professional and social impact of PsA in Brazilian patients. It also compares patient-perceived impact of PsA between Brazilian and French subjects. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in two university hospitals in Brazil and France; outpatients fulfilling classification criteria for PsA participated in individual interviews in the local language. The sample size was defined by saturation; interviews were recorded, data were transcribed and content analysis was performed. Results: Fifteen patients were interviewed in Brazil and 13 in France. Mean disease duration was 16.5 ± 12.5 years (range: 8 months to 47 years) and 14.4 ± 8.4 years (range 12 months to 29 years), for Brazilian and French subjects, respectively. Biologic drugs were prescribed to 33% of Brazilians (N=5) and 23% of French participants (N=3). A broad impact was perceived: 67 categories of impact emerged from the interviews and were grouped in 24 health domains. The impact of disease perceived by Brazilian and French participants was globally similar: 67% of domains were common to both nationalities. Despite the similar impact among the samples, some domains important for Brazilian patients and still few studied in this population as sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction and fatigue were identified. This work also exposed the emotional, social and professional impact of prejudice due to psoriasis in Brazilian patients. Conclusions: Brazilian and French subjects living with PsA perceive a broad and similar impact of disease which goes far beyond physical aspects. Domains important to patients living outside Europe and which remain few studied can be recognized through qualitative methodology

Ultrasonographic and resistance index evaluation of nails in psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, and control groups : a cross-sectional study

Background: Nail psoriasis occurs frequently in patients with psoriatic disease, it can lead to functional impairment, pain, discomfort, decreased quality of life and can also be a predictor for the development of arthritis. Early recognition of this condition can provide early and effective treatment and prevent structural impairment. This study aims to identify nail ultrasonographic characteristics in three groups: psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and controls patients, to determine if the ultrasonography (US) can identify early signs of nail psoriatic impairment or local inflammation. We conducted nail US to determine nail matrix resistance index (NMRI), nail bed resistance index (NBRI), and power Doppler (PD) and grayscale (GS) parameters in these 3 groups. Methods: Single-center, cross-sectional study. GS, PD, and spectral doppler images of bilateral 2nd and 3rd fingernails were acquired from 35 PsO, 31 PsA, and 35 controls patients. An US equipment with an 18 MHz linear transducer for GS and 8.0 MHz for PD was used. PD, NMRI, NBRI, nail plate thickness (NPT), nail bed thickness (NBT), nail matrix thickness (NMT), and morphostructural characteristics of the trilaminar structure (TS) were evaluated in saved images, blind. Results: Mean NMRI and NBRI did not differ between groups. Linear regression analysis detected no relationships between PsO or PsA and NMRI or NBRI. Nail PD grade did not differ between groups. Type I and IV TS changes were more frequent in PsO; types II and III changes were more frequent in PsA (p < 0.001). NPT was greater in PsA and PsO groups than controls: PsA 0.73 ± 0.14 mm, PsO 0.72 ± 0.15 mm, Controls 0.67 ± 0.10 mm (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Echographic TS characteristics of the nail plate and NPT evaluated by GS are useful and can distinguish PsO and PsA nails from controls. NMRI, NBRI, and US nail microcirculation parameters could not distinguish psoriatic nails

Fears and beliefs of people living with rheumatoid arthritis : a systematic literature review

Objective: To assess the main fears and beliefs of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their effect on treatment outcomes; Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in Pubmed/Medline; original articles published up to May 2017, reporting fears and/or beliefs of adult patients with RA were analyzed. Fears and beliefs were collected by two independent researchers and grouped into categories. Results: Among 474 references identified, 84 were analyzed, corresponding to 24,336 RA patients. Fears were reported in 38.4% of the articles (N = 32/84): most studies described fears related to pharmacological therapy (50.0%, N = 16/32) and fear of disability (28.1%, N = 9/32). Beliefs were reported in 88.0% of articles (N = 74/84) and were found to moderate the patient-perceived impact of RA in 44.6% (N = 33/74), mainly the emotional impact (18.9%, N = 14/74); measures of function, quality of life, fatigue and pain were also found to be affected by patients’ beliefs in 8.1% (N = 6/74), 6.8% (N = 5/74), 2.7% (N = 2/74) and 2.7% (N = 2/74) of the articles, respectively. Beliefs about therapy were linked to adherence in 17.6% of articles (N = 13/74) and beliefs about cause of RA predicted coping patterns in 12.2% of publications (N = 9/74). Only 9.5% (N = 8/84) of articles reported fears and/or beliefs of patients living outside Europe and North America: there was only one work which recruited patients in Latin America and no article included patients from Africa. Conclusion: In RA, patients’ beliefs are linked to impact of disease and non-adherence. Further research is needed on fears/ beliefs of patients living outside Europe and North America

Urinary soluble VCAM-1 is a useful biomarker of disease activity and treatment response in lupus nephritis

Introduction: Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is involved in the progression of glomerular and tubulointerstitial injury in lupus nephritis (LN) and can be easily assessed in urine. The aim of this study was to assess urinary soluble VCAM-1 (uVCAM-1) as a biomarker of disease activity and treatment response in LN. Methods: This prospective study enrolled 62 patients with class III, IV or V LN diagnosed within the last 3 years and divided them in two groups: with and without active nephritis at the inclusion, each group with 31 patients. At each visit, a urine sample was collected for uVCAM-1 evaluation and the nephritis status was assessed. Results: Median uVCAM-1 level was elevated in patients with active compared to inactive LN (P < 0.001). The ROC curve of uVCAM-1 demonstrated an AUC of 0.84 and a cutoff of 47.2 ng/mgCr yielded a good sensitivity (74.2%) and specificity (74.2%) for the diagnosis of active LN. A significant correlation was found between uVCAM-1 level and renal activity scores and traditional biomarkers of LN. The level of uVCAM-1 dropped in patients with active LN who went into remission (P < 0.001), increased in patients who went into activity (P = 0.002) and did not change in patients who remained inactive (P = 0.797). The level of uVCAM-1 peaked during the flare of LN (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The uVCAM-1 is a reliable biomarker that reflects renal disease activity and is useful for monitoring individual patients with lupus nephritis over time

Combined dermatology and rheumatology outpatient clinic for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis : a southern Brazilian experience

Introdução: Diversas diretrizes enfatizam as vantagens do manejo multidisciplinar no cuidado ao paciente com psoríase (PSO) e artrite psoriásica (PSA). O diagnóstico precoce de PSA se relaciona com melhores desfechos em 5 anos. No entanto, o diagnóstico precoce de PSA ainda é um desafio. Métodos: Estudo transversal retrospectivo de pacientes com diagnóstico prévio ou suspeito de PSO e/ou PSA atendidos em ambulatório conjunto de dermatologia e reumatologia do sul do Brasil de janeiro de 2013 a janeiro de 2017. Resultados: Entre os 55 pacientes previamente diagnosticados com PSO, 30,9% (n = 17) foram diagnosticados com PSA. Alterações do tratamento foram feitas em 58,5% (n = 48) dos pacientes, principalmente devido ao mau controle da pele e das articulações. Os imunobiológicos foram a classe de medicamentos mais comumente iniciada, correspondendo a 35,4% (n = 17) das modificações terapêuticas. O metotrexato foi o segundo medicamento mais comumente iniciado (18,8%, n = 9) ou com modificação da dose ou via de administração (20,8%, n = 10), totalizando 39,6% (n = 19) de modificações terapêuticas. Houve um aumento na proporção de pacientes em uso de tratamento sistêmico (79,3%, n = 65). Conclusão: Este estudo reforça a importância da abordagem multidisciplinar no diagnóstico precoce da PSA e demonstra que a abordagem conjunta entre dermatologia e reumatologia é possível de ser realizada no Brasil, com resultados semelhantes aos reportados na literatura internacional.Introduction: Several guidelines emphasize the advantages of multidisciplinary management of patients with psoriasis (PSO) or psoriatic arthritis (PSA). Early diagnosis of PSA is associated with better outcomes in 5 years. However, early diagnosis of PSA remains a challenge. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients with previous or suspected diagnosis of PSO and/or PSA treated at a combined dermatology and rheumatology outpatient clinic in southern Brazil from January 2013 to January 2017. Results: Of 55 patients previously diagnosed with PSO, 30.9% (n = 17) were diagnosed with PSA. Changes in treatment were made in 58.5% (n = 48) of patients, mainly due to poor control of cutaneous and articular symptoms. Immunobiological agents were the most commonly prescribed class of drugs, corresponding to 35.4% (n = 17) of changes in medical therapy. Methotrexate was the second most commonly prescribed drug (18.8%; n = 9) and the second drug to undergo most changes in dose or route of administration (20.8%; n = 10), accounting for 39.6% (n = 19) of changes in medical therapy. There was an increase in the number of patients undergoing systemic therapies (79.3%; n = 65). Conclusions: This study reinforces the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the early diagnosis of PSA and demonstrates that a collaborative approach between dermatology and rheumatology is feasible in Brazil, with outcomes similar to those reported in the international literature

Correlation of enthesitis indices with disease activity and function in axial and peripheral spondyloarthritis : a cross-sectional study comparing MASES, SPARCC and LEI

Background: The presence of enthesitis is associated with higher disease activity, more disability and incapacity to work and a poorer quality of life in spondyloarthritis (SpA). There is currently no consensus on which clinical score should be used to assess enthesitis in SpA. The objective of the present work was to compare the correlation of three enthesitis indices (MASES, SPARCC and LEI) with measures of disease activity and function in a heterogeneous population of patients with axial and peripheral SpA. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three Brazilian public university hospitals; patients fulfilling ASAS classification criteria for peripheral or axial SpA were recruited and measures of disease activity and function were collected and correlated to three enthesitis indices: MASES, SPARCC and LEI using Spearman’s Correlation index. ROC curves were used to determine if the the enthesitis indices were useful to discriminate patients with active disease from those with inactive disease. Results: Two hundred four patients were included, 71.1% (N = 145) fulfilled ASAS criteria for axial SpA and 28.9% (N = 59) for peripheral SpA. In axial SpA, MASES performed better than LEI (p = 0.018) and equal to SPARCC (p = 0.212) regarding correlation with disease activity (BASDAI) and function (BASFI). In peripheral SpA, only MASES had a weak but statistical significant correlation with DAS28-ESR (rs 0.310 p = 0.05) and MASES had better correlation with functional measures (HAQ) than SPARCC (p = 0.034). Conclusion: In this sample composed of SpA patients with high coexistence of axial and peripheral features, MASES showed statistical significant correlation with measures of disease activity and function in both axial and peripheral SpA

Incidence of tuberculosis infection in spondyloarthritis patients treated with biological and conventional diseasemodifying anti-rheumatic drugs in an endemic area

Introduction: Registries of spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients’ follow-up provided evidence that tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) increase the incidence of active tuberculosis infection (TB). However, most of these registries are from low burden TB areas. Few studies evaluated the safety of biologic agents in TB endemic areas. This study compares the TB incidence rate (TB IR) in anti-TNF-naïve and anti-TNFexperienced subjects with SpA in a high TB incidence setting. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, medical records from patients attending a SpA clinic during 13 years (2004 to 2016) in a university hospital were reviewed. The TB IR was calculated and expressed as number of events per 105 patients/year; the incidence rate ratio (IRR) associated with the use of TNFi was calculated. Results: A total of 277 patients, 173 anti-TNF-naïve and 104 anti-TNF-experienced subjects, were evaluated; 35.7% (N = 35) of patients who were prescribed an antiTNF drug were diagnosed with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Total follow-up time (person-years) was 1667.8 for anti-TNF-naïve and 394.9 for anti-TNF-experienced patients. TB IR (95% CI) was 299.8 (37.4-562.2) for anti-TNF naïve and 1012.9 (25.3-2000.5) for anti-TNF experienced subjects. The IRR associated with the use of TNFi was 10.4 (2.3- 47.9). Conclusions: In this high TB incidence setting, SpA patients exposed to anti-TNF therapy had a higher incidence of TB compared to anti-TNF-naïve subjects, although the TB incidence in the control group was significant

O impacto da artrite psoriásica em diferentes domínios de saúde : um estudo qualitativo

Introdução/Objetivos: O impacto da artrite psoriásica (APso) percebido pelo paciente que vive fora do continente europeu ainda é pouco conhecido, uma vez que quase todos os estudos qualitativos sobre o tema recrutaram populações europeias. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o impacto físico, emocional, profissional e social da APso em pacientes brasileiros. Também se compara o impacto da APso percebido por pacientes franceses e brasileiros. Métodos: Um estudo qualitativo foi realizado em dois hospitais universitários no Brasil e na França; pacientes ambulatoriais que preenchiam critérios de classificação para APso participaram de entrevistas individuais na linguagem local. O tamanho da amostra foi definido através do princípio de saturação; as entrevistas foram gravadas, os dados foram transcritos e uma análise de conteúdo foi realizada. Resultados: Quinze pacientes foram entrevistados no Brasil e 13 na França. A média de duração da doença foi de 16,.5 ± 12,5 anos (variando de 8 meses até 47 anos) e 14,4 ± 8,4 anos (variando de 12 meses a 29 anos), para brasileiros e franceses, respectivamente. Medicamentos biológicos foram prescritos para 33% dos brasileiros (N=5) e 23% dos participantes franceses (N=3). Um amplo impacto foi reportado: 67 categorias emergiram durante as entrevistas e foram agrupadas em 24 domínios de saúde. O impacto da doença percebido pelos brasileiros e franceses foi globalmente similar: 67% dos domínios foram comuns a ambas as nacionalidades. Apesar do impacto percebido pelas duas amostras ser semelhante, alguns domínios importantes para os brasileiros e ainda pouco estudados nesta população como desordens do sono, disfunção sexual e fadiga foram identificados. Este trabalho também expõe o impacto emocional, social e profissional do preconceito causado pela psoríase em pacientes brasileiros. Conclusão: Brasileiros e franceses com APso percebem um amplo e similar impacto da doença, que transcende os aspectos físicos. Domínios importantes para pacientes que vivem fora da Europa e que permanecem pouco estudados podem ser reconhecidos através da metodologia qualitativa.Background: The patient-perceived impact of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) outside the European background is still few studied since almost all qualitative studies on the subject have been performed in European populations. This work aimed to evaluate the physical, emotional, professional and social impact of PsA in Brazilian patients. It also compares patient-perceived impact of PsA between Brazilian and French subjects. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in two university hospitals in Brazil and France; outpatients fulfilling classification criteria for PsA participated in individual interviews in the local language. The sample size was defined by saturation; interviews were recorded, data were transcribed and content analysis was performed. Results: Fifteen patients were interviewed in Brazil and 13 in France. Mean disease duration was 16.5 ± 12.5 years (range: 8 months to 47 years) and 14.4 ± 8.4 years (range 12 months to 29 years), for Brazilian and French subjects, respectively. Biologic drugs were prescribed to 33% of Brazilians (N=5) and 23% of French participants (N=3). A broad impact was perceived: 67 categories of impact emerged from the interviews and were grouped in 24 health domains. The impact of disease perceived by Brazilian and French participants was globally similar: 67% of domains were common to both nationalities. Despite the similar impact among the samples, some domains important for Brazilian patients and still few studied in this population as sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction and fatigue were identified. This work also exposed the emotional, social and professional impact of prejudice due to psoriasis in Brazilian patients. Conclusions: Brazilian and French subjects living with PsA perceive a broad and similar impact of disease which goes far beyond physical aspects. Domains important to patients living outside Europe and which remain few studied can be recognized through qualitative methodology