ARP Rheumatology
ARP Rheumatology
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An indexed journal, with free submission and free access to all articles

Devoted to international progress in the research, diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

Editorial team

New type of article: Correspondence & Reply

Up to 1000 words, commenting on an article published at ARP Rheumatology within 6 months.

Instructions
1.4Impact Factor*
1.4Five year Impact Factor*
1.2CiteScore*
Acceptance rate:
16%
Time to first decision without review:
2 days#
Time to first decision with review:
31 days#
Submission to Online First:
74 days#
Statistics referring to 2024
*for more details click here.
# Average

Editor’s choice

CheckAP: Prevalence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and performance evaluation of the EARP questionnaire in the population of Portuguese patients with psoriasis followed in a dermatology setting

Background: The percentage of Portuguese psoriasis patients with psoriatic arthritis is unknown but musculoskeletal complaints related to PsA affect up to a third of patients. Dermatologists can identify early PsA as skin symptoms often precede joint symptoms in 80% of patients. Efficient and easy to perform screening tools are needed to help dermatologists effectively discriminate between Pso and PsA patients. The present study aims to evaluate the prevalence of PsA in Pso patients followed in Portuguese dermatology clinics. Additionally, it aims to evaluate the EARP-PT performance (validity, sensitivity, specificity) and the best cut-off point to allow an early identification of PsA potential patients. Methods: A multicentre national, cross-sectional, observational study with two independent assessments (dermatologist and rheumatologist), was performed. A PsA case was defined by a combination of expert opinion and classification criteria for psoriatic arthritis (CASPAR). The EARP-PT questionnaire screening performance was evaluated. Results: Pso patients (n=172) were included with a mean age of 53.8+/-14.5 years, 53.5% were male with a mean time of diagnosis of 17.4+/-14.9 years. The prevalence of PsA in patients with Pso in our sample was 8.70% (95% CI: 4.8-14.2). The EARP-PT questionnaire displayed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.81) and, using a validated initial cut-off point of 3, demonstrated a sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 40.1%. Conclusion: The estimated prevalence of PsA in a population of Pso patients followed in Portuguese dermatology clinics, is 8.7%. The EARP-PT questionnaire appears to be a useful tool for dermatologists in the early detection of PsA.
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Effects of Ab501 (certolizumab mice equivalent) in arthritis induced bone loss

Introduction - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease, which causes local and systemic bone damage. The main goal of this work was to analyze, how treatment intervention with Ab501 (certolizumab mice equivalent) prevents the disturbances on bone structure and mechanics induced by arthritis. Methods – Thirty DBA/1 collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice were randomly housed in experimental groups, as follows: arthritic untreated (N=9), preventive intervention (N=10) and treatment intervention (N=11). A non-induced group (N=5) was used as a control. Mice were monitored during 70 days after disease induction for the inflammatory score, ankle perimeter and body weight. After 70 days of disease progression mice were sacrificed and bone samples were collected for histology, micro-computed tomography (µCT) and 3-point bending analysis. In addition, blood samples were also collected for bone turnover markers quantification. Results - Results showed that Ab501 administration was able to control and abrogate disease development both in preventive and early therapeutic intervention. µCT results revealed that Ab501 was able to preserve trabecular bone structure when delivered before arthritis induction. Conclusion - Ab501 preventive administration was able to control inflammation and prevent the degradative effects of arthritis on trabecular bone structure in a CIA DBA/1 mice model.
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Effectiveness of education programs on axSpA patients: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Introduction: The current standard of care of patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA), in addition to pharmacological treatment, includes regular exercise and patient education.(1) The primary goal of this systematic literature review (SLR) is to update the evidence of the effectiveness of education programs for patients with axial SpA (axSpA). Methods: We systematically searched three databases, PubMed, Embase and Web of Science Core Collection, from January 2000 to June 2023, using the following terms: “patient education”, “patient counselling”, “patient teaching”, “patient engaging”, “patient empowerment”, “health education”, “spondyloarthritis”, “spondyloarthropaties”, “spondylitis” and “ankylosing spondylitis”. The “Population (P)”, “Intervention (I)”, “Comparator (C)”, “Outcome (O)”, PICO criteria were used. “P”, defined as axSpA, “I” as education, “C” as standard of care or physical exercise and “O” as disease activity, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS); disease functional repercussion, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI); disease metrological repercussion, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrological Index (BASMI); disease quality of life Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL), EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) and Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF36); disease economic impact, cost-utility, cost-benefit and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Only randomized clinical trials were included. Two reviewers independently assessed the identified papers according to the established criteria and extracted the data. Results: From the initial 494 studies identified, 6 were selected for data extraction and qualitative analysis. The study sample sizes ranged between 41-65 individuals, all diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. The leaders of the programs varied, the intervention period ranged between 4-12 weeks and the follow up ranged between 3-12 months. In three studies, the comparator was standard of care, and in the other three was physical exercise. Overall, there was an improvement in BASDAI, BASFI, BASMI, ASQoL and SF-36, after the application of educational programs. No studies evaluated the economic impact of educational programs. Conclusion: Education appears to be an important adjuvant as non-pharmacological treatment for patients with axSpA, enhancing various disease outcomes, particularly when delivered by Health Professionals using physical materials such as pamphlets. However, there is an ongoing need for additional research to obtain more robust conclusions.
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