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Abstract Number: 2611

Short Term Efficacy of Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors in Patients with non–radiographic Axial Spondylarthritis and  ankylosing  Spondylitis; Results from Turkbio Registry

Pinar Cetin1, Umut Kalyoncu2, Bunyamin Kisacik3, Ismail Sari1, Dilek Solmaz4, Omer Karadag2, Ahmet Mesut Onat3, Gezmis Kimyon5, Levent Kilic6, Fatos Onen1, Sedat Kiraz2, Merih Birlik1, Ihsan Ertenli2, Omer Nuri Pamuk7 and Nurullah Akkoc1, 1Rheumatology, Dokuz Eylul University School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey, 2Rheumatology, Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey, 3Rheumatology, Gaziantep University School of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkey, 4Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Namik Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdag, Turkey, 5Department of Rheumatology, Gaziantep University School of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkey, 6Rheumatology, HacettepeUniversity School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey, 7Department of Rheumatology, Trakya University School of Medicine, Edirne, Turkey

Meeting: ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2014

Keywords: axial spondyloarthritis and treatment, Biologic agents, Effective

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Session Information

Title: Spondyloarthropathies and Psoriatic Arthritis - Clinical Aspects and Treatment III

Session Type: Abstract Submissions (ACR)

Background/Purpose

Axial spondylarthritis (AxSpA) has been proposed as an umbrella term for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and non-radiographic (nr) AxSpA). This new concept makes diagnosis of AS possible at an early stage in the absence of radiographic sacroiliitis. Disease burden in AxSpA patients with or without radiographic sacroiliitis have been shown to be similar in different cohorts, which suggest that both diseases should be treated with the same approach. Recent randomized clinical trials showed that TNF inhibitors (TNFi) are effective also in treating signs and symptoms of nr-AxSpA. However, the efficacy of anti-TNF agents in patients with nr-AxSpA remains to be shown in daily rheumatology practice. The  objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of TNF inhibitors in patients with AS and nr-AXSpA in daily clinical setting.

Methods

A total of 326 patients with AxSpA (195 M; 39.8 ±10.6) from four centers, who contribute to TURKBIO, a biological database in Turkey, and who could provide detailed data on imaging for patients with AxSpA, were included in this study. Of these patients 208 had AS according to the modified New York criteria and 118 patients had nr-ax SPA. (20% fulfilling the clinical arm, 80% fulfilling the imaging arm) 

Results

Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics are summarized in the table-1. Patients  with nr-AxSpA were significantly younger, had a shorter disease duration and had a higher female predominance than patients with AS.  After three months of treatment with TNF inhibitors, mean BASDAI and ASDAS decreased significantly (Table 1).  The response rates for minimal clinical improvement (ΔASDAS ≥1.1) and  major clinical improvement   (ΔASDAS ≥2 ) were similar in patients with nr-AxSpA (66% vs 72%) and  those with AS  (43.8% vs 39.1%  ).  Similarly good  response rates were observed for BASDAI 50 in the two groups; 56.8 % and 58.5%, respectively.  

Conclusion

The results of our study suggest that TNFi, which have been clearly shown to be effective in treating signs and symptoms of AS, seem to be equally effective in the treatment of nr-AxSPA. 

Table 1. Demographics and clinical characteristics of the AxSpA and AS patients.

 

Non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis

(n=118)

Ankylosing spondylitis

(n:208)

p value

Age

36.8 (± 9.6)

41.5 (± 10.7)

p<0.001

Disease Duration (years)

7.22 (±6.4)

12.56 (±8.4)

p<0.001

Diagnosis Duration (years)

3.6(±3.3)

7.51 (±6.4)

p<0.001

Female (%)

53.4

32.7

p<0.001

Mean CRP mg/l (baseline)

20.1(± 32)

24.9(± 32.9)

p:0.213

Mean ESR (baseline)

28.2 (± 24.5)

35.5 (± 24.9)

p:0.050

HLA B27 positivity (%)*

53%

74%

p:0.02

Mean BASFI (baseline)

5.33(±2.88)

5.06(±2.58)

p:0.414

Mean BASDAI (baseline)

6.43(±1.9)

5.93(±1.8)

p:0.02

Mean ASDAS-CRP (baseline)

3.7(±0.98)

3.65(±1.08)

p:0.689

Mean ΔBASDAI (at  month 3)

3.4(±2.37)

3.1(±2.24)

p:0.261

Mean ΔASDAS (at month 3)

1.74(±1.2)

1.75(±1.1)

p:0.951

Biologic drugs used

Infliximab (%)

26.3

25.5

 

Etanercept (%)

33.1

31.3

 

Adalimumab (%)

27.9

27.4

 

Golimumab (%)

12.7

15.9

 

*In the patients with available data


Disclosure:

P. Cetin,
None;

U. Kalyoncu,
None;

B. Kisacik,
None;

I. Sari,
None;

D. Solmaz,
None;

O. Karadag,
None;

A. M. Onat,
None;

G. Kimyon,
None;

L. Kilic,
None;

F. Onen,
None;

S. Kiraz,
None;

M. Birlik,
None;

I. Ertenli,
None;

O. N. Pamuk,
None;

N. Akkoc,
None.

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