Session Information
Session Type: ACR Poster Session C
Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM
Background/Purpose: Anemia is not considered a major problem in rheumatoid arthritis. But prevalence data suggest that 30-70% of rheumatoid arthritis(RA) patients have anemia. Inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-¥á are critically involved in its process. We compare the change of hemoglobin, CRP levels and disease activity index in RA patients who were treated with biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) for 12 months.
Methods: The study population was a prospective, observational, multicenter cohort of Korean patients with RA, who were registered to the Korean College of Rheumatology Biologics (KOBIO) registry and followed up for one year after initiating the biologic agent.
Among the patients using bDMARDs, 692 patients had anemia. Among them, a total of 285 patients who received the same bDMARDs for 1 year were analyzed.
We divided the patients into four groups according to the mechanism of bDMARDs.
Results: The number of each group, group1 (TNFi users), group2 (rituximab), group3 (abatacept), group4 (tocilizumab) was 162, 8, 37 and 78 respectively. The clinical characteristics of the four groups are summarized in Table1. There were no significant differences between the four groups for the variables. bDMARDs therapy continually improved the anemic status in four groups. Mean hemoglobin values had increased from 11.0 to 11.9 g/dl in TNFi group, from 11.1 to 12.25 g/dl in rituximab group, from 10.9 to 11.8 in abatacept group, from 10.8 to 12.2 g/dl in tocilizumab group. The mean Hb increase was 1.4 g/dl in the tocilizumab group which was the largest between four groups. bDMARDs therapy resulted in significant reduction in DAS28-CRP and serum CRP levls. Tocilizumab was most effective for reducing DAS28-CRP and serum CRP levels.
Conclusion: The change of hemoglobin level was differed according to bDMARDs. Tocilizumab therapy was the most effective for improving anemia and reduced in DAS28-CRP and serum CRP levls.
Table 1. Baseline clinical characteristics of patients.
|
Group 1 TNFi |
Group 2 rituximab |
Group 3 abatacept |
Group 4 tocilizumab |
|
|
No of patients |
162 |
8 |
37 |
78 |
|
Female, n(%) |
139(85.8%) |
8(100%) |
32(86.49%) |
71(91.03%) |
|
Age |
59.1 |
56.4 |
57.2 |
57 |
|
Disease duration |
8.7 |
10.8 |
9.3 |
8.1 |
|
BMI |
22.1 |
21.2 |
22 |
22 |
|
Hb |
11.1 |
11.1 |
11.0 |
10.9 |
|
Hct |
33.9 |
34.6 |
33.9 |
33.9 |
|
SJC |
8.8 |
9.3 |
5.5 |
7.3 |
|
TJC |
11.3 |
11.6 |
9.3 |
8.3 |
|
PTGA |
6.8 |
5.9 |
6.9 |
7 |
|
DAS28 CRP |
5.2 |
5.3 |
4.8 |
5.1 |
|
RAPID3 |
16.1 |
15.4 |
15.1 |
15.8 |
|
RF |
155.9 |
170.8 |
113.3 |
127 |
|
CRP |
2.7 |
4 |
2.5 |
3.6 |
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Lee H, Choe JY, Kim SK, Park S. The Effect of Biologic Agents on Hemoglobin Levels of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018; 70 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/the-effect-of-biologic-agents-on-hemoglobin-levels-of-patients-with-rheumatoid-arthritis/. Accessed .« Back to 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting
ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/the-effect-of-biologic-agents-on-hemoglobin-levels-of-patients-with-rheumatoid-arthritis/