An update on drug-induced arthritis

Letrozole-induced inflammatory arthritis and tendinopathy in pediatric rheumatology setting

Musculoskeletal symptoms associated with the use of aromatase inhibitors are a well-known side effect of these drugs and are more prevalent in postmenopausal women. Aromatase inhibitor-associated symptoms are not overt inflammatory processes so are described as arthralgia syndrome. In contrast, aromatase inhibitor-associated inflammatory conditions such as myopathies, vasculitis, and rheumatoid arthritis were also reported. To our knowledge, inflammatory arthritis or tendinopathy associated with aromatase inhibitors were not reported in children despite their increased off-label use in the pediatric setting. Herein, we report a girl with inflammatory arthritis and tendinopathy associated with letrozole treatment.

Monoarthritis induced by the Oxford-AstraZenecaR SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

We describe the case of a 25-year-old woman who presented with monoarthritis of the proximal interphalangeal articulation of the fourth left finger 4 days after receiving the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca^R SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. She had no abnormalities in her X-ray or blood exams, but she had a cousin diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The patient had an excellent response to anti-inflammatory medication, the arthritis was transient and left no sequelae. Studies have shown some vaccines may be associated with acute arthritis, in particular the measles–mumps–rubella vaccine. Young women such as our patient seem to be more susceptible to post-vaccination arthritis. Most of the cases reported were transient and left no articular sequelae, thus we did not contraindicate further doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca^R SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (should they be recommended in the future) in this case.

Inflammatory conditions of the pediatric hand and non-inflammatory mimics

Hand involvement can assume an outsized role in the perception and presentation of disease as a result of functional impairment, visual conspicuity and susceptibility to early structural damage. Rheumatologic referral for inflammatory conditions can be delayed because of assumptions of a traumatic, infectious or neoplastic etiology; conversely, initial rheumatologic evaluation might be pursued for many of the same non-inflammatory causes. This pictorial essay highlights inflammatory conditions affecting the pediatric hand, including juvenile idiopathic arthritis, infectious arthritis, systemic connective tissue disorders, and a variety of less common inflammatory diseases, as well as non-inflammatory congenital, vascular, neoplastic and metabolic differential considerations.

Use of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors and New-onset Rheumatoid Arthritis in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND

Case reports have suggested a link between dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, antidiabetic drugs used as second- to third-line treatments, and incidence of rheumatoid arthritis. Because the DPP-4 enzyme is involved in several immunologic processes and possibly in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis, further research is warranted. This population-based study aimed to determine whether use of DPP-4 inhibitors is associated with incidence of rheumatoid arthritis.

METHODS

Using the United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink, we conducted a cohort study among 144,603 patients with type 2 diabetes initiating antidiabetic drugs between 2007 and 2016. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident rheumatoid arthritis using time-dependent Cox proportional hazards models, comparing use of DPP-4 inhibitors with use of other antidiabetic drugs. We imposed a 6-month exposure lag period for latency and diagnostic delays. Secondary analyses included assessment of the duration-response relation and comparison with other second-line antidiabetic drugs, among others.

RESULTS

During 567,169 person-years of follow-up, 464 patients were newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (crude incidence rate: 82 per 100,000/year). Compared with use of other antidiabetic drugs, use of DPP-4 inhibitors was not associated with an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (82 vs. 79 per 100,000/year; HR = 1.0; 95% CI = 0.8, 1.3), with no evidence of duration-response relation. The results did not change after using second-line antidiabetic drugs as the comparator group.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large population-based study, use of DPP-4 inhibitors was not associated with an increased risk of incident rheumatoid arthritis.