Dataset Information

Evaluation of active inflammation, chronic structural damage, and response to treatment of sacroiliitis in axial spondyloarthritis using the Spondyloarthritis research consortium of Canada scoring system.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease affecting the spine and sacroiliac joints. To investigate whether there are differences in inflammatory and chronic structural damages, as assessed by a semiquantitative MRI scoring method, between non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients with active inflammation at baseline, and to evaluate the treatment response in these patients after 3 months of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor treatment.

Methods

Fifty-eight axSpA patients with active inflammation were included in the study. The patients were divided into nr-axSpA group and AS group. MRI examinations of the sacroiliac joints were performed before and after treatment. Inflammatory and structural damages in these patients were assessed using the established Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) inflammation and sacroiliac joint structural (SSS) scoring methods, which are two MRI-based scoring methods. The SPARCC score, SSS score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) level were compared between the two groups.

Results

At baseline, SPARCC scores for patients in the nr-axSpA and AS groups did not differ significantly (P > 0.05); however, SSS scores for fat metaplasia, erosion, and backfill for patients in the AS group were significantly higher (P < 0.001). Compared with baseline, SPARCC scores were significantly decreased in both groups after treatment (P < 0.001); however, after treatment, no statistically significant difference was found regarding SPARCC scores between the AS and nr-axSpA groups. Compared with baseline, a significant increase in the SSS scores for fat metaplasia and backfill (P < 0.001) and a significant decrease in the SSS scores for erosion (P < 0.001) were observed in all axSpA patients. Changes in the SPARCC score was inversely correlated with the changes in the SSS score for fat metaplasia (r = - 0.634, P < 0.001). Changes in the SSS score for backfill were positively correlated with the changes in the SSS score for fat metaplasia (r = 0.277, P < 0.05) and inversely correlated with those for erosion (r = - 0.443, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The SPARCC and SSS scoring systems can be used to assess inflammatory and chronic structural damages as well as treatment responses in patients with axSpA. More severe structural damages were seen in AS patients. TNF-α inhibitor treatment for 3 months could effectively reduce inflammation in axSpA patients.

SUBMITTER: Zhang Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9270766 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium Canada (SPARCC) score is an effective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation method for inflammation in axial spondyloarthritis. Previously published meta-analyses have shown tumor necrosis factor α inhibitors (TNFi) had great effectiveness on improving disease activity and function in axial spondyloarthritis. However, there still has no one that concentrates on the impact of TNFi on MRI inflammation. We conduct a meta-analysis to summarize the impact of TNFi on MRI inflammation in axial spondyloarthritis using SPARCC score. Comprehensive search was conducted in the databases of OVID Medline, OVID EMBASE, and Cochrane library on November 14, 2020. We investigated the differences in SPARCC score of sacroiliac joint and spine, before and after TNFi treatment in patients with axial spondyloarthritis. SPARCC score was further compared in the subgroup by diagnostic category and TNFi types. In addition, clinical assessment indicators including ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score, bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index, bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index, c-reactive protein were also analyzed. Data were pooled by mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and publication bias was assessed by Egger's test. Jadad scale was applied to assess the quality of included trials. Compared with control group, TNFi significantly improved SPARCC score of sacroiliac joints (n = 11, MD = 2.86, 95% CI 2.50, 3.23) and spine (n = 5, MD = 1.87,95%CI 1.27, 2.46). This effect was consistent among subgroups by different diagnostic category (ankylosing spondylitis, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis) and TNFi types (adalimumab, certolizumab pegol). Analysis of clinical assessment indicators also confirmed the therapeutic effect on axial spondyloarthritis. Egger's test suggested no possibility of publication bias. This meta-analysis shows that TNFi are effective to improve MRI inflammation in patients with axial spondyloarthritis and the treatment effectiveness is not affected by diagnostic category and TNFi types.

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