Ethnicity in rheumatic disease

Is the relationship between deprivation and outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis mediated by body mass index? A longitudinal cohort study

OBJECTIVES

To understand the relationships between deprivation and obesity with self-reported disability and disease activity in people with RA, and to determine whether BMI mediates the relationship between area-level deprivation and these outcomes.

METHODS

Data came from the Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication Study (RAMS), a 1-year multicentre prospective observational cohort of people with RA recruited from rheumatology centres across England commencing MTX for the first time. A total of 1529 and 1626 people were included who had a baseline and at least one follow-up measurement at 6 or 12 months of HAQ-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) and DAS in 28 joints (DAS28), respectively. Linear mixed models estimated the associations of deprivation and obesity with repeated measures HAQ-DI and DAS28. Causal mediation analyses estimated the mediating effect of BMI on the relationship between deprivation and RA outcomes.

RESULTS

Higher deprivation and obesity were associated with higher disability [adjusted regression coefficients highest vs lowest deprivation fifths 0.32 (95% CI 0.19, 0.45); obesity vs no obesity 0.13 (95% CI 0.06, 0.20)] and higher disease activity [adjusted regression coefficients highest vs lowest deprivation fifths 0.34 (95% CI 0.11, 0.58); obesity vs no obesity 0.17 (95% CI 0.04, 0.31)]. BMI mediated part of the association between higher deprivation and self-reported disability (14.24%) and DAS (17.26%).

CONCLUSIONS

People with RA living in deprived areas have a higher burden of disease, which is partly mediated through obesity. Weight-loss strategies in RA could be better targeted towards those living in deprived areas.

Quality of life, disease activity and preferences for administration routes in rheumatoid arthritis: a multicentre, prospective, observational study

Objective

We aimed to evaluate quality of life (QoL), disease activity, compliance to treatment, patient and physician preferences for route of administration (RoA), status of health and pain in RA patients starting advanced treatments or needing a switch, and the factors associated with patient preferences.

Methods

A multicentre, prospective, observational and 1-year follow-up study was conducted, between 2015 and 2020, in adult RA patients using advanced treatments for the first time or needing a switch in their current treatments. All the data collected were entered into electronic case report forms. DAS in 28 joints with ESR [DAS28-4(ESR)], EuroQol 5-Dimensional Questionnaire (EQ-5D), HAQ Disability Index (HAQ-DI), Compliance Questionnaire for Rheumatology (CQR-19), Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Instrument (WPAI) and Patient Global Assessment-Visual Analogue Scale (PGA-VAS) questionnaires were used for longitudinal assessments.

Results

Four hundred and fifty-nine patients were enrolled. Three hundred and eight patients (67.1%) attended the final study visit at 12 months and were included for comparative analyses. Irrespective of RoA, the disease activity and QoL improved significantly at 12 months, whereas compliance worsened. At baseline and 12 months, EQ-5D and DAS28-4(ESR) scores were significantly correlated (P < 0.001). The WPAI scores changed significantly in favour of better outcomes over 12 months after initiation of advanced treatment or switching (P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients preferred an oral RoA, in comparison to physicians (53.6% vs 31.4%; P < 0.001). Patient and physician RoA preferences were independent of gender, age, disease duration, advanced treatment type and the EQ-5D-3L, DAS28-4(ESR), HAQ-DI, PGA-VAS and CQR-19 scores at baseline.

Conclusion

The oral route was more frequently preferred by patients compared with physicians, although patients’ preference rates showed a slight increase towards the end of the treatment, which might be an important factor for RA outcomes. Better control of disease activity and QoL were achieved at 12 months, regardless of RoA.

Patient Empowerment: Apni Jung (Our Fight) against Rheumatoid Arthritis for South Asian Population

Covid-19 has affected many populations in the UK, and ethnic minority communities in particular. People from ethnic minority communities living with long-term chronic diseases have shown to be less engaging with self-management and report having poor medication adherence. The main reason to this problem is the way information is delivered to non-English speaking patients. This editorial discusses an innovation to over this barriers in rheumatology practice.

Treatment Mode Preferences in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Moving Toward Shared Decision-Making

PURPOSE

Current knowledge of the reasons for patients' preference for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment modes is limited. This study was designed to identify preferences for four treatment modes, and to obtain in-depth information on the reasons for these preferences.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this multi-national, cross-sectional, qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted with adult patients with RA in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. Patients' strength of preference was evaluated using a 100-point allocation task (0-100; 100=strongest) across four treatment modes: oral, self-injection, clinic-injection, and infusion. Qualitative descriptive analysis methods were used to identify, characterize, and summarize patterns found in the interview data relating to reasons for these preferences.

RESULTS

100 patients were interviewed (female, 75.0%; mean age, 53.9 years; mean 11.6 years since diagnosis). Among the four treatment modes, oral administration was allocated the highest mean (standard deviation) preference points (47.3 [33.1]) and was ranked first choice by the greatest percentage of patients (57.0%), followed by self-injection (29.7 [27.7]; 29.0%), infusion (15.4 [24.6]; 16.0%), and clinic-injection (7.5 [14.1]; 2.0%). Overall, 56.0% of patients had a "strong" first-choice preference (ie, point allocation ≥70); most of these patients chose oral (62.5%) vs self-injection (23.2%), infusion (10.7%), or clinic-injection (3.6%). Speed and/or ease of administration were the most commonly reported reasons for patients choosing oral (52.6%) or self-injection (55.2%). The most common reasons for patients not choosing oral or self-injection were not wanting to take another pill (37.2%) and avoiding pain due to needles (46.5%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

These data report factors important to patients regarding preferences for RA treatment modes. Patients may benefit from discussions with their healthcare professionals and/or patient support groups, regarding RA treatment modes, to facilitate shared decision-making.

Health-care professionals' perceptions of interacting with patients of South Asian origin attending early inflammatory arthritis clinics

Objective

The aim was to explore the perceptions of rheumatology health-care professionals (HCPs) of interacting with patients of South Asian origin attending early inflammatory arthritis clinics.

Methods

We used face-to-face semi-structured interviews, designed in partnership with a clinician partner, to interview 10 HCPs involved in the running of early inflammatory arthritis clinics across seven centres in the UK. Data were recorded, transcribed by an independent company and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results

Three emerging themes were identified that characterized consulting experiences of HCPs: varied approaches were used in early inflammatory arthritis clinic; the challenges for rheumatology HCPs in managing and delivering information to patients of South Asian origin in early inflammatory arthritis clinics; and moving towards good practice, the views on managing future patients of South Asian origin in early inflammatory arthritis clinics. Overall, HCPs found that they required additional skills to support the engagement and management for patients of South Asian origin living with inflammatory arthritis. The HCPs felt that they were less effective in addressing self-management issues for this patient group, and they found it difficult to determine adherence to medication. In such consultations, HCPs perceived that their own limitation of inadequate training contributed towards poor consultations.

Conclusion

For the first time, our data demonstrate that the management of patients of South Asian origin in early inflammatory arthritis clinics is under-served. To address this, HCPs have identified training needs to improve knowledge and skills in engaging with and supporting patients of South Asian origin. These findings provide a good direction for future research.