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.

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Instructions
1.3Impact Factor*
1.7Five year Impact Factor*
2.1CiteScore*
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

Subcutaneous methotrexate for treating rheumatoid arthritis in Portugal: a cost-utility analysis versus current practice

Aims: This study evaluated the cost-utility of subcutaneous versus oral methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management in Portugal. Methods: A cost-utility analysis (CUA) was conducted over a lifetime horizon from the Portuguese National Health Service perspective, adapting a model previously published for the United Kingdom. Patients were modelled to transition through lines of therapy including conventional synthetic, followed by biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). In the base case, first-line subcutaneous methotrexate was compared with first-line oral methotrexate, while a scenario analysis explored second-line subcutaneous methotrexate use, after failing first-line oral methotrexate. Clinical, quality-of-life, and cost data were sourced from the literature, using Portuguese data where available. Projected costs and benefits were combined in net monetary benefit (NMB) estimates, evaluated against a willingness-to-pay threshold of €50,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. The robustness of results was explored in sensitivity and scenario analyses. Results: First-line subcutaneous methotrexate was projected to yield an additional 0.25 life-years and 0.55 QALYs, while reducing total costs by €11,108 over patients’ lifetimes, relative to first-line oral methotrexate. Using subcutaneous methotrexate after first-line oral methotrexate was associated with gains in life expectancy (+0.54 life-years) and quality-adjusted life expectancy (+1.19 QALYs), while also reducing projected costs (−€25,892). In both analyses, subcutaneous methotrexate was therefore associated with improved effectiveness and reduced total costs. The corresponding NMBs were €38,821 and €85,485, respectively. Health gains resulted from more patient time spent on active treatment, with improved disease control, and consequently better health-related quality of life and reduced mortality risk. Improved disease control also implied reduced hospitalization costs, with costs further reduced due to delaying, or avoiding, costly biologics, which offset higher subcutaneous methotrexate acquisition costs. Sensitivity and scenario analyses confirmed base case results, including for different later-line biologic treatments, clinical response data, and time horizons. Conclusions: This CUA evaluated the value-for money of subcutaneous versus oral methotrexate for RA management in Portugal and found that subcutaneous methotrexate is likely a cost-effective strategy, with the potential to reduce healthcare expenditure and improve patient outcomes. These findings support consideration of wider adoption of subcutaneous methotrexate within Portuguese clinical practice.
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Trends, outcomes, and disparities in hospitalizations among patients with Sjögren’s syndrome: a national inpatient sample analysis (2016–2020)

Aims: Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease with poorly characterized hospitalization outcomes in the United States. We aimed to characterize hospitalization trends, comorbidity profiles, organ-specific manifestations, predictors of in-hospital mortality, and racial, socioeconomic, and hospital-level disparities among SS-associated hospitalizations using the NIS 2016–2020 dataset. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the NIS (2016–2020). Adults with SS (ICD-10-CM M35.00–M35.0C) were identified across 40 diagnosis fields and matched 3:1 with non-autoimmune controls by age, sex, and year. Survey-weighted analyses included bivariate comparisons, Elixhauser comorbidity profiling, organ-specific phenotyping, nested multivariable logistic regression for mortality predictors, and adjusted disparities analyses using predictive margins. Results: Among 272,630 weighted SS-associated hospitalizations (91.4% female, mean age 64.2 years), extraglandular manifestations were documented in 33.8%. Despite a significantly higher baseline comorbidity burden compared with 817,890 matched control hospitalizations, SS-associated admissions exhibited paradoxically lower crude in-hospital mortality (2.13% vs. 2.59%, p<0.001). However, within the SS cohort, acute complications were associated with substantial mortality risk in the fully adjusted model: independent predictors included mechanical ventilation (OR 21.08), sepsis (OR 2.80), stroke (OR 2.78), malignancy (OR 2.46), and interstitial lung disease (OR 2.10). Significant disparities persisted after multivariable adjustment: Asian/Pacific Islander hospitalizations had higher mortality odds (OR 1.67, p=0.002) and incurred $22,643 more in adjusted charges compared with White hospitalizations. Self-pay or uninsured status was associated with doubled mortality odds (OR 2.01, p<0.001). Conclusions: Enhanced clinical phenotyping underscores that Sjögren's syndrome is a complex, multisystem disease with a substantial inpatient burden. While SS-associated hospitalizations present with high baseline comorbidities, in-hospital mortality is strongly associated with acute complications, particularly respiratory failure, sepsis, stroke, and interstitial lung disease. Future clinical pathways should prioritize vigilant management of these vulnerabilities while addressing the structural and socioeconomic disparities associated with unequal outcomes.
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Manifestations and predictors of vascular involvement in Behçet’s disease

Background: Behçet´s disease (BD) is a variable vessel vasculitis in which vascular involvement (VBD) occurs in up to 40% of patients and represents a poor prognosis marker. Predictors of VBD have been poorly defined. Aims: We aimed to characterise VBD patients and to identify predictors of this clinical subtype. Methods: We performed a single-centre, retrospective study including patients fulfilling the 2013 International Criteria for BD, registered in the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Registry (Reuma.pt) between October 2014 and May 2023. VBD was defined as arterial or venous manifestations attributable to BD and confirmed by imaging. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of VBD. Results: A total of 157 BD patients were included, 24 (15%) of whom had vascular involvement. Seven (5%) presented VBD as the inaugural manifestation. The median age at VBD onset was 36.0 years, occurring a median of 8.9 years after BD onset. Venous involvement (20/24, 83%) predominated over arterial (10/24, 42%). Deep vein thrombosis (50%) and superficial thrombophlebitis (42%) were the most common venous events. Arterial manifestations included aneurysms (21%), pulmonary thrombosis (13%) and pseudoaneurysms (8%). Multiple-vessel involvement (54%) and recurrent events (58%) were common. On comparison with patients without VBD, male sex (OR 3.99, 95%CI 1.55-10.28) and ocular involvement at disease onset (OR 3.90, 95%CI 1.29-11.72) emerged as predictors of VBD. Conclusion: In our BD cohort, vascular involvement occurred in 15% of patients, predominantly venous. Male sex and ocular involvement at disease onset were identified as predictors of VBD, suggesting their potential role as clinical markers for identifying high-risk patients.
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Oesophageal involvement in Behçet’s disease: a case-based literature review

Behçet’s disease is a rare, chronic, multisystemic disorder with heterogeneous clinical presentations, ranging from mucocutaneous to neurological, arterial and ocular involvement. Gastrointestinal manifestations occur in 1 to 60% of patients, with marked geographic disparity. Oesophageal involvement...