In this article, the 2010 European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (sDMARDs and bDMARDs, respectively) have been updated. The 2013 update has been developed by an international task force, which based its decisions mostly on evidence from three systematic literature reviews (one each on sDMARDs, including glucocorticoids, bDMARDs and safety aspects of DMARD therapy); treatment strategies were also covered by the searches. The evidence presented was discussed and summarised by the experts in the course of a consensus finding and voting process. Levels of evidence and grades of recommendations were derived and levels of agreement (strengths of recommendations) were determined. Fourteen recommendations were developed (instead of 15 in 2010). Some of the 2010 recommendations were deleted, and others were amended or split. The recommendations cover general aspects, such as attainment of remission or low disease activity using a treat-to-target approach, and the need for shared decision-making between rheumatologists and patients. The more specific items relate to starting DMARD therapy using a conventional sDMARD (csDMARD) strategy in combination with glucocorticoids, followed by the addition of a bDMARD or another csDMARD strategy (after stratification by presence or absence of adverse risk factors) if the treatment target is not reached within 6 months (or improvement not seen at

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EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2016 update

Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may differ among rheumatologists and currently, clear and consensual international recommendations on RA treatment are not available. In this paper recommendations for the treatment of RA with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and glucocorticoids (GCs) that also account for strategic algorithms and deal with economic aspects, are described. The recommendations are based on evidence from five systematic literature reviews (SLRs) performed for synthetic DMARDs, biological DMARDs, GCs, treatment strategies and economic issues. The SLR-derived evidence was discussed and summarised as an expert opinion in the course of a Delphi-like process. Levels of evidence, strength of recommendations and levels of agreement were derived. Fifteen recommendations were developed covering an area from general aspects such as remission/low disease activity as treatment aim via the preference for methotrexate monotherapy with or without GCs vis-à-vis combination of synthetic DMARDs to the use of biological agents mainly in patients for whom synthetic DMARDs and tumour necrosis factor inhibitors had failed. Cost effectiveness of the treatments was additionally examined. These recommendations are intended to inform rheumatologists, patients and other stakeholders about a European consensus on the management of RA with DMARDs and GCs as well as strategies to reach optimal outcomes of RA, based on evidence and expert opinion.

EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs

Objective: To validate and refine two sets of candidate criteria for the classification/diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA). Methods: All Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) members were invited to include consecutively new patients with chronic (⩾3 months) back pain of unknown origin that began before 45 years of age. The candidate criteria were first tested in the entire cohort of 649 patients from 25 centres, and then refined in a random selection of 40% of cases and thereafter validated in the remaining 60%. Results: Upon diagnostic work-up, axial SpA was diagnosed in 60.2% of the cohort. Of these, 70% did not fulfil modified New York criteria and, therefore, were classified as having “non-radiographic” axial SpA. Refinement of the candidate criteria resulted in new ASAS classification criteria that are defined as: the presence of sacroiliitis by radiography or by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plus at least one SpA feature (“imaging arm”) or the presence of HLA-B27 plus at least two SpA features (“clinical arm”). The sensitivity and specificity of the entire set of the new criteria were 82.9% and 84.4%, and for the imaging arm alone 66.2% and 97.3%, respectively. The specificity of the new criteria was much better than that of the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group criteria modified for MRI (sensitivity 85.1%, specificity 65.1%) and slightly better than that of the modified Amor criteria (sensitivity 82.9, specificity 77.5%). Conclusion: The new ASAS classification criteria for axial SpA can reliably classify patients for clinical studies and may help rheumatologists in clinical practice in diagnosing axial SpA in those with chronic back pain. Trial registration number: NCT00328068.

https://ard.bmj.com/content/annrheumdis/68/6/777.full.pdf

The development of Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society classification criteria for axial spondyloarthritis (part II): validation and final selection

https://research.vu.nl/ws/files/118982316/Hartvigsen2018_What_low_back_pain_is_and_why_we_need_to_pay_attention.pdf

What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention

Background Aiming at therapeutic targets has reduced the risk of organ failure in many diseases such as diabetes or hypertension. Such targets have not been defined for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Objective To develop recommendations for achieving optimal therapeutic outcomes in RA. Methods A task force of rheumatologists and a patient developed a set of recommendations on the basis of evidence derived from a systematic literature review and expert opinion; these were subsequently discussed, amended and voted upon by >60 experts from various regions of the world in a Delphi-like procedure. Levels of evidence, strength of recommendations and levels of agreement were derived. Results The treat-to-target activity resulted in 10 recommendations. The treatment aim was defined as remission with low disease activity being an alternative goal in patients with long-standing disease. Regular follow-up (every 1–3 months during active disease) with appropriate therapeutic adaptation to reach the desired state within 3 to a maximum of 6 months was recommended. Follow-up examinations ought to employ composite measures of disease activity which include joint counts. Additional items provide further details for particular aspects of the disease. Levels of agreement were very high for many of these recommendations (≥9/10). Conclusion The 10 recommendations are supposed to inform patients, rheumatologists and other stakeholders about strategies to reach optimal outcomes of RA based on evidence and expert opinion.

Treating rheumatoid arthritis to target: recommendations of an international task force (vol 69, pg 631, 2010)

Nuevos paradigmas en el diagnóstico y la clasificación de las espondiloartritis

New Paradigms in the Diagnosis and Classification of the Spondylarthritis

Remission in axial spondyloarthritis: Developing a consensus definition.

Objective. To evaluate clinical factors associated with the absence of radiographic progression in patients with spondylitis. Methods. The cross-sectional study included 672 patients. All patients presented a disease evolution of more than 15 years. Patients were classified as with radiographic spinal involvement versus without radiographic spinal involvement. We included clinical variables potentially related to null radiological progression. Results. Seventy-five patients had no radiographic involvement. These patients were predominantly female, had a lower erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and a lower C-reactive protein level. Multivariate analysis showed an association with the female sex and low ESR. Conclusion. Clinical factors associated with this lack of progression were female sex and low ESR.

https://www.jrheum.org/content/jrheum/41/12/2409.full.pdf

Ankylosing spondylitis without axial progression: analysis of associated factors.

Objectives To describe adherence to recommendations for TNFα blocker (TNFb) initiation and continuation in early axial Spondyloarthropathy (axSpA); and to evaluate the impact of adherence to these recommendations over 5 years of follow-up in the DEvenir des Spondyloarthrites Indifferenciees Recentes (DESIR) cohort. Methods The first 5 years of follow-up of the DESIR early axSpA cohort were analysed. We evaluated adherence to Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) 2003/2006, 2016 and European Medicines Agency recommendations in axSpA patients for: TNFb initiation (patients were adherent if they either commenced TNFb therapy when they met the conditions for initiation or if they did not commence TNFb therapy when conditions were not met) and; TNFb continuation (either when they continued TNFb therapy when conditions to continue were met or when they discontinued when conditions were not met). The impact of adherence to these recommendations on functional disability, quality of life and sick-leave days over 5 years was explored. Results A total of 708 patients were analysed: 440 (62.15%), 389 (54.94%) and 335 (47.32%) were considered adherent to ASAS 2003/2006, 2016 and European Medicines Agency recommendations for TNFb initiation, respectively. Adherence to 2003/2006 and 2016 recommendations for TNFb continuation was observed in 47.37 and 49.39% of patients, respectively. According to over 5 years of follow-up, better outcomes (lower BASFI, higher SF-36 and fewer days of sick leave) were found in patients adhering to recommendations for TNFb commencement and continuation. Conclusion Less than 50% of patients were treated in agreement with recommendations for TNFb initiation and continuation. Nevertheless, adherence to such recommendations leads to better functional outcomes and fewer days of sick leave, according to long-term follow-up.

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Eduardo Collantes-Estevez

Papers

Nuevos paradigmas en el diagnóstico y la clasificación de las espondiloartritis

New Paradigms in the Diagnosis and Classification of the Spondylarthritis

Remission in axial spondyloarthritis: Developing a consensus definition.

Ankylosing spondylitis without axial progression: analysis of associated factors.

Adherence to recommendations for the use of anti-tumour necrosis factor and its impact over 5 years of follow-up in axial spondyloarthritis.