Prevalence of low trabecular bone score and its association with disease severity and activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) increases the risk of osteoporosis and vertebral fractures. Bone mineral density (BMD) measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has limitations in axSpA patients. Trabecular bone score (TBS) indirectly assesses bone microarchitecture and can be used to predict fracture risk. However, few studies have investigated the role of TBS in axSpA patients. The objective of this study were to compare TBS between axSpA patients and 1:1 sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers and determine factors associated with low TBS in axSpA patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two tertiary-care hospitals. A total of 137 axSpA patients and healthy volunteers were enrolled. Demographics, disease characteristics, and risk factors for osteoporosis were recorded. TBS, BMD at the lumbar spine, hip, and vertebral fractures were assessed by DXA. Low TBS was defined as a TBS value < 1.230. Factors associated with low TBS were examined by logistic regression. Most patients were male (75.9%) and tested positive for HLA-B27 (88.3%). The mean (SD) age was 42.8 (12.0) years. The mean (SD) of TBS in the axSpA patients was lower than those in the healthy volunteers [1.402 (0.107) vs 1.440 (0.086), respectively; p = 0.002]. The mean (SD) of lumbar BMD in the axSpA patients was higher than in healthy volunteers [1.186 (0.212) vs 1.087 (0.124), p < 0.001], whereas the mean (SD) of femoral neck BMD in the axSpA group was lower than that in the healthy volunteers [0.867 (0.136) vs 0.904 (0.155), p = 0.038]. Disease severity as indicated by sacroiliac joint fusion and a high ASDAS score were associated with low TBS with the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of 11.8 (1.2-115.4) and 5.2 (1.6-16.9), respectively. In conclusion, axSpA patients had a higher prevalence of low TBS than healthy volunteers. Sacroiliac joint fusion and a high ASDAS score were associated with low TBS.

Efficacy and Safety of Hepatitis B Vaccination in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Receiving Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs and/or Biologics Therapy

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to assess efficacy and safety of the hepatitis B vaccination in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving conventional and/or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

METHODS

A longitudinal open-label study was conducted. Of 46 RA patients, 33 received only conventional synthetic DMARDs, and 13 received both conventional synthetic DMARDs and biological DMARDs, and 9 healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects were vaccinated with 20 μg recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (EuVax B) at weeks 0, 4, and 24. Hepatitis B surface antibody levels were measured 8 weeks after the last dose of vaccination. Seroprotection was defined as hepatitis B surface antibody level of 10 mIU/mL or greater. Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints scores were recorded at weeks 0, 4, and 32 in 46 RA patients who received hepatitis B vaccination and 47 treatment-matched RA patients who did not receive it. Adverse events were recorded at each visit.Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 16.0.

RESULTS

Seroprotection was lower in the RA patients than in the control subjects (64% vs. 100%, p = 0.045). Patients receiving biological DMARDs and conventional DMARDs had a lower proportion of seroprotection compared with the control group (50% vs. 100% [p = 0.02] and 69.7% vs. 100% [p = 0.09], respectively). Among RA patients, responders were younger than nonresponders with a mean age of 57.5 (SD, 9.0) years and 64.9 (SD, 10.9) years (p = 0.04) and less likely to be treated with rituximab (6.9% vs. 37.5%, p = 0.01). Overall, hepatitis B vaccination was well tolerated. The rate of RA flare was not increased after hepatitis B vaccination.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with RA receiving DMARDs had less humoral response to hepatitis B vaccination as compared with control subjects. Aging and rituximab use were associated with impaired response to hepatitis B vaccination. Hepatitis B vaccination is safe and well tolerated in RA patients.

Group B streptococcus is the most common pathogen for septic arthritis with unique clinical characteristics: data from 12 years retrospective cohort study

Background

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) emerged as the frequent pathogen for septic arthritis. There was no study comparing risks, clinical presentations and outcomes between GBS septic arthritis and other bacterial septic arthritis.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the differences in risks, clinical presentations, and outcomes of GBS septic arthritis and other bacterial septic arthritis, and identify independent risks and clinical presentations suggesting GBS septic arthritis.

Method

Medical records of patients diagnosed with non-gonococcal bacterial arthritis admitted in Phramongkutklao Hospital during 2006–2018 were reviewed. Associated risks, clinical presentations and outcomes were compared between GBS septic arthritis (GBS group) and other bacterial septic arthritis (other bacterial group).

Result

Two hundred and thirty one cases of non-gonococcal bacterial arthritis confirmed by positive joint fluid cultures and/or hemocultures were included. The three most common pathogens were GBS (37.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (23.4%) and Streptococcus viridans (7.4%). GBS group was more commonly found in rainy season than other bacterial group. Patients in GBS group were less likely to have underlying diseases and had more number of involved joints than those in other bacterial group. The clinical presentations more commonly found in GBS group than other bacterial group were oligo-polyarthritis, upper extremities joint involvement, axial joint involvement, tenosynovitis and central nervous system involvement.

Multivariate analysis found the independent associated factors of GBS arthritis are tenosynovitis, oligo-polyarthritis and rainy season.

Conclusions

GBS is now the most common pathogen for bacterial septic arthritis. The independent associated factors of GBS arthritis were oligo-polyarthritis, tenosynovitis and rainy season.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s41927-019-0084-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.