Paediatric rheumatologists do not score the physician's global assessment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis disease activity in the same way

OBJECTIVES

To assess the heterogeneity in factors affecting physician's global assessment of disease activity (PhGA) and in PhGA scoring of multiple JIA patient's case scenarios.

METHODS

An electronic web-based questionnaire of factors potentially considered in PhGA was sent worldwide to members of PRINTO and the Pediatric Rheumatology Care and Outcomes Improvement Network (PR-COIN). The respondents were asked to rate from 0 to 100 the relevance of 17 factors possibly affecting PhGA scoring and to derive a PhGA score of 17 detailed JIA patient cases. The median and interquartile range was used to measure the heterogeneity in the scoring. To demonstrate the consistency among the PhGA scores of the patient cases provided by multiple physicians, we assessed the inter-rater reliability using intra-class correlation.

RESULTS

The questionnaire was completed by 491 respondents. A large individual variation was observed in the impact of different factors on PhGA when assessing JIA. For non-systemic JIA the presence of fever had the largest variation and swollen joint count had the smallest. For sJIA, the largest variation was seen in the presence of erosions and the smallest in the presence of fever. The intra-class correlation of the group for PhGA scoring of patient cases was 0.53 (95% CI 0.38, 0.72).

CONCLUSIONS

In a sample of worldwide respondents, the scoring of the PhGA is divergent. Consensus on PhGA scoring guidelines is required to obtain a consistent assessment of patients.

Questionnaire-based epidemiological study of hidradenitis suppurativa in Japan revealing characteristics different from those in Western countries

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic relapsing skin disease localized mainly on the apocrine gland‐bearing areas. In Japan, HS is yet to be fully understood, and no criteria have been established for its diagnosis or severity assessment. The purpose of this study was to investigate and characterize HS in Japan. We conducted a nationwide questionnaire‐based study, in which Japanese diagnostic criteria were proposed. Question items included age, sex, disease duration, past history, family history, smoking status, disease severity scores (Hurley stage, modified Sartorius score and Physician Global Assessment [PGA] score), treatments, comorbidities and prognosis. We analyzed 300 patients (219 males and 81 females) diagnosed with HS based on our criteria. Average disease duration was 92.3 ± 6.82 months. Only 12 (4%) patients had a family history of HS. Disease severity was classified by PGA score (mild, 100 [33.3%]; moderate, 133 [44.3%]; severe, 34 [11.3%]; most severe, 29 [9.7%]) and Hurley stage (I, 69 [23%]; II, 109 [36.3%]; III, 121 [40.3%]). Disease severities based on PGA score and Hurley stage were positively correlated to modified Sartorius score using the Kruskal–Wallis test (P < 0.001, respectively). Patients with diabetes mellitus showed higher PGA scores (χ² = 10.977, P = 0.01185). Presence of axillary lesions related to higher PGA scores (χ² = 8.6378, P = 0.03452). The results in this study and previous studies indicate that Japanese HS patients have different backgrounds from those in Western countries, and are characterized by male predominance, higher incidence of Hurley stages II and III, higher PGA scores in patients with axillary lesions and much fewer familial cases.

Long-Term Benefit of Golimumab for Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis: Results from the PURSUIT-Maintenance Extension

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 3 additional years of subcutaneous golimumab maintenance in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.

METHODS

The PURSUIT-maintenance long-term extension enrolled patients who had completed placebo or golimumab 50 mg or 100 mg treatment every 4 weeks [q4w] through Week 52 and evaluations at Week 54 [n = 666]; treatment continued through Week 212. Patients receiving placebo were discontinued after study unblinding. Efficacy endpoints, golimumab concentrations, and anti-drug antibodies were summarized as observed for golimumab-induction responders who continued golimumab therapy during the long-term extension. Observations relating to safety were summarized for all treated patients.

RESULTS

Overall, 63% of patients who were receiving golimumab at the beginning of the extension remained on treatment through the end of the study. Among all treated patients in the extension, rates of adverse events of special interest [e.g. tuberculosis, demyelination, and malignancy] were infrequent. Nine deaths occurred during the extension [1 placebo, 1 golimumab 50 mg, and 7 golimumab 100 mg]. Serum golimumab concentrations were dose-proportional and were maintained over time. During the extension through Week 228, anti-drug antibody rates with golimumab 50 mg and 100 mg were 4.4% and 3.7%, respectively. Among golimumab-induction responders, 99.3% had no disease or mild disease activity as per the Physician's Global Assessment, 92.5% were corticosteroid-free, and 76.1% had an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire score of ≥170 at Week 216.

CONCLUSIONS

Subcutaneous golimumab treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis for up to 3 additional years during the extension maintained clinical benefit with no new safety signals observed.ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00488631.

How should lupus flares be measured? Deconstruction of the safety of estrogen in lupus erythematosus national assessment-systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index flare index

OBJECTIVE

Accurate assessment of lupus flares is critical but problematic in clinical trials. This study examined the impact of modifications to the classic Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment (SELENA)-SLEDAI flare index (cSFI).

METHODS

Ninety-one SLE patient records were evaluated at two visits at which the SLEDAI and BILAG had been scored prospectively. The cSFI was compared with an experimental version (eSFI) that eliminated medication criteria and separated the mild/moderate flare category into its components by clinical judgement based on records. The revised SFI (SFI-R) and some physician's global assessments (PGAs) were also scored using chart notes.

RESULTS

eSFI-rated moderate flares had higher PGA and BILAG scores than those rated as mild. When medication criteria were excluded, 42 of 55 cSFI severe flares and 15 of 49 mild/moderate flares were downgraded in severity. Comparing flares that remained severe with those that were downgraded, disease activity was higher by PGA (P < 0.001), SLEDAI (P < 0.001), BILAG (P < 0.001), number of active BILAG organs (P < 0.04) and flaring SFI-R organs (P < 0.01). PGA (P < 0.001) and the number of SFI-R domains flaring (P < 0.001) were higher in mild/moderate eSFI flares than in those that were downgraded. Twenty-one of 83 (25%) medication changes occurred with no flare. Forty-six of 52 (88%) medication changes defining severe flare by cSFI involved patients rated by physicians with no, mild or moderate flares.

CONCLUSION

A deconstructed flare index improves the discrimination of mild from moderate flares and selects more ill patients with true clinical worsening for each category of flare.