Spondyloarthritides: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Reactive Arthritis

The concept of spondyloarthritis (SpA) goes back several decades for this partly heterogeneous group of diseases. The term SpA traditionally covers ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, arthritis/spondylitis associated with psoriasis, and arthritis/spondylitis associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Today the spectrum of SpA has been broadened based on the introduction of new classification criteria for SpA, especially those with predominant axial involvement, which are differentiated from the more peripheral SpA. Thus early and abortive forms have been integrated. The main link between the SpA is the association with HLA-B27 and other genes, a similar pattern of peripheral joint involvement with asymmetrical, often oligoarticular, arthritis, and/or the potential manifestations of sacroiliitis and/or spondylitis, enthesitis, dacytilitis, and/or uveitis. Involvement of the heart occurs comparatively rarely, but at least in part with a unique clinical appearance that concentrates on the aortic root and the atrioventricular conduction system. In addition, the significance of classical risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease is potentiated by chronic inflammation in these patients

The effect of anti-tnf therapy on cardiac function in rheumatoid arthritis: An observational study

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the second most prevalent cause of death in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The systemic inflammatory state in RA patients is deemed responsible for this finding. Anti-inflammatory treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy decreases CV risk and subsequently might improve the cardiac function by lowering the overall inflammatory state. This study investigated the effect of anti-TNF on the cardiac function in RA patients. Fifty one RA patients were included, of which thirty three completed follow-up. Included patients were >18 years, had moderate–high disease activity and no history of cardiac disease. Patients were assessed at baseline and after six months of anti-TNF treatment. Patients underwent conventional Speckle tracking and tissue Doppler echocardiography in combination with clinical and laboratory assessments at baseline and follow-up. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) showed no changes during follow-up, LVEF 63% (±9) to 62% (±8) p = 0.097 and GLS −20 (±4) to −20 (±3) p = 0.79, respectively. Furthermore, E/e’ nor E/A changed significantly between baseline and follow-up, respectively 8 (7–9) and 8 (7–9) p = 0.17 and 1.1 (±0.4) and 1.1 (±0.4) p = 0.94. Follow-up NT-proBNP decreased with 23%, from 89 ng/L (47–142) to 69 ng/L (42–155), p = 0.10. Regression analysis revealed no association between change in inflammatory variables and cardiac function. Echocardiography showed no effect of anti-TNF treatment on the cardiac function in RA patients with low prevalence of cardiac dysfunction. Moreover, NT-proBNP decreased, possibly indicating (subtle) improvement of the cardiac function

The relationship between cardiac conduction times, cardiovascular risk factors, and inflammation in patients with early arthritis

Objective. To investigate the prevalence of conduction disorders in patients with early arthritis and the relationship with inflammation and traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. Methods. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a 2-fold higher risk of sudden cardiac death, possibly owing to conduction disorders. This increased risk might already be present at the clinical onset of arthritis. Therefore, we assessed electrocardiography, blood pressure, 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28), lipid profile, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) level in 480 patients with early arthritis at baseline and after 1 year. Results. The prevalence of conduction disorders was 12.5%. Conduction times at baseline were not associated with DAS28, ESR, or CRP levels and did not change during antirheumatic treatment. Baseline and the improvement in DAS28 (European League Against Rheumatism response), ESR, and CRP were significantly associated with heart rate, lipid profile, and blood pressure. Elevated total cholesterol and blood pressure were associated with an increased QRS time. The change in heart rate differed 7.3 bpm between patients with the least versus largest DAS improvement. Conclusion. The prevalence of conduction disorders in patients with early arthritis was 12.5%, which is similar to the general population and was not associated with changes in inflammation markers. However, a high cholesterol was associated with a prolonged QRS time. Therefore, the emphasis of CV risk management in arthritis should not be only on treatment of disease activity but also on traditional CV risk factors. The relationship between the improvement in disease activity and heart rate is remarkable because this could imply a 10-year CV mortality risk difference of 24%

The Prevalence of Cardiac Diseases in a Contemporary Large Cohort of Dutch Elderly Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients—The CARDAS Study

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of specific cardiac manifestations, i.e., conduction disorders, valvular disease and diastolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, in a large cross-sectional controlled cohort of elderly ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence of valvular disease, conduction disorders and LV dysfunction in 193 randomly selected AS patients compared with 74 osteoarthritis (OA) controls aged 50–75 years. Patients underwent conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography in combination with clinical and laboratory assessments. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to compare the odds of mitral valve regurgitation (MVR) and aortic valve regurgitation (AVR) between AS patients and OA controls. Results: The prevalence of diastolic dysfunction was trivial and comparable in AS patients compared to controls (respectively, 4% and 3%) and had no further clinical relevance. In addition, the prevalence of conduction disturbances was similar in both groups, with little clinical relevance, respectively 23% vs. 24%. The prevalence of AVR was significantly higher in AS patients compared to the controls, respectively 23% (9% trace, 12% mild, 1% moderate, 1% severe, 1% prosthesis) vs. 11%, p = 0.04. After correcting for age, sex and CV risk factors, AS patients had an odds ratio of 4.5 (95% CI 1.1–13.6) for AVR compared to the controls. In contrast, the prevalence values of MVR were similar and mostly not clinically relevant in AS patients and controls, respectively 36% and 32% and p = 0.46. Conclusion: The prevalence of diastolic LV dysfunction and conduction disorders was mostly not clinically relevant, and similar in AS patients and controls. However, AS patients had an up to five times increased odds to develop AVR compared to controls. Therefore, echocardiographic screening of elderly (50–75 years) AS patients should be considered

Reduced occurrence rate of acute anterior uveitis in ankylosing spondylitis treated with golimumab - The go-easy study

Objective. Acute anterior uveitis (AAU) is common in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Golimumab (GOL), a tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor (TNFi), has proven to be effective in the treatment of AS. To date, the effect of GOL on the incidence of AAU in AS is unknown. The objective was to study the AAU occurrence rate in patients with AS during GOL treatment and secondarily, the efficacy of GOL in daily clinical practice. Methods. The study was a multicenter prospective study in a real-world setting in patients with AS who were treated with GOL for 12 months. The occurrence of AAU was assessed in the year before the initial TNFi treatment and during GOL treatment and calculated for the period at risk for a new AAU. Measures for disease activity [Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)] and treatment response [Assessment of Spondyloarthritis international Society (ASAS20 score)] were collected. Results. In total, 93 patients (65% male, 55% TNFi-naive, 27% history of AAU) were included, with a median disease duration of 7 years and ASDAS score of 3.1. During GOL treatment, the AAU occurrence rate was reduced from 11.1 to 2.2 per 100 patient-years (rate-ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.04-0.91). After 3 months of treatment, 41% of the patients experienced a clinically important improvement of the ASDAS score (p < 0.001) and 36% an ASDAS20 response (p < 0.001). At month 12, 49% had achieved an ASAS20 response (p < 0.001). Conclusion. In AS, the AAU occurrence rate and disease activity decreased significantly during GOL treatment. Therefore, GOL can be considered a good choice in patients with AS who need a TNFi, especially in cases of recurrent AAU. (EudraCT number: 2012-002458-21