Rheumatoid Arthritis Initiating As Palindromic Rheumatism: a Distinct Clinical Phenotype? Raul Castellanos-Moreira , Sebastian C
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Rheumatoid Arthritis Initiating as Palindromic Rheumatism: A Distinct Clinical Phenotype? Raul Castellanos-Moreira , Sebastian C. Rodriguez-Garcia , José A. Gómez-Puerta , Virginia Ruiz-Esquide , Oscar Camacho , Julio Ramírez , Andrea Cuervo , Rosa Morlà , Juan D. Cañete , Isabel Haro , and Raimon Sanmarti ABSTRACT. Objective. To analyze the prevalence of preexisting palindromic rheumatism (PR) in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to evaluate whether these patients have a distinctive clinical and serological phenotype. Methods. Cross-sectional study in patients with established RA. Preexisting PR was determined using a structured protocol and confirmed by retrospective review of medical records. Demographic, clinical, radiological, immunological, and therapeutic features were compared in patients with and without PR. Results. Included were 158 patients with established RA (78% female) with a mean disease duration since RA onset of 5.1 ± 2.7 years. Preexisting PR was recorded in 29 patients (18%). The median time from the onset of PR to progression to RA was 1.2 years. No between-group differences in demographic features, current disease activity, radiographic erosive disease, or disability were observed. Patients with PR had a higher prevalence of smoking (72% vs 40%). Positive rheumatoid factor, anticitrullinated peptide antibodies, and anticarbamylated protein antibodies were numerically higher in patients with PR. No differences in treatment were observed except for greater hydroxy- chloroquine (HCQ) use in patients with PR (38% vs 6%). Palindromic flares persisted in a significant proportion of patients during the RA course, including patients in clinical remission or receiving biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Conclusion. Eighteen percent of patients with RA had a history compatible with PR previous to RA onset. No specific clinical or serological phenotype was identified in these patients, although higher HCQ use and smoking prevalence were identified. Palindromic flares may persist during the RA disease course despite treatment. (J Rheumatol First Release January 15 2020; doi:10.3899/ jrheum.190061) Key Indexing Terms: PALINDROMIC RHEUMATISM RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS ANTICITRULLINATED PROTEIN ANTIBODIES HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE ANTICARBAMYLATED PROTEIN ANTIBODIES SMOKING From the Arthritis Unit, Rheumatology Department, Hospital Clinic of Address correspondence to Dr. R. Sanmarti, Arthritis Unit, Rheumatology Barcelona; Unit of Synthesis and Biomedical Applications of Peptides, Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Villarroel 170, Barcelona, Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain 08036. E-mail: [email protected] Spain. Accepted for publication July 8, 2019. This study was supported by a grant from the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Research, Innovation and Education Department (Raul Castellanos-Moreira, Premi Fi de residencia: Emili Letang 37933). Palindromic rheumatism (PR) is a form of intermittent R. Castellanos-Moreira, MD, Arthritis Unit, Rheumatology Department, arthritis that may evolve to chronic rheumatic disease, mainly Hospital Clinic of Barcelona; S.C. Rodriguez-Garcia, MD, Arthritis Unit, rheumatoid arthritis (RA)1. It is unclear whether PR is a Rheumatology Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona; J.A. Gómez- Puerta, MD, PhD, MPH, Arthritis Unit, Rheumatology Department, separate clinical syndrome, an abortive form of RA, or just a 2,3 Hospital Clinic of Barcelona; V. Ruiz-Esquide, MD, PhD, Arthritis Unit, preclinical phase of RA . It is possible that PR forms part Rheumatology Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona; O. Camacho, of the same spectrum as RA, given the high rate of MD, Arthritis Unit, Rheumatology Department, Hospital Clinic of 4 Barcelona; J. Ramírez, MD, PhD, Arthritis Unit, Rheumatology progression toward RA (in up to 67% of cases in 1 series ) Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona; A. Cuervo, MD, Arthritis Unit, and a similar autoantibody profile, including rheumatoid Rheumatology Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona; R. Morlà, MD, 5 PhD, Arthritis Unit, Rheumatology Department, Hospital Clinic of factor (RF) and anticitrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA) . Barcelona; J.D. Cañete, MD, PhD, Arthritis Unit, Rheumatology However, PR is intermittent, periarticular inflammation Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona; I. Haro, PhD, Unit of Synthesis occurs during flares, and not all patients evolve to RA, and Biomedical Applications of Peptides, IQAC-CSIC; R. Sanmarti, MD, PhD, Arthritis Unit, Rheumatology Department, Hospital Clinic of suggesting that in some cases PR can be considered a distinct 2,6 Barcelona. disease entity . Positive autoantibody status is a biomarker Personal non-commercial use only. The Journal of Rheumatology Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. Castellanos-Moreira, et al: RA and palindromic rheumatism 1 Downloaded on September 29, 2021 from www.jrheum.org for progression to RA7, although a significant proportion of study entry, especially regarding the number and characteristics of flares in seropositive patients with PR do not develop RA in the long the 12 months before study inclusion. Medical records were completely 8 reviewed to corroborate symptoms compatible with PR before RA onset and term, with intermittent arthritis persisting . whether the flares were observed by the treating physician. Owing to the Studies have analyzed prognostic factors and progression retrospective design of the study, no specific classification criteria for PR to RA in patients with PR7,8,9,10,11, even though none has were used. Only patients with both an inclusion visit protocol and medical reported the prevalence of preexisting PR in patients with records compatible with PR were categorized as PR, unless symptoms could established RA or whether these patients have a distinctive not explain by other causes. PR disease duration was defined as date from PR onset to RA onset. RA disease duration was calculated from RA disease clinical and/or serological phenotype. In clinical practice, we onset to the inclusion visit. have observed various patients with preexisting PR who Our study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki presented typical palindromic flares after RA was diagnosed, and was approved by the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona Clinical Research including patients in clinical remission. Ethics Committee (ethics approval number 2017/0679). Signed informed The aims of our study were to analyze the prevalence of consent was obtained from all patients before study enrollment. intermittent arthritis compatible with PR before RA onset, Statistical analysis. We compared the study variables in RA patients with and without preexisting PR. Proportions were calculated using the chi-square differences in the clinical phenotype and immunological and test or Fisher’s exact test when expected counts were ≤ 5. Continuous therapeutic features among established RA patients with and variables were analyzed using the parametric Student t test or the nonpara- without preexisting PR and whether typical intermittent metric Mann-Whitney U test when there was a non-normal distribution. A arthritis flares continued after RA onset. cumulative probability plot was constructed to assess the time from PR onset to RA onset. Continuous data are presented as means and SD or median and interquartile range, according to the distribution and categorical variables as MATERIALS AND METHODS absolute frequencies and percentages. The level of statistical significance We conducted a cross-sectional study in consecutive patients attending the was established as ≤ 0.05. The analysis was made using IBM SPSS for Arthritis Unit, Rheumatology Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Windows version 23.0. Catalonia, Spain, between July 2017 and July 2018. Inclusion criteria were RA according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria, with a disease duration < 10 years RESULTS since RA onset. Exclusion criteria were other inflammatory arthritis or Prevalence of PR before RA onset. A total of 158 patients connective tissue diseases diagnosed before the inclusion visit according to (78% female) were included, with a mean age of 58.8 ± 13.1 standard criteria. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively in all years and a disease duration since RA onset of 5.1 ± 2.7 patients. The following variables were collected: demographic characteristics, years. Twenty-nine patients (18%) presented a history smoking status (current or previous smoking and cumulative exposure), RA compatible with PR before RA onset, with joint flares, duration, extraarticular manifestations (EAMS) according to predefined typically monoarticular, mostly lasting < 72 h, which could 12 criteria , current disease activity measured by the 28-joint count Disease not be explained by other diseases, such as crystal arthritis. Activity Score (DAS28), the Simplified Disease Activity Index, and the Eighteen patients who reported PR symptoms in the question- Clinical Disease Activity Index. Data collected were patient-reported outcomes such as the Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3, and naire were finally classified as having inflammatory disability as measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire–Disability arthralgia (n = 13) or polymyalgia-like syndrome (n = 5) Index. A pain visual analog scale was administered. The number and distri- because of more persistent symptoms (> 1 week) and clinical bution of