Contraceptive Recommendations for Women with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: A Delphi Consensus

INTRODUCTION

Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) are a group of disorders characterized by chronic inflammation caused by an altered immune regulation in targeted organs or systems. IMID itself could have an implied increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and this risk varies throughout the course of the disease as well as with some contraceptive methods and treatments. The aim of this study was to present some key considerations in relation to contraception in women with IMID.

METHODS

This was an exploratory study conducted in Spain following the online modified Delphi methodology with two rounds of participation. Four questionnaires were designed for each medical specialty: gastroenterology, rheumatology, dermatology, and gynecology. Each questionnaire was divided in three domains: general recommendations about IMID, specific recommendations, and contraceptive methods for patients with IMID. A 5-point Likert scale measured agreement with each statement, with an 80% agreement threshold. Following the first round, the percentage of each response was calculated for every item. Subsequently, a second round was conducted to reach a consensus on the items for which discrepancies were observed.

RESULTS

A total of 52 and 50 experts participated in the first and second round, respectively. Participants agreed on the existence of a higher risk of VTE in inflammatory bowel diseases, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis diseases. Regarding recommendations for contraceptive methods in patients with IMID, experts considered the hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) as a first-line contraceptive (80.0%) and low doses of progesterone-only pills if the latter is not recommended (88.0%). Most of the interviewees concurred on the importance of the patients' contraceptive needs during the disease course (98.1%).

CONCLUSION

Raising awareness and promoting a multidisciplinary relationship among the physicians involved in the therapeutic decisions by considering all the risk factors when prescribing a contraceptive method is important to prevent VTE in women with IMID.

Primary Sjögren’s syndrome as independent risk factor for subclinical atherosclerosis

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) and its possible association with clinical and analytical parameters of the disease.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 38 consecutive patients with pSS were compared with 38 age and sex healthy controls. Demographic variables and classic cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs): Hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and smoking habit were assessed in both groups, and also disease-related features were collected in pSS group. The presence of subclinical atherosclerosis was assessed by carotid ultrasound, with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurement and determination of the presence of atheromatous plaques.

RESULTS

Subclinical atherosclerosis presence was remarkably greater in patients with pSS than in healthy controls (OR = 4.17, 95%CI [1.27-16.54]), as well as CIMT values (0.79 ± 0.43mm vs. 0.66 ± 0.27mm; P = .02). No differences for classic CVRFs were found between both groups. An association of subclinical atherosclerosis with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and rheumatoid factor (RF) was observed in patients with pSS.

CONCLUSION

This cohort showed a greater prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with pSS, indicating this disease as an independent risk factor for presence of early vascular damage.

Endothelial dysfunction and subclinical atheromatosis in patients with systemic sclerosis

OBJECTIVES

To assess subclinical vascular features in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) via carotid ultrasound, and flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), as measures of cardiovascular risk (CVR).

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of 70 patients diagnosed with SSc (diffuse or limited forms), on whom a vascular study protocol was performed to assess angiodynamic parameters measured by FMD in brachial artery and carotid ultrasound lesions: carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and carotid atheroma plaques (AP). Classical CVR factors were also assessed, as well as main features of SSc regarding skin and organic involvement, laboratory parameters, presence of autoantibodies and specific treatments.

RESULTS

94% of patients were women with a mean age of 50.2±12.5 years. 84% had endothelial dysfunction (ED), being severe in 49%, statistically associated with glucocorticoid (GC) treatment (OR=8.78; CI=1.52-50.78; p=0.015). CIMT was pathological in 39%, 23% had AP (none had significative haemo-dymanic stenosis). Serum vitamin D concentration (25(OH)D3) showed a protective effect on CIMT (OR=0.94; CI=0.89-0.99; p=0.025). No differences between types of SSc were obtained; neither association between SSc features and classical CVR factors.

CONCLUSIONS

GC treatment has implications in CVR, despite in SSc GC doses administered are lower than in other autoimmune diseases (in our cohort even prednisone ≤10 mg daily was associated with ED). GC may be associated with an early vascular damage in these patients, which could lead to changes in FMD, ED and finally AP. On the other hand, optimum levels of 25(OH)D3 seemed to be beneficial against vascular damage.

Characterization of Patients With Lupus Nephritis Included in a Large Cohort From the Spanish Society of Rheumatology Registry of Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (RELESSER)

The aim of the study was to profile those patients included in the RELESSER registry with histologically proven renal involvement in order to better understand the current state of lupus nephritis (LN) in Spain. RELESSER-TRANS is a multicenter cross-sectional registry with an analytical component. Information was collected from the medical records of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who were followed at participating rheumatology units. A total of 359 variables including demographic data, clinical manifestations, disease activity, severity, comorbidities, LN outcome, treatments, and mortality were recorded. Only patients with a histological confirmation of LN were included. We performed a descriptive analysis, chi-square or Student's t tests according to the type of variable and its relationship with LN. Odds ratio and confidence intervals were calculated by using simple logistic regression. LN was histologically confirmed in 1092/3575 patients (30.5%). Most patients were female (85.7%), Caucasian (90.2%), and the mean age at LN diagnosis was 28.4 ± 12.7 years. The risk for LN development was higher in men (M/F:47.85/30.91%, P < 0.001), in younger individuals (P < 0.001), and in Hispanics (P = 0.03). Complete response to treatment was achieved in 68.3% of patients; 10.35% developed ESRD, which required a kidney transplant in 45% of such cases. The older the patient, the greater was the likelihood of complete response (P < 0.001). Recurrences were associated with persistent lupus activity at the time of the last visit (P < 0.001) and with ESRD (P < 0.001). Thrombotic microangiopathy was a risk factor for ESRD (P = 0.04), as for the necessity of dialysis (P = 0.01) or renal transplantation (P = 0.03). LN itself was a poor prognostic risk factor of mortality (OR 2.4 [1.81-3.22], P < 0.001). Patients receiving antimalarials had a significantly lower risk of developing LN (P < 0.001) and ESRD (P < 0.001), and responded better to specific treatments for LN (P = 0.014). More than two-thirds of the patients with LN from a wide European cohort achieved a complete response to treatment. The presence of positive anti-Sm antibodies was associated with a higher frequency of LN and a decreased rate of complete response to treatment. The use of antimalarials reduced both the risk of developing renal disease and its severity, and contributed to attaining a complete renal response.

Influence of TYK2 in systemic sclerosis susceptibility: a new locus in the IL-12 pathway

OBJECTIVES

TYK2 is a common genetic risk factor for several autoimmune diseases. This gene encodes a protein kinase involved in interleukin 12 (IL-12) pathway, which is a well-known player in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Therefore, we aimed to assess the possible role of this locus in SSc.

METHODS

This study comprised a total of 7103 patients with SSc and 12 220 healthy controls of European ancestry from Spain, USA, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK. Four TYK2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (V362F (rs2304256), P1104A (rs34536443), I684S (rs12720356) and A928V (rs35018800)) were selected for follow-up based on the results of an Immunochip screening phase of the locus. Association and dependence analyses were performed by the means of logistic regression and conditional logistic regression. Meta-analyses were performed using the inverse variance method.

RESULTS

Genome-wide significance level was reached for TYK2 V362F common variant in our pooled analysis (p=3.08×10(-13), OR=0.83), while the association of P1104A, A928V and I684S rare and low-frequency missense variants remained significant with nominal signals (p=2.28×10(-3), OR=0.80; p=1.27×10(-3), OR=0.59; p=2.63×10(-5), OR=0.83, respectively). Interestingly, dependence and allelic combination analyses showed that the strong association observed for V362F with SSc, corresponded to a synthetic association dependent on the effect of the three previously mentioned TYK2 missense variants.

CONCLUSIONS

We report for the first time the association of TYK2 with SSc and reinforce the relevance of the IL-12 pathway in SSc pathophysiology.

Comprehensive description of clinical characteristics of a large systemic lupus erythematosus cohort from the Spanish Rheumatology Society Lupus Registry (RELESSER) with emphasis on complete versus incomplete lupus differences

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by multiple organ involvement and pronounced racial and ethnic heterogeneity. The aims of the present work were (1) to describe the cumulative clinical characteristics of those patients included in the Spanish Rheumatology Society SLE Registry (RELESSER), focusing on the differences between patients who fulfilled the 1997 ACR-SLE criteria versus those with less than 4 criteria (hereafter designated as incomplete SLE (iSLE)) and (2) to compare SLE patient characteristics with those documented in other multicentric SLE registries.RELESSER is a multicenter hospital-based registry, with a collection of data from a large, representative sample of adult patients with SLE (1997 ACR criteria) seen at Spanish rheumatology departments. The registry includes demographic data, comprehensive descriptions of clinical manifestations, as well as information about disease activity and severity, cumulative damage, comorbidities, treatments and mortality, using variables with highly standardized definitions.A total of 4.024 SLE patients (91% with ≥4 ACR criteria) were included. Ninety percent were women with a mean age at diagnosis of 35.4 years and a median duration of disease of 11.0 years. As expected, most SLE manifestations were more frequent in SLE patients than in iSLE ones and every one of the ACR criteria was also associated with SLE condition; this was particularly true of malar rash, oral ulcers and renal disorder. The analysis-adjusted by gender, age at diagnosis, and disease duration-revealed that higher disease activity, damage and SLE severity index are associated with SLE [OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.08-1.20 (P < 0.001); 1.29; 95% CI: 1.15-1.44 (P < 0.001); and 2.10; 95% CI: 1.83-2.42 (P < 0.001), respectively]. These results support the hypothesis that iSLE behaves as a relative stable and mild disease. SLE patients from the RELESSER register do not appear to differ substantially from other Caucasian populations and although activity [median SELENA-SLEDA: 2 (IQ: 0-4)], damage [median SLICC/ACR/DI: 1 (IQ: 0-2)], and severity [median KATZ index: 2 (IQ: 1-3)] scores were low, 1 of every 4 deaths was due to SLE activity.RELESSER represents the largest European SLE registry established to date, providing comprehensive, reliable and updated information on SLE in the southern European population.

Influence of the IL6 gene in susceptibility to systemic sclerosis

OBJECTIVE

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a genetically complex autoimmune disease; the genetic component has not been fully defined. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) plays a crucial role in immunity and fibrosis, both key aspects of SSc. We investigated the influence of IL6 gene in the susceptibility and phenotype expression of SSc.

METHODS

We performed a large metaanalysis including a total of 2749 cases and 3189 controls from 6 white populations (Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom). Three IL6 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP; rs2069827, rs1800795, and rs2069840) were selected by SNP tagging and genotyped using TaqMan(®) allele discrimination technology.

RESULTS

Individual SNP metaanalysis showed no evidence of association of the 3 IL6 genetic variants with the global disease. Phenotype analyses revealed a significant association between the minor allele of rs2069840 and the limited cutaneous SSc clinical form (Bonferroni p = 0.036, OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.04-1.25). A trend of association between the minor allele of the rs1800795 and the diffuse cutaneous SSc clinical form was also evident (Bonferroni p = 0.072, OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77-0.96). In the IL6 allelic combination analyses, the GGC allelic combination rs2069827-rs1800795-rs2069840 showed an association with overall SSc (Bonferroni p = 0.016, OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04-1.23).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the IL6 gene may influence the development of SSc and its progression.

Confirmation of TNIP1 but not RHOB and PSORS1C1 as systemic sclerosis risk factors in a large independent replication study

INTRODUCTION

A recent genome-wide association study in European systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients identified three loci (PSORS1C1, TNIP1 and RHOB) as novel genetic risk factors for the disease. The aim of this study was to replicate the previously mentioned findings in a large multicentre independent SSc cohort of Caucasian ancestry.

METHODS

4389 SSc patients and 7611 healthy controls from different European countries and the USA were included in the study. Six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP): rs342070, rs13021401 (RHOB), rs2233287, rs4958881, rs3792783 (TNIP1) and rs3130573 (PSORS1C1) were analysed. Overall significance was calculated by pooled analysis of all the cohorts. Haplotype analyses and conditional logistic regression analyses were carried out to explore further the genetic structure of the tested loci.

RESULTS

Pooled analyses of all the analysed SNPs in TNIP1 revealed significant association with the whole disease (rs2233287 p(MH)=1.94×10(-4), OR 1.19; rs4958881 p(MH)=3.26×10(-5), OR 1.19; rs3792783 p(MH)=2.16×10(-4), OR 1.19). These associations were maintained in all the subgroups considered. PSORS1C1 comparison showed association with the complete set of patients and all the subsets except for the anti-centromere-positive patients. However, the association was dependent on different HLA class II alleles. The variants in the RHOB gene were not associated with SSc or any of its subsets.

CONCLUSIONS

These data confirmed the influence of TNIP1 on an increased susceptibility to SSc and reinforced this locus as a common autoimmunity risk factor.

Identification of CSK as a systemic sclerosis genetic risk factor through Genome Wide Association Study follow-up

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is complex autoimmune disease affecting the connective tissue; influenced by genetic and environmental components. Recently, we performed the first successful genome-wide association study (GWAS) of SSc. Here, we perform a large replication study to better dissect the genetic component of SSc. We selected 768 polymorphisms from the previous GWAS and genotyped them in seven replication cohorts from Europe. Overall significance was calculated for replicated significant SNPs by meta-analysis of the replication cohorts and replication-GWAS cohorts (3237 cases and 6097 controls). Six SNPs in regions not previously associated with SSc were selected for validation in another five independent cohorts, up to a total of 5270 SSc patients and 8326 controls. We found evidence for replication and overall genome-wide significance for one novel SSc genetic risk locus: CSK [P-value = 5.04 × 10(-12), odds ratio (OR) = 1.20]. Additionally, we found suggestive association in the loci PSD3 (P-value = 3.18 × 10(-7), OR = 1.36) and NFKB1 (P-value = 1.03 × 10(-6), OR = 1.14). Additionally, we strengthened the evidence for previously confirmed associations. This study significantly increases the number of known putative genetic risk factors for SSc, including the genes CSK, PSD3 and NFKB1, and further confirms six previously described ones.

Novel identification of the IRF7 region as an anticentromere autoantibody propensity locus in systemic sclerosis

OBJECTIVE

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are related chronic autoimmune diseases of complex aetiology in which the interferon (IFN) pathway plays a key role. Recent studies have reported an association between IRF7 and SLE which confers a risk to autoantibody production. A study was undertaken to investigate whether the IRF7 genomic region is also involved in susceptibility to SSc and the main clinical features.

METHODS

Two case-control sets of Caucasian origin from the USA and Spain, comprising a total of 2316 cases of SSc and 2347 healthy controls, were included in the study. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PHRF1-IRF7-CDHR5 locus were genotyped using TaqMan allelic discrimination technology. A meta-analysis was performed to test the overall effect of these genetic variants on SSc.

RESULTS

Four out of five analysed SNPs were significantly associated with the presence of anticentromere autoantibodies (ACA) in the patients with SSc in the combined analysis (rs1131665: p(FDR)=6.14 × 10(-4), OR=0.78; rs4963128: p(FDR)=6.14 × 10(-4), OR=0.79; rs702966: p(FDR)=3.83 × 10(-3), OR=0.82; and rs2246614: p(FDR)=3.83 × 10(-3), OR=0.83). Significant p values were also obtained when the disease was tested globally; however, the statistical significance was lost when the ACA-positive patients were excluded from the study, suggesting that these associations rely on ACA positivity. Conditional logistic regression and allelic combination analyses suggested that the functional IRF7 SNP rs1131665 is the most likely causal variant.

CONCLUSIONS

The results show that variation in the IRF7 genomic region is associated with the presence of ACA in patients with SSc, supporting other evidence that this locus represents a common risk factor for autoantibody production in autoimmune diseases.

A replication study confirms the association of TNFSF4 (OX40L) polymorphisms with systemic sclerosis in a large European cohort

Objectives

The aim of this study was to confirm the influence of TNFSF4 polymorphisms on systemic sclerosis (SSc) susceptibility and phenotypic features.

Methods

A total of 8 European populations of Caucasian ancestry were included, comprising 3014 patients with SSc and 3125 healthy controls. Four genetic variants of TNFSF4 gene promoter (rs1234314, rs844644, rs844648 and rs12039904) were selected as genetic markers.

Results

A pooled analysis revealed the association of rs1234314 and rs12039904 polymorphisms with SSc (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.31; OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.29, respectively). Significant association of the four tested variants with patients with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) was revealed (rs1234314 OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.38; rs844644 OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.99; rs844648 OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.20 and rs12039904 OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.33). Association of rs1234314, rs844648 and rs12039904 minor alleles with patients positive for anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) remained significant (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.37; OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.25; OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.38, respectively). Haplotype analysis confirmed a protective haplotype associated with SSc, lcSSc and ACA positive subgroups (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.96; OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.96; OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.97, respectively) and revealed a new risk haplotype associated with the same groups of patients (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.26; OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.35; OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.42, respectively).

Conclusions

The data confirm the influence of TNFSF4 polymorphisms in SSc genetic susceptibility, especially in subsets of patients positive for lcSSc and ACA.