HLA-B27 antigen and rheumatoid factor negative (seronegative) peripheral arthritis. Studies in younger patients with early-diagnosed arthritis

Australian and New Zealand national evidence-based recommendations for the investigation and follow-up of undifferentiated peripheral inflammatory arthritis: an integration of systematic literature research and rheumatological expert opinion

AIM

To develop Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) recommendations for the investigation and follow-up of undifferentiated peripheral inflammatory arthritis (UPIA) using an evidence-based approach.

METHODS

Ten questions pertaining to the investigation and follow-up of patients with UPIA in daily rheumatological practice were defined by clinicians using a modified Delphi approach. A systematic literature search was conducted for each of the final questions. The results were presented to a workshop of 54 ANZ rheumatologists in May 2009. Discussions were held to develop consensus statements for each question, based on published evidence and clinical experience/expertise.

RESULTS

Ten recommendations were made on diagnostic value of clinical features in the patient's history and examination, predictors of poor prognosis and persistence, synovial fluid analysis, serology, imaging and human leukocyte antigen B27 testing. The lack of specific research to inform recommendations presented a challenge. Dynamic discussion groups outlined individual experience in areas without good quality clinical trial evidence. The median strength of support for the final set of recommendations was 7/10 (interquartile range 6-8), ranging from 6 to 9 for individual statements.

CONCLUSION

Ten ANZ recommendations for the investigation and follow-up of UPIA were formulated, based on available evidence and extensive clinical experience. The systematic literature review was of limited value while animated discussion of individual experience, with subsequent information exchange, highlighted the importance of merging clinical expertise with published literature to establish practical recommendations that can improve quality of care in rheumatology.

Possible rheumatoid arthritis subtypes in terms of rheumatoid factor, depression, diagnostic delay and emotional expression: an exploratory case-control study

Introduction

Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been implicated in the pathology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), particularly as vulnerable personality types are exposed to chronic stress. Emotions are powerful modulators of stress responses. However, little is known about whether patients with RA process emotions differently to matched controls. In this study we: 1) assessed whether the trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) scores of patients with RA differ from healthy controls at the facet level; 2) explored any subgroups in RA, in terms of trait EI and common risk factors.

Methods

A total of 637 patients with RA were compared to 496 controls on the trait EI Questionnaire (TEIQue). RA subgroups were explored in terms of trait EI, rheumatoid factor status (RF+/-), depression and time from onset of symptoms until diagnosis (diagnostic delay).

Results

The RA group rated themselves lower on Adaptability, Stress-management, Emotion management, Self-esteem, Sociability, Assertiveness, Impulsiveness and Well-being, and higher on Empathy and Relationships than healthy controls. The RF- subtype reported more time with depression (25.2 vs. 11.3 months), a longer diagnostic delay (3.0 vs. 1.7 years), and greater emotional expression (5.15 vs. 4.72), than the RF+ subtype. These differences were significant at the P <0.05 level, but not following strict Bonferroni corrections and should therefore be treated as indicative only. RF- patients with a longer diagnostic delay reported depression lasting three times longer (42.7 months), when compared to three other subtypes (11.0 to 12.7 months).

Conclusions

RA patients and controls differ in their emotion-related personality traits, as operationalized by trait EI. These differences may make people with RA more susceptible to chronic stress and HPA-axis dysregulation. RA may be a highly heterogeneous illness where at least two subtypes may be characterized by personality, psychiatric and immunological differences. RF- status, as well as diagnostic delay and emotional expression, may predict future risk of depression. Research on the causes of RA could benefit from a systems science approach.

Multinational evidence-based recommendations on how to investigate and follow-up undifferentiated peripheral inflammatory arthritis: integrating systematic literature research and expert opinion of a broad international panel of rheumatologists in the 3E Initiative

Objective

To develop evidence-based recommendations on how to investigate and follow-up undifferentiated peripheral inflammatory arthritis (UPIA).

Methods

697 rheumatologists from 17 countries participated in the 3E (Evidence, Expertise, Exchange) Initiative of 2008–9 consisting of three separate rounds of discussions and modified Delphi votes. In the first round 10 clinical questions were selected. A bibliographic team systematically searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library and ACR/EULAR 2007–2008 meeting abstracts. Relevant articles were reviewed for quality assessment, data extraction and synthesis. In the second round each country elaborated a set of national recommendations. Finally, multinational recommendations were formulated and agreement among the participants and the potential impact on their clinical practice was assessed.

Results

A total of 39 756 references were identified, of which 250 were systematically reviewed. Ten multinational key recommendations about the investigation and follow-up of UPIA were formulated. One recommendation addressed differential diagnosis and investigations prior to establishing the operational diagnosis of UPIA, seven recommendations related to the diagnostic and prognostic value of clinical and laboratory assessments in established UPIA (history and physical examination, acute phase reactants, autoantibodies, radiographs, MRI and ultrasound, genetic markers and synovial biopsy), one recommendation highlighted predictors of persistence (chronicity) and the final recommendation addressed monitoring of clinical disease activity in UPIA.

Conclusions

Ten recommendations on how to investigate and follow-up UPIA in the clinical setting were developed. They are evidence-based and supported by a large panel of rheumatologists, thus enhancing their validity and practical use.

Annual incidence of inflammatory joint diseases in a population based study in southern Sweden

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the annual incidence of inflammatory joint diseases in a population based prospective referral study in an adult population in Kronoberg County in southern Sweden.

METHODS

The patients were referred from primary healthcare centres to the rheumatology department in Växjö Central Hospital or to the one private rheumatologist in Växjö participating in the study. Additionally, the hospital records for patients with joint aspirates during the inclusion period were checked. The patients were registered as incident cases if the onset of the joint inflammation was between 1 May 1999 and 1 May 2000. A systematic follow up of incoming referrals was conducted up to 31 January 2001. Children under the age of 16 and patients with septic arthritis, crystal arthropathies, and osteoarthritis were excluded from the study.

RESULTS

A total of 151 new cases with inflammatory joint diseases were identified during one year, corresponding to a total annual incidence of 115/100 000. Of these, 31 patients (21%) had rheumatoid arthritis, the annual incidence being 24/100 000 (for women 29/100 000, and for men 18/100 000). Reactive arthritis was diagnosed in 37 patients (24%, annual incidence 28/100 000) and 54 patients had undifferentiated arthritis (36%, annual incidence 41/100 000). Eleven patients presented with psoriatic arthritis (7%, annual incidence 8/100 000). The incidence of Lyme arthritis was small in this non-endemic area, and the incidence of sarcoid arthritis corresponded to that in earlier studies.

CONCLUSION

This is the first prospective population based annual incidence study of early arthritis in Sweden. In this population, 36% of the incident cases had undifferentiated arthritis, whereas rheumatoid arthritis and reactive arthritis accounted for 45% of the cases. The incidence figures compare well with figures reported from other countries.

Undifferentiated arthritis and spondylarthropathy as a challenge for prospective follow-up

Diagnosis of arthritis with recent onset is still an unresolved problem. In 1984 we started an outpatient clinic for patients with early arthritis of less than one year duration. Of a total of 226 patients seen 149 (66%) had definite (n = 76; 34%) or probable (n = 73; 32%) inflammatory rheumatic disease, and 77 (34%) had degenerative or extraarticular rheumatic disease. Thirtynine patients were classified as undifferentiated arthritis. This undefined arthritis was often monoarticular (12%) and oligoarticuler (44%). One patient met 5 ARA-criteria for rheumatoid arthritis, 14 (36%) met 3-4 ARA-criteria and 25 (64%) only 1-2 ARA-criteria. ESR was elevated in only 23 (59%) patients, rheumatoid factor was positive in 7 (19%) patients and HLA-B27 was positive in 9 (23%) patients. Seventeen (44%) patients had a history of recent infections preceding the beginning of joint symptoms. Thus undifferentiated arthritis represents a heterogeneous group of diseases. Despite diagnostic progresses in recent years a high proportion of early arthritis cannot be diagnosed definitely.

Outcome of possible ankylosing spondylitis in a 10 years' follow-up study

Of 88 selected patients with possible ankylosing spondylitis (AS) 54 (61%) participated in two phases of a 10 years' follow-up study. Thirty-two (59%) developed definite AS according to the New York criteria, 10 (19%) had possible/undifferentiated seronegative spondylarthropathy (SSA) and 12 patients had other diagnoses. Only 3 (9%) of 35 patients with sacroiliitis did not fulfill the New York criteria for definite AS until the last examination. Sacroiliitis and radiological spinal signs of AS appeared rather late above a mean age of 40 years and after a mean disease duration of more than 10 years. After 18 years mean disease duration 25 (78%) of 32 AS patients had good or sufficient functional capacity indicating an overall good functional prognosis. HLA B27 typing proved to be useful in patients with possible early AS: 29 (71%) of 41 B27 positive and 3 (23%) of 13 B27 negative patients developed definite AS (p less than 0.005). A combination of the B27 test with data of the history, clinical, laboratory, and radiological examination proposed as early diagnostic criteria detected patients with the outcome diagnosis of definite AS with even higher significance (p less than 0.001). These criteria were also useful in the identification of patients with possible or undifferentiated SSA. The recently recognized entity of undifferentiated SSA should only be diagnosed after long term follow-up.

Undifferentiated arthritis and spondylarthropathy as a major problem of diagnosis and classification

Epidemiologically-based studies have shown that 20-50% of all cases of early arthritis cannot be classified. More recent data came from experiences with an outpatient clinic especially for early arthritis. Of 149 patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease, 39 (26%) were diagnosed as undifferentiated arthritis and 22 (15%) had a probable diagnosis. Therefore, despite diagnostic progress in recent years, only half of all cases can be diagnosed definitely. Follow-up studies of patients with HLA-B27 positive arthritis and undifferentiated spondylarthropathy show the difficulties of early diagnosis and the heterogeneity of disease course and prognosis. Early diagnostic criteria combining the result of the HLA-B27 test with history, symptoms, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and radiological spinal signs can predict or exclude the development of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) at an early stage of the disease in three-quarters of patients, but the diagnosis of AS should not be excluded before 5 to 10 years' observation.

Articular patterns in the early course of rheumatoid arthritis

Articular patterns of rheumatoid arthritis were determined based upon the numbers of joints found to be tender or swollen in 50 younger adult patients with early-diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis examined semi-annually over a mean interval of 5.7 years. Numbers of joints involved were analyzed according to (1) cross-sectional frequency distributions, (2) cumulative probability plots of each patient's linear regression slope during follow-up, and (3) clinically intuitive definitions of course patterns. These approaches converged on three articular patterns, that is, monocyclic, polycyclic, and progressive. Monocyclic course was observed more frequently in men, in patients without rheumatoid factor, and in those with the fewest numbers of joints involved at entry. Polycyclic course was the most common and characterized by a level regression slope of involved joints during follow-up, although fluctuating over time. This course could be subdivided into the intermittent (having at least one remission of joint involvement for at least six months) and the continuing patterns. Progressive course was least common and found in patients with the greatest numbers of joints involved at entry. These data indicate that articular patterns in rheumatoid arthritis are usually established within the early course of disease. Further study of the early course of rheumatoid arthritis should be pursued for proper understanding of its host determinants, prognostic factors, and optimal patient management.

Prognosis in rheumatoid arthritis. A longitudinal study of newly diagnosed younger adult patients

The course of rheumatoid arthritis was analyzed in 50 newly-diagnosed adults followed prospectively for an average of over five years. Eighteen patients had no swelling and no erosion (outcome 1), 22 patients had swelling without erosion (outcome 2) and 10 patients had erosion (outcome 3). Computer-assisted data screening and multivariate analytic technics were employed to derive a simple index from entry data which correlated closely with the patients' subsequent articular course. The index included six entry items: positive rhematoid factor; two or more swollen upper extremity joints on examination (2 points each); history of Raynaud's-like symptoms; malaise or weakness at the onset of arthritis; white race and female sex (1 point each). This index was 80 per cent accurate over-all in classifying patients into the three mutually exclusive articular outcome categories. Zero to 2 points on entry predicted no swelling, 3 to 5 points swelling without erosion and 6 to 8 points the development of bony erosion. Although results must be qualified to this patient population in the early stages of disease, the analytic approaches developed promise to assist with a broad range of clinical research and medical care delivery problems.

High prevalence of HLA-Cw1 and Cw2 antigens in spondylarthritis

HLA-B27 is frequently, but not invariably, found in patients with spondylarthritic diseases. Recently it has been shown that HLA-C-locus antigens w1 and w2 (w1/2) are in linkage disequilibrium with B27. A group of 139 patients with seronegative arthritis or spondylitis has been studied to determine the clinical and radiographic features associated with these antigens. An increased frequency of spondylarthritis was present in HLA-B27-negative, Cw1/2-positive patients when compared with B27- and Cw1/2-negative patients (P less than 0.01). In addition, a large group of patients who did not fulfill accepted criteria for a specific spondylarthritic syndrome were identified; the frequency of both HLA-B27 and Cw1/2 was greater in these individuals than in healthy blood donors. Thus HLA-Cw1/2 are spondylitis-associated antigens. These findings suggest that the critical genetic locus is neither B27 nor Cw1/2 but is a closely linked gene.