Arthritis Research Canada at EULAR 2024
The EULAR European Congress of Rheumatology is the primary platform for exchange of scientific and clinical information in Europe. It seeks to provide a forum of the highest standard for scientific, educational and social exchange between professionals involved in rheumatology. It also incorporates liaising with patient organizations in order to achieve progress in the clinical care of people with rheumatic diseases.
The EULAR Congress attracts more than 18,000 delegates from over 130 countries and takes place in a major European city. This year, the EULAR Congress takes place in Vienna between June 12 and June 15.
To learn about Arthritis Research Canada research presented at the EULAR European Congress of Rheumatology (Day 1), please scroll down.
Navigating complexities of multiple positive myositis autoantibodies: analysis from classification criteria of anti-synthetase syndrome (class) project
This study investigated the presence and significance of multiple autoantibodies in a group of patients with Anti-synthetase Syndrome (ASSD). They found that about two-thirds of patients had these specific autoantibodies, and almost 12% of them had multiple types. Some combinations of autoantibodies were linked to specific clinical features, suggesting potential overlap syndromes that might not be fully recognized in clinical practice.
Research Team: Loganathan A, Sambataro G, Yoshida A, Dourado E, Zanframundo G, Bozan F, Rivero Gallegos D, Bauer-Ventura I, Yamano Y, Bae S, Lim D, Faghihi-Kashani S, Bonella F, Corte TJ, Doyle T, Fiorentino D, González-Gay M Á, Hudson M, Kuwana M, Lundberg IE, Mammen A, Mchugh N, Miller F, Montecucco C, Oddis CV, Rojas-Serrano J, Schmidt J, Scirè CA, Selva-O’callaghan A, Werth V, Aggarwal R, Cavagna L, on behalf of Classification Criteria of Anti-Synthetase Syndrome (CLASS) project.
Prediagnostic proteomics of gout: prospective cohort study of 48,898 men and women
This study explored how proteins in the blood relate to the risk of developing gout. Results showed that levels of many proteins were linked to the risk of developing gout, even after accounting for uric acid levels. These findings provide new insights to better understand what causes gout and how it develops.
Research Team: McCormick N,Joshi A, Terkeltaub R, Merriman T, Yokose C,Choi H.
Characterizing prevalent non-articular pain at early RA diagnosis and evolution over the first year of RA treatment: results from the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort study
This study investigated the patterns of non-articular pain in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The authors analyzed data from 392 early RA patients from the Canadian CATCH cohort and found that over half of the patients experienced non-articular pain at diagnosis, and regional pain affecting 1-2 body sections was the most common pattern. Results suggest that active RA joint inflammation might also contribute to the development of pain outside the joints.
Research Team: Meng C, Lee Y, Schieir O, Valois MF, Butler M, Boire G, Hazlewood G, Hitchon CA, Keystone E, Tin D, Thorne C, Bessette L, Pope J, Bartlett SJ, Bykerk V.
The role of multi-criteria decision analysis in the development of candidate classification criteria for antisynthetase syndrome: analysis from the class project
This study is developing new criteria for diagnosing antisynthetase syndrome (ASSD) using expert consensus and a decision analysis technique. Potential criteria were tested and found to be highly accurate, aligning well with expert opinions. The next step will be to simplify and validate these criteria with clinical information from patient data.
Research Team:Zanframundo G, Dourado E, Bauer-Ventura I, Faghihi-Kashani S, Yoshida A, Loganathan A, Rivero Gallegos D, Lim D, Bozan F, Sambataro G, Bae S, Yamano Y, Bonella FF, J. Corte T, Doyle T, Fiorentino D, González-Gay MA, Hudson M, Kuwana M, Lundberg IE, Mammen A, Mchugh N, Miller F, Montecucco C, Oddis CV, Rojas-Serrano, Schmidt J, Selva-O’callaghan A, Werth VP, Hansen P, Rozza D, Scirè CA, Sakellariou G, Cavagna L, Aggarwa R, on behalf of CLASS project working group and contributing centres.
Variability in Initial MTX Response in Newly Diagnosed RA Patients with Distinct PRO Symptom Clusters: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort
Following an approach commonly used in cancer, where symptom clusters (groups of symptoms occurring together) at presentation are used to predict prognosis and inform treatment choices, the authors found that patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be grouped into four distinct symptom clusters based on their patterns of pain, fatigue, depression, and anxiety. This helped predict response to methotrexate over the first six months of their disease. People with moderate to severe physical and emotional symptoms had worse disease activity, physical function, and social participation compared to others. This will help identify early patients at higher risk of poorer outcomes who may benefit from more aggressive medical treatment and psychosocial interventions
Research Team: Bartlett S, Bingham CO, Schieir O, Valois MF, Pope J, Thorne C, Bessette L, Hitchon CA, Boire G, tin D, Keystone E, Hazlewood G, Bykerk V, Catch Investigators, on behalf of CATCH Early Arthritis Investigators.
Cardiovascular safety of colchicine and nsaid prophylaxis with urate-lowering therapy initiation: target trial emulation (tte) analyses
This research found that for gout patients starting allopurinol, using colchicine for flare prevention was associated with a lower risk of heart attack and major cardiovascular events compared to NSAIDs. There was no increased risk when using colchicine compared to no preventive treatment. These results suggest that colchicine is safer for gout patients, especially those with cardiovascular risks, supporting its use over NSAIDs for preventing flares.
Research Team:Yokose C,McCormick N, Lu N, Abhishek A, Gaffo A, Zhang Y, Choi H.
Deucravacitinib, a first-in-class, oral, selective, allosteric tyrosine kinase 2 (tyk2) inhibitor, in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): efficacy by baseline demographics and disease characteristics in the phase 2 paisley trial
In a trial of patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the drug deucravacitinib (a drug used for the treatment of psoriasis) led to significant improvement in disease symptoms compared to a placebo over 48 weeks. The improvements were consistent across different patient subgroups, regardless of race, baseline disease severity, glucocorticoid use, or disease duration. These results suggest that deucravacitinib could be an effective treatment for SLE. Phase 3 trials are currently ongoing to further validate these findings.
Research Team:Morand E, Arriens C, Geraldino-Pardilla L, Clarke AE, Pomponi S, Hobar C, Wegman T, Koti R, Banerjee S, Van Vollenhoven RF.
