Epidemiologic study of patients with psoriatic arthritis in a real-world analysis: a cohort study of the French health insurance database

OBJECTIVE

PsA is a chronic inflammatory arthritis with heterogeneous disease manifestations. Data on the prevalence of PsA in adults differ widely depending on the study and the country. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of PsA in France, characterize comorbidities associated to PsA and identify prescribed treatments.

METHODS

This nationwide cohort study involved the administrative healthcare database (Système National des Données de Santé) of the French health insurance scheme linked to the national hospital discharge database. All adults with PsA registered in the database and identified with a specific International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision code (M07) were included between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2018.

RESULTS

A total of 63 598 patients were identified as having PsA [55.9 years (s.d. 14.4), 45.6% males]. The prevalence of PsA was estimated at 0.1% and the incidence at 8.4 per 100 000 person-years in the general population. The most common comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and dyslipidaemia. The prevalence of treatment with conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs), biological or biosimilar DMARDs (b/bsDMARDs) and apremilast for PsA was 25.9% (16 453), 30.4% (19 325) and 3.5% (2231), respectively. Overall, 8966 (14.1%) patients were new users of csDMARDs, 8311 (13.1%) were new users of b/bsDMARDs and 1529 (7.4%) were new users of apremilast. The most common first-line csDMARD was methotrexate (70.9%) and the most frequent first-line b/bsDMARD was adalimumab (30.8%).

CONCLUSION

Our results lead to a better understanding of PsA. Results were similar to those from other published studies using other data sources, which highlights the reliability of insurance databases for studies.

Association Between Adult Acne and Dietary Behaviors: Findings From the NutriNet-Santé Prospective Cohort Study

Importance

Acne is a chronic, multifactorial inflammatory disease. The association between consumption of dairy products and fatty and sugary foods and occurrence and progression of acne remains unclear.

Objective

To assess the association between dietary behavior and current acne in adults.

Design, Setting, and Participants

A cross-sectional study was performed as part of the NutriNet-Santé study, which is an ongoing observational, web-based cohort study that was launched in France in May 2009. The present study was conducted from November 14, 2018, to July 8, 2019. A total of 24 452 participants completed an online self-questionnaire to categorize their acne status: never acne, past acne, or current acne. Associations between dietary behavior (food intake, nutrient intake, and the dietary pattern derived from a principal component analysis) and current or past acne were studied in multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounding variables (age, sex, physical activity, smoking status, educational level, daily energy intake, number of dietary records completed, and depressive symptoms).

Results

The 24 452 participants (mean [SD] age, 57 [14] years; 18 327 women [75%]) completed at least 3 dietary records. Of these, 11 324 individuals (46%) reported past or current acne. After adjustment, there was a significant association between current acne and the consumption of fatty and sugary products (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.54; 95% CI, 1.09-2.16), sugary beverages (aOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.01-1.38), and milk (aOR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.00-1.25). An energy-dense dietary pattern (high consumption of fatty and sugary products) was associated with current acne (aOR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.05-1.18).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, consumption of milk, sugary beverages, and fatty and sugary products appeared to be associated with current acne in adults. Further large-scale studies are warranted to investigate more closely the associations between diet and adult acne.

First-Line Biologic Therapy and Obesity in Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis: Results from the Prospective Multicenter Cohort Psobioteq

BACKGROUND

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of psoriasis.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we examined whether body mass index (BMI) is taken into account when choosing first-line biologic therapy for psoriasis.

METHODS

In this cohort study, we compared obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) and non-obese patients for the first-line biologic therapy prescribed, its survival, reasons for discontinuation, therapy optimization, co-prescription of methotrexate and factors associated with long drug survival.

RESULTS

A total of 931 patients were included: 594 (64%) were male, median age was 46 years (interquartile range 36-56). The most-prescribed biologic agents as first-line treatment were adalimumab (ADA; 42.7%), ustekinumab (UST; 29.9%) and etanercept (ETA; 22.9%); only frequency of infliximab (IFX) prescription differed between groups. Drug survival was significantly shorter for obese than non-obese patients (p < 2.10-4) and was worse for obese than non-obese patients for UST (p = 0.009) and ETA (p = 0.02), with no difference for ADA (p = 0.11). The main reason for discontinuation was primary inefficacy (62%), which was more frequent in obese than non-obese patients. The cumulative incidence of optimization did not significantly differ between the groups, except for ADA (SHR 1.91, 95% CI [1.23-2.96], p = 0.005). On multivariate analysis, risk of discontinuation was associated with only ETA as first-line biologic therapy (HR 1.51, 95% CI 1.04-2.19).

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted the lack of difference in prescription of first-line biologic treatment, except for IFX, between obese and non-obese patients presenting moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Drug survival in obese patients is shorter, mainly because of inefficacy, than in non-obese patients. This highlights the need for targeted pharmacological studies in obese individuals to find optimal administration schemes.

Baseline Characteristics of a National French E-Cohort of Hidradenitis Suppurativa in ComPaRe and Comparison with Other Large Hidradenitis Suppurativa Cohorts

BACKGROUND

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition substantially impacting patients' quality of life; the pathogenesis remains unclear, and treatment is complex and not yet standardized. Observational data are increasingly being used to evaluate therapeutics in "real-life" interventions, and the development of e-cohorts is offering new tools for epidemiological studies at the population level.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and treatment history of HS participants in the Community of Patients for Research (ComPaRe) cohort and to compare these to other cohorts.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study of the baseline data of HS participants in ComPaRe, an e-cohort of patients with chronic diseases. Data were collected using patient-reported questionnaires about clinical-dem-ographic aspects, quality of life, and treatment history.

RESULTS

A total of 396 participants (339 females, 57 males) were included (mean age 38 years); 83 (21%) had a family history of HS, 227 (57.3%) were current smokers, and 241 (60.9%) were overweight or obese. Most of the participants declared a Hurley stage II (n = 263, 66.4%) or III (n = 76, 20.3%). The breast was more frequently affected in women than men (37.5 vs. 5.3%, p < 0.0001), whereas the dorsal region was more frequently affected in men (39.5 vs. 10.9%, p < 0.0001). Increased disease stage was associated with obesity (25.9 vs. 33.8 vs. 51.3%, p = 0.02) and some HS localizations (genital [p < 0.005], pubis [p < 0.007], gluteal fold [p = 0.02], and groin [p < 0.0001]). The most frequently prescribed treatments were oral antibiotics (n = 362, 91.4%), especially amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and cyclins. Less than 10% of participants received biologics. Most of these results were consistent with previously published cohorts.

CONCLUSION

Recruitment of participants by such a web platform can be a faster way to get relevant scientific data for a wide variety of patients that could be used for epidemiological studies and to evaluate therapeutics in "real-life" interventions.

Most randomized controlled trials for psoriasis used placebo comparators despite the availability of effective treatments

BACKGROUND

The availability of effective treatments for psoriasis raises ethical questions about the use of a placebo group in therapeutic trials. We evaluated the use of the placebo over time in such trials.

METHODS

From trials in a living Cochrane review and network meta-analysis for psoriasis, we included trials comparing a biologic to a placebo or other systemic treatment. First, we tested the changes in placebo rate from 2001 to 2019 by linear regression, then constructed networks for 2004-2019 and evaluated the contribution of the placebo to the network meta-analysis estimates per trial and per comparison.

RESULTS

We included 81 trials (36,774 patients). The placebo rate did not decrease significantly over time. The proportion contribution of trials with a placebo decreased from 100% in 2004 to 86% in 2008 and 75% in 2019. However, the proportion contribution of trials without a placebo remained low (from 0% in 2004 to 25% in 2019).

CONCLUSION

The design of future psoriasis trials should be reviewed to improve the number of patients to be included in a placebo group.

Antihypertensive Drugs and COVID-19 Risk: A Cohort Study of 2 Million Hypertensive Patients

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

After initially hypothesizing a positive relationship between use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors and risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), more recent evidence suggests negative associations. We examined whether COVID-19 risk differs according to antihypertensive drug class in patients treated by ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) compared with calcium channel blockers (CCBs). Three exclusive cohorts of prevalent ACE inhibitors, ARB and CCB users, aged 18 to 80 years, from the French National Health Insurance databases were followed from February 15, 2020 to June 7, 2020. We excluded patients with a history of diabetes, known cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure, or chronic respiratory disease during the previous 5 years, to only consider patients treated for uncomplicated hypertension and to limit indication bias. The primary end point was time to hospitalization for COVID-19. The secondary end point was time to intubation/death during a hospital stay for COVID-19. In a population of almost 2 million hypertensive patients (ACE inhibitors: 566 023; ARB: 958 227; CCB: 358 306) followed for 16 weeks, 2338 were hospitalized and 526 died or were intubated for COVID-19. ACE inhibitors and ARBs were associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 hospitalization compared with CCBs (hazard ratio, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.65–0.83] and 0.84 [0.76–0.93], respectively) and a lower risk of intubation/death. Risks were slightly lower for ACE inhibitor users than for ARB users. This large observational study may suggest a lower COVID-19 risk in hypertensive patients treated over a long period with ACE inhibitors or ARBs compared with CCBs. These results, if confirmed, tend to contradict previous hypotheses and raise new hypotheses.

Infection à SARS-CoV-2 et biomédicaments : une étude multicentrique française de 7808 patients

Introduction

Les formes sévères d’infection à COVID-19 sont liées à une importante réponse inflammatoire. Certains biomédicaments (BM) sont en cours d’évaluation dans des essais thérapeutiques avec pour rationnel cet orage cytokinique. À l’inverse, nous pouvons nous interroger sur le risque d’infections à COVID-19 chez les patients sous BM au long cours. L’objectif principal de notre étude était de déterminer l’impact de la prise d’un BM sur le taux d’hospitalisation, de passage en réanimation (ICU) et de décès chez les patients sous BM atteints d’une infection à COVID-19.

Matériels et méthodes

Étude de cohorte rétrospective multicentrique à partir des données médico-administratives de l’Entrepôt de Données de Santé (EDS) de l’APHP. L’ensemble des patients recevant un BM (anti-TNF, anti-IL-12/23, anti-IL-17 ou anti-intégrine) étaient inclus. Les événements d’intérêt étaient la survenue d’une hospitalisation, d’un séjour en ICU ou d’un décès dans le cadre d’une infection à COVID-19 (confirmée par RT-PCR ou TDM thoracique) entre le 01/02 et le 22/04/20. Le risque d’hospitalisation/ICU/décès était évalué selon la méthodologie du Ratio de Morbidité/Mortalité Standardisé (SMR) en calculant le rapport entre le nombre observé et le nombre attendu. Le nombre attendu d’hospitalisation/ICU/décès était calculé en appliquant le taux d’hospitalisation/ICU/décès à COVID-19 de la population d’Ile-de-France (par tranche d’âge de 20 ans et par sexe) au nombre de personnes sous BM dans la sous-classe correspondante de la même source de données (données EDS de l’APHP).

Résultats

Un total de7808 patients (âge médian 45 ans, 51 % de femmes) étaient inclus ; dont 48 avec un diagnostic d’infection à COVID-19 : 19 (40 %) hospitalisés, 4 (8 %) en ICU et 1 décès. En comparaison avec la population d’Ile-de-France, les taux d’hospitalisation et d’ICU étaient significativement élevés chez les patients sous BM avec SMR 2,19, IC95 % 1,32-3,42, p < 0,001 et SMR 6,04, IC95 % 1,62-15,45, p < 0,001 respectivement, significativement observés chez les [20-40[. Cependant, une analyse post-hoc suggérait que les SMR d’hospitalisation et d’ICU étaient surestimés, un retour aux compte-rendus mettant en évidence une poussée de la pathologie sous-jacente comme principal motif d’hospitalisation chez les [20-40[et non une infection à COVID-19 nécessitant une hospitalisation ou un passage en ICU. Aucun sur-risque de mortalité était mis en évidence.

Discussion

À partir d’une large base de données, notre étude a permis de confirmer que les taux d’hospitalisation, de passage en réanimation et de mortalité n’étaient pas augmentés chez les patients sous BM. Nos résultats sont concordants avec les différentes études publiées dans la littérature (Haberman et al., Favalli et al. ou Sanchez-Piedra et al.).

Conclusion

Ces résultats plaident pour un maintien des BM en période d’épidémie du virus COVID-19 pour éviter la rechute des pathologies inflammatoires de fond.

Most chilblains observed during the COVID-19 outbreak occur in patients who are negative for COVID-19 on polymerase chain reaction and serology testing

BACKGROUND

Acral lesions, mainly chilblains, are the most frequently reported cutaneous lesions associated with COVID-19. In more than 80% of patients tested, nasopharyngeal swabs were negative on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 when performed, and serology was generally not performed.

METHODS

A national survey was launched on 30 March 2020 by the French Society of Dermatology asking physicians to report cases of skin manifestations in patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 by using a standardized questionnaire. We report the results for acral manifestations.

RESULTS

We collected 311 cases of acral manifestations [58.5% women, median age 25.7 years (range 18-39)]. The most frequent clinical presentation (65%) was typical chilblains. In total, 93 cases (30%) showed clinical suspicion of COVID-19, 67 (22%) had only less specific infectious symptoms and 151 (49%) had no clinical signs preceding or during the course of acral lesions. Histology of skin biopsies was consistent with chilblains. Overall, 12 patients showed significant immunological abnormalities. Of the 150 (48%) patients who were tested, 10 patients were positive. Seven of 121 (6%) RT-PCR-tested patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2, and five of 75 (7%) serology-tested patients had IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2. Tested/untested patients or those with/without confirmed COVID-19 did not differ in age, sex, history or acral lesion clinical characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this survey do not rule out that SARS-CoV-2 could be directly responsible for some cases of chilblains, but we found no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the large majority of patients with acral lesions during the COVID-19 lockdown period in France. What is already known about this topic? About 1000 cases of acral lesions, mainly chilblains, were reported during the COVID-19 outbreak. Chilblains were reported to occur in young people within 2 weeks of infectious signs, which were mild when present. Most cases did not have COVID-19 confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and few serology results were available. What does this study add? Among 311 patients with acral lesions, mainly chilblains, during the COVID-19 lockdown period in France, the majority of patients tested had no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Overall, 70 of 75 patients were seronegative for SARS-Cov-2 serology and 114 of 121 patients were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR.