Treatment strategies in recent onset rheumatoid arthritis

ATIC 347C>G gene polymorphism may be associated with methotrexate-induced adverse events in south Indian Tamil rheumatoid arthritis

Aim: To find the association of ATIC 347C>G gene polymorphism with methotrexate (MTX) treatment response and MTX-induced adverse events in south Indian Tamil patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Patients & methods: A total of 319 rheumatoid arthritis and 310 healthy controls were recruited for the study and ATIC 347C>G gene polymorphism was analyzed by PCR-RFLP method. Results: The genotype and allele frequencies of ATIC 347 C>G SNP did not differ between good and nonresponders and hence this SNP was not found to be associated with MTX treatment response. However, the ATIC 347 GG genotype (p = 0.02; odds ratio [OR]: 4.46; 95% CI: 1.28–15.52) and mutant G allele was associated with MTX-induced gastrointestinal adverse events (p = 0.01; OR: 2.60; 95% CI: 1.27–5.35). Conclusion: ATIC 347C>G gene polymorphism may be associated with the development of MTX induced gastrointestinal adverse events.

Mechanisms, impact and management of pain in rheumatoid arthritis

People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) identify pain as their most important symptom, one that often persists despite optimal control of inflammatory disease. RA pain arises from multiple mechanisms, involving inflammation, peripheral and central pain processing and, with disease progression, structural change within the joint. Consequently, RA pain has a wide range of characteristics-constant or intermittent, localized or widespread-and is often associated with psychological distress and fatigue. Dominant pain mechanisms in an individual are identified by critical evaluation of clinical symptoms and signs, and by laboratory and imaging tests. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for effective management, although evidence from preclinical models should be interpreted with caution. A range of pharmacological analgesic and immunomodulatory agents, psychological interventions and surgery may help manage RA pain. Pain contributes importantly to the clinical assessment of inflammatory disease activity, and noninflammatory components of RA pain should be considered when gauging eligibility for or response to biologic agents. Further randomized controlled trials are required to determine the optimal usage of analgesics in RA, and novel agents with greater efficacy and lower propensity for adverse events are urgently needed. Meanwhile, targeted use of existing treatments could reduce pain in people with RA.

General practitioners' perspectives on campaigns to promote rapid help-seeking behaviour at the onset of rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

To explore general practitioners' (GPs') perspectives on public health campaigns to encourage people with the early symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to seek medical help rapidly.

DESIGN

Nineteen GPs participated in four semi-structured focus groups. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

GPs recognised the need for the early treatment of RA and identified that facilitating appropriate access to care was important. However, not all held the view that a delay in help seeking was a clinically significant issue. Furthermore, many were concerned that the early symptoms of RA were often non-specific, and that current knowledge about the nature of symptoms at disease onset was inadequate to inform the content of a help-seeking campaign. They argued that a campaign might not be able to specifically target those who need to present urgently. Poorly designed campaigns were suggested to have a negative impact on GPs' workloads, and would "clog up" the referral pathway for genuine cases of RA.

CONCLUSIONS

GPs were supportive of strategies to improve access to Rheumatological care and increase public awareness of RA symptoms. However, they have identified important issues that need to be considered in developing a public health campaign that forms part of an overall strategy to reduce time to treatment for patients with new onset RA. This study highlights the value of gaining GPs' perspectives before launching health promotion campaigns.

Association of circulating miR-223 and miR-16 with disease activity in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND

Identification of parameters for early diagnosis and treatment response would be beneficial for patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) to prevent ongoing joint damage. miRNAs have features of potential biomarkers, and an altered expression of miRNAs was shown in established rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

OBJECTIVE

To analyse RA associated miRNAs in the sera of patients with ERA to find markers of early disease, clinical activity or predictors of disease outcome.

METHODS

Total RNA was isolated from whole sera in ERA patients (prior to and after 3 and 12 months of therapy with disease modifying antirheumatic drugs), in patients with established RA and in healthy controls (HC) using phenol-chloroform extraction. Expression of miR-146a, miR-155, miR-223, miR-16, miR-203, miR-132 and miR-124a was analysed by TaqMan Real Time PCR.

RESULTS

From all analysed miRNAs, levels of miR-146a, miR-155 and miR-16 were decreased in the sera of ERA patients in comparison with established RA. A change in circulating miR-16 in the first 3 months of therapy was associated with a decrease in DAS28 in long term follow-up in ERA (p=0.002). Levels of circulating miR-223 in treatment naïve ERA correlated with C reactive protein (p=0.008), DAS28 (p=0.031) and change in DAS28 after 3 months (p=0.003) and 12 months (p=0.011) of follow-up. However, neither miR-16 nor miR-223 could distinguish ERA from HC.

CONCLUSIONS

Differential expression of circulating miR-146a, miR-155 and miR-16 in the sera of ERA patients may characterise an early stage of the disease. We suggest miR-223 as a marker of disease activity and miR-16 and miR-223 as possible predictors for disease outcome in ERA.

Goals for rheumatoid arthritis: treating to target or treating to prevent?

Although treat-to-target goals for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been well-established through several guidelines in recent years, concerns regarding treat-to-prevent goals for RA remain unclear. RA patients are typically subjected to over- or under-treatment because it is difficult for clinicians to determine the prognosis of RA patients. This typically results in failure to select and identify patient subsets that should receive monotherapy or combination therapy to treat early RA. Understanding treat-to-prevent goals, as well as unfavorable prognoses, risk factors, and prediction methods for RA, is therefore critical for making treatment decisions. Rapid radiographic progression plays a central role in contributing to other composite RA indices, so this may be the best method for defining treat-to-prevent goals for RA. Accordingly, risk factors of rapid radiographic progression have been defined and two prediction models were retrospectively derived based on clinical trial data. Additional studies are required to develop risk models that can be used for accurate predictions.

[Early and advanced rheumatoid arthritis. Diagnosis and state of the art therapy strategy]

The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is often based on classification criteria. In 2010 ACR and EULAR presented new classification criteria for RA which allow patients with a high risk for persistent, chronic and erosive arthritis and therefore fulfill the current definition of RA, to be defined. Therapy of RA should be initiated as early as possible. Methotrexate remains the first-line therapy of RA. In patients showing insufficient response of RA, biological agents have been demonstrated to be an effective second-line therapy. It is essential to define and follow an individual treatment target to obtain remission or low disease activity. This target should be reassessed regularly and treatment should be correspondingly adapted to achieve the target.