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The changing profile of ankylosing spondylitis in the biologic era

Clinical Rheumatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To compare disease characteristics, comorbidities, and medication utilization of 1141 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with short (< 20 years) and long (≥ 20 years) disease duration enrolled in the Prospective Study of Outcomes in AS (PSOAS) study over three different periods of time and followed longitudinally.

Methods

Study visits were carried out every 6 months examining disease activity (Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate), functional impairment, depression, and medication utilization as well as radiographic severity. Groups were compared with regression models using generalized estimating equation, linear, and Poisson regressions after adjusting for sites and for patients withdrawing from the study at less than 2 years follow-up.

Results

Overall, AS patients with long disease duration were more likely to be married, white, receiving disability, and to be with higher functional impairment and radiographic severity, more uveitis, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis, and with less nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and more opioid use than those with short disease duration. Current smoking decreased between 2002 and 2019 regardless of disease duration. Lower baseline NSAID and methotrexate/sulfasalazine use and higher TNF inhibitor usage were seen only in those with shorter disease duration, though NSAID use and functional impairment decreased over time in both groups. Disease activity, depression scores, and NSAID use decreased and anti-TNF use increased in those followed > 8 years.

Conclusions

Patients with AS enrolling in this multicenter longitudinal cohort have different disease profiles and medication utilization over time, perhaps reflecting innovations in treatment and increasing disease awareness.

Key Points

• The use of NSAIDs, nonbiologic DMARDs, and prednisone has decreased over the past 16 years in patients with AS.

• The use of anti-TNF agents has dramatically increased.

• In treated patients, disease activity, depression scores, and functional impairment have decreased over time.

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Funding

We acknowledge the support provided by the Biostatistics/ Epidemiology/ Research Design (BERD) component of the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) for this project. CCTS is mainly funded by the NIH Centers for Translational Science Award (UL1TR000371) by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and 2019 renewal (UL 1TR003167) by the NCATS. Also, we acknowledge that management of data for this study was done using REDCap, which was partly supported by a grant UL1 TR000445 from NCATS/NIH, awarded to Vanderbilt University. Dr. Michael Ward is supported by the Intramural Research Program, NIAMS, NIH. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or the NCATS. This work was also supported by grants from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), P01-052915-06, and from the Spondylitis Association of America as well as from Janssen Pharmaceutical Division of Johnson and Johnson.

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Correspondence to John D. Reveille.

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Each institution had the study approved by their respective institutional review boards (IRB), and each subject provided written informed consent to participate.

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Reveille, J.D., Lee, M., Gensler, L.S. et al. The changing profile of ankylosing spondylitis in the biologic era. Clin Rheumatol 39, 2641–2651 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-020-05260-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-020-05260-8

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