Background The approved dose of rituximab (RTX) in rheumatoid arthritis is 1000 mg x 2, but some data have suggested similar clinical efficacy with 500 mg x 2. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the regular and low doses given as first treatment course. Methods Twelve European registries participating in the CERERRA collaboration (The European Collaborative Registries for the Evaluation of Rituximab in Rheumatoid Arthritis) submitted anonymized datasets with demographic, efficacy and treatment data for patients who had started RTX. Treatment effectiveness was assessed by DAS28 reductions and EULAR responses after 6 months. Results Data on RTX dose were available for 2,873 patients, of whom 2,625 (91.4 %) and 248 (8.6 %) received 1000 mg x 2 and 500 mg x 2, respectively. Patients treated with 500 mg x 2 were significantly older, had longer disease duration, higher number of prior DMARDs, but lower number of prior biologics and lower baseline DAS28 than those treated with 1000 mg x 2. Fewer patients in the low-dose group received concomitant DMARDs but more frequently received concomitant corticosteroids. Both doses led to significant clinical improvements at 6 months. DAS28 reductions at 6 months were comparable in the 2 dose regimens [mean DeltaDAS28 +- SD -2.0 +- 1.3 (high dose) vs. -1.7 +- 1.4 (low dose), p = 0.23 adjusted for baseline differences]. Similar percentages of patients achieved EULAR good response in the two dose groups, 18.4 % vs. 17.3 %, respectively (p = 0.36). Conclusions In this large observational cohort initial treatment with RTX at 500 mg x 2 and 1000 mg x 2 led to comparable clinical outcomes at 6 months.
F.22 Improvement to existing health/diagnostic methods/procedures
COBISS.SI-ID: 32750809Background: In 2010, EULAR/PRINTO/PRES proposed new classification criteria for paediatric IgA vasculitis (IgAV) that have a higher diagnostic sensitivity than the 1990 ACR criteria. These criteria have so far not been evaluated in adults, in whom IgAV is considered as a rare disease. Our main objective was to compare the diagnostic performance of EULAR/PRINTO/PRES and ACR classification criteria in adult IgAV. Methods: Adult IgAV cases fulfilling the 2012 revised International Chapel Hill Consensus Conference Nomenclature of Vasculitides (ICHCCNV) definition of IgAV at a secondary/tertiary rheumatology referral centre were critically reviewed in a partially retrospective and partially prospective manner. First, we compared the diagnostic sensitivity of ACR and EULAR/PRINTO/PRES criteria in this group of patients. Second, the diagnostic specificity of ACR and EULAR/ PRINTO/PRES was determined by applying these criteria to a control group of patients with other systemic vasculitides. Results: Between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2014 350 new cases of systemic vasculitis were identified. IgAV was diagnosed in 129, and other systemic vasculitides in 221 (123 had large, six medium and 92 small vessel vasculitis) cases according to ICHCCNV. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the IgAV EULAR/PRINTO/PRES criteria were 99.2 % (95 % CI 95.4% - 99.9 %) and 86.0 % (95 % CI 80.7% - 90.3 %), and of the ACR criteria 86.8 % (95 % CI 79.7% - 92.1 %) and 81.0 % (95 % CI 75.2% - 85.9 %), respectively with an inter-criteria agreement of 77.5 % (95 % CI:70.8% - 84.1 %). Conclusions: In the adult population the EULAR/PRINTO/PRES IgAV classification criteria had a higher sensitivity and specificity than the ACR criteria.
F.22 Improvement to existing health/diagnostic methods/procedures
COBISS.SI-ID: 32575961Objective. Under the auspices of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), a study group of investigators representing European biologic DMARD (bDMARD) registers was convened. The purpose of this initial assessment was to collect and compare a cross section of patient characteristics and collate information on the availability of potential confounders within these registers. Methods. Baseline characteristics of patients starting their first bDMARD in an arbitrary year (2008) for the treatment of RA, including demographic and disease characteristics, bDMARD drug details and co-morbidities, were collected and compared across 14 European bDMARD registers. Results. A total of 5320 patients were included. Half the registers had restricted recruitment to certain bDMARDs during the study year. All registers' collected data on age, gender, disease duration, seropositivity for IgM-RF and 28-joint DAS (DAS28). The mean DAS28 ranged from 4.2 to 6.6 and the mean HAQ from 0.8 to 1.9. Current smoking ranged from 9% to 34%. Nine registers reported co-morbidities with varying prevalence. Conclusion. In addition to demonstrating European-wide collaboration across rheumatology bDMARD registers, this assessment identified differences in prescribing patterns, recruitment strategies and data items collected. These differences need to be considered when applying strategies for combined analysis. The lack of a common data model across Europe calls for further work to harmonize data collection across registers.
F.15 Development of a new information system/databases
COBISS.SI-ID: 32506585The present invention submitted for a EU patent relates to the field of immunological methods, more precisely to the field of detection methods for antibodies against double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) for diagnostics of chronic autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The fluorometric immunoassay method for detection of anti-dsDNA solves the technical problem of designing a method for detection of the aforesaid antibodies, which would be faster, cheaper and less toxic as the standard Farr-RIA method, but would have the same diagnostic specificity (which is 100%) and improved diagnostic sensitivity (for 3%). Detection of anti-dsDNA is based on detection of fluorescence in two fractions of samples, in the supernatant and in the sample with a precipitate, which contains immune complexes composed of added dsDNA and anti-dsDNA present in the patient's serum, wherein the detected fluorescence is a consequence of binding fluorescent dyes with dsDNA bound in the complexes or with free dsDNA. The method according to the invention allows obtaining reliable results, fast sample analysis and results availability to the attending physician, use of human and environmentally safe chemicals and lowering of costs in comparison to the standard Farr-RIA method.
F.06 Development of a new product
COBISS.SI-ID: 33023193Objective A task force of scientists at the International Congress on Antiphospholipid Antibodies recognized that phosphatidylserine-dependent antiprothrombin antibodies (aPS/PT) might contribute to a better identification of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Accordingly, initial and replication retrospective, cross-sectional multicentre studies were conducted to ascertain the value of aPS/PT for APS diagnosis. Methods In the initial study (eight centres, seven countries), clinical/laboratory data were retrospectively collected. Serum/plasma samples were tested for IgG aPS/PT at Inova Diagnostics (Inova) using two ELISA kits. A replication study (five centres, five countries) was carried out afterwards. Results In the initial study ( n = 247), a moderate agreement between the IgG aPS/PT Inova and MBL ELISA kits was observed ( k = 0.598). IgG aPS/PT were more prevalent in APS patients (51%) than in those without (9%), OR 10.8, 95% CI (4.0-29.3), p ( 0.0001. Sensitivity, specificity, positive (LR+) and negative (LR-) likelihood ratio of IgG aPS/PT for APS diagnosis were 51%, 91%, 5.9 and 0.5, respectively. In the replication study ( n = 214), a moderate/substantial agreement between the IgG aPS/PT results obtained with both ELISA kits was observed ( k = 0.630). IgG aPS/PT were more prevalent in APS patients (47%) than in those without (12%), OR 6.4, 95% CI (2.6-16), p ( 0.0001. Sensitivity, specificity, LR + and LR- for APS diagnosis were 47%, 88%, 3.9 and 0.6, respectively. Conclusions IgG aPS/PT detection is an easily performed laboratory parameter that might contribute to a better and more complete identification of patients with APS.
F.22 Improvement to existing health/diagnostic methods/procedures
COBISS.SI-ID: 32118233