View clinical trials related to Spondylarthritis.
Filter by:The purpose of this prospective cohort study is to evaluate the influence of serum drug levels and development of anti-drug antibodies on clinical response to anti-TNF agents in ankylosing spondylitis(AS) treatment. Secondary aims are to assess the demographic, clinical and laboratory variables associated with the development of anti-TNF drug antibodies at baseline or disease course and to reveal the impact of anti-drug antibodies on long-term efficacy or safety in particular drug survival in AS patients treated in daily clinical practice.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a frequent chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease that affects the axial skeleton, starting in the sacroiliac joints and spreading to the spine in most patients. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the primary treatment for AS. Even if the use of anti-TNF agents has demonstrated good clinical efficacy in controlling inflammation, in contrast to other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, anti-TNF treatment has failed to demonstrate any benefit on the structural progression of AS, some data even suggesting that it may accelerate the formation of syndesmophytes that seems to be an independent process of TNF. Conversely, NSAIDs inhibit ossification phenomena independently of their anti-inflammatory properties, owing to a specific action on bone formation via prostaglandin inhibition. Several features suggest that a continuous NSAID therapy is needed, in addition to anti-TNF treatment, to prevent syndesmophyte formation in AS patients.
This study plans to learn more about the relationship between systemic autoimmune disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease and ankylosing spondyloarthritis, bacteria in the colon, and the changes in colon tissue.
Spondyloarthritis refers to a set of inflammatory disorders that mainly afflict the spine, joints and ligaments. A subtype of spondyloarthritis is Ankylosing Spondylitis - now known as axial spondyloarthropathy - which is characterized by inflammation of the joints in the spinal column, and the part of the back where the spine meets the pelvis. Another subtype of spondyloarthritis is Psoriatic Arthritis where patients often develop raised patches of reddened skin. The disease can advance to one of more joints in the body resulting in pain, swelling and stiffness. These forms of inflammatory arthritis can become chronic and over time can lead to pain, disability and deformity. There is now evidence that patients with inflammatory arthritis that are diagnosed and treated earlier in the course of their symptoms may have better results. Yet although we know that early treatment is important, the investigators still don't know if there are factors that can predict how an individual patient's disease will progress over time in terms of losing mobility. The investigators also do not know the relationship between loosing mobility and the formation of bone around the spine and joints. The investigators are doing this study because the investigators want to learn more about patients with these forms of arthritis - Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis. The investigators want to learn more about the factors that can predict how their disease might progress over time and what their response to treatment might be. The investigators would also like to determine the proportion of patients with these types of symptoms and describe the best treatment strategies for them.
Rationale: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an inflammatory back pain disorder affecting up to 24% of young chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. For general practitioners (GPs) it is difficult to distinguish axSpA patients in the large amount of CLBP patients. In previous studies a referral rule for axSpA applicable in CLBP patients was developed and validated. The next step is to investigate the impact of the referral rule in daily practice. This impact analysis will test if the referral rule will be beneficial or harmful. Objective: To evaluate the clinical impact of a referral rule in young patients presenting at the general practitioners with chronic low back pain, who are at risk for axSpA, compared to usual care. Study design: A cluster randomized clinical trial. Study population: Primary care patients with chronic low back pain, aged 18-45 years. Intervention (if applicable): GPs are randomized in clusters either to use directly the referral rule or use the referral rule after 4 months. The referral rule consists out of four variables, a positive ASAS inflammatory back pain questionnaire, a positive family history for spondyloarthritis, a good reaction to NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and back pain duration longer than 5 years. If at least two out of four variables are present a referral to the rheumatologist is advised. Main study parameters/endpoints: The primary outcome is a change in the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) compared to baseline in the CLBP patients with or without use of the referral model. Secondary parameters: Quality of life measurements, cost-effectiveness, pain and fatigue and referral to rheumatologist and diagnosis of axSpA. Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: The burden and risks associated with participation are minimal. No medical intervention is taken place. If the GP of the patients is randomized to the referral model, the patient is checked for the risk of axial spondyloarthritis, by the non-invasive referral model. If the referral model is positive a referral to the rheumatologist is advised. Is the GP is randomized to the 'usual care' there is no difference in the treatment of low back pain than nowadays. A GP is still allowed to treat the CLBP patients optimal and a referral to the rheumatologist is allowed but not actively advised. All participating CLBP patients are asked to fill several questionnaires at four different time points, at baseline, after 12 months and after 24 months. In total there are 8 questionnaires and four separate questions. The questionnaire are designed to fill out by the patient themselves. The total time to fill in the questionnaire is estimated to be 30 minutes. The benefits of the study are: - For the CLBP patients, up to 24% of the back pain complaints are caused by axSpA, but the GPs are not (yet) aware of this disease. When a CLBP patient is participating in this study, the chance of having axSpA as cause for the back pain is investigated. This a benefit for a CLBP patients since there is effective treatment for axSpA. - For the GP it is very difficult to distinguish an axSpA patients in the large amount of CLBP patients. If it appears that the validated referral rule has an impact on CLBP and GPs, the next step will be implementation of this referral model in daily practice and it will become a helpful tool for the GP. - For the society, CLBP is a great socioeconomic burden for the society. When one of the causes for CLBP, namely axSpA is diagnosed and treated in an earlier stage this will lead to a decreased sick leave because of back pain and is therefore potentially cost-effective.
The study has the aim to investigate the efficacy and safety of etanercept in patients with active undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA) over the period of 520 weeks.
The prognosis of rheumatic diseases has improved considerably with development of therapy. However, infections are considered the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in this group of patients. One of the ways to prevent such complications is vaccination. In 2009, a new pandemic strain of influenza virus (A/H1N1/2009) has emerged raising major concerns for public health. Patients under immunosuppressive therapy have indication for immunization against influenza virus H1N1. There are, however, concerns about possibility of reactivation of autoimmune diseases, determine adverse events and insufficient immunogenicity in these patients. The lack of studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of the vaccine against influenza A(H1N1)/2009 in these rheumatic patients led to the development of this research. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the humoral response and safety of the vaccine virus A(H1N1)/2009 in immunosuppressed patients with rheumatic diseases compared to healthy controls. We have recruited 400 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 350 with spondyloarthritis, 1000 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 150 with dermatomyositis (DM), 100 with mixed connective tissue disease, 150 with systemic vasculitis, 250 with systemic sclerosis (SSc) , 100 with Sjögren's syndrome, 100 with antiphospholipid syndrome, 100 patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, 80 with juvenile SLE, and 80 with juvenile DM, followed at our Rheumatology Outpatient Division and Unit Pediatric Rheumatology Children's Institute, HC-FMUSP. The control group was recruited were 200 healthy employees of ICHC-FMUSP. Informed consent was obtained from all participants and the study was approved by the Local Ethical Committee. All subjects were vaccinated against influenza virus A/(H1N1)/2009 (vaccine approved and supplied by Instituto Butantan-São Paulo). Blood samples was collected to measure levels of antibodies inhibiting hemagglutination by influenza virus A (H1N1)/2009 immediately prior to vaccination and 21 to 28 days after vaccination., Participants fulfilled a questionnaire on the immediate side effects of the vaccine. All patients with rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, SLE, DM, systemic vasculitis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, juvenile SLE, and DM were assessed before and 21 days after vaccination for clinical, laboratory parameters of disease activity as well as treatment. Continuous variables will be compared by t-test to evaluate differences between patients with rheumatic diseases versus healthy controls. Differences between categorical variables will be evaluated using the chi-square or Fisher exact test. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.
Spondyloarthropathies (SpA) are often diagnosed with a considerable delay (often 8-10 years from symptom onset), because the available clinical, biochemical and radiological methods are not sufficiently sensitive. TNF-a antagonists have recently been introduced for treatment of SpA, and current data indicate a higher efficacy than previously available therapies. The improved treatment options have increased the need for improved methods for diagnosis, monitoring and prognostication of these diseases, so that the efficient therapies can be initiated at the optimal time point and monitored optimally. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a number of biomarkers are promising, but not yet sufficiently studied, methods for this.