AB0691 INCREASED CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN MIXED CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE: EVALUATION OF MACROVASCULAR INVOLVEMENT AND ITS PREDICTORS BY AORTIC PULSE WAVE VELOCITY

Background: Macrovascular involvement and cardiovascular (CV) risk have not been sufficiently studied in patients with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). In particular, the gold standard assessment method of aortic stiffness carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) (1) has never been evaluated in patients with this disease. Objectives: Aims of the present study were to examine cfPWV in MCTD and to evaluate its associations with MCTD associated parameters and traditional CV risk factors. Methods: cfPWV measurements were performed in 43 MCTD patients and 107 healthy controls. The difference between cfPWV in the two groups was statistically examined and subsequently controlled for the …

Fatigue in SLE: diagnostic and pathogenic impact of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) autoantibodies.

ObjectivesWe explored the impact of circulating anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibodies on the severity of fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).MethodsSerum samples of 426 patients with SLE were analysed for the presence of antibodies to the NR2 subunit of the NMDAR. In parallel, the severity of fatigue was determined according to the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive functions questionnaire. In a subgroup of patients with SLE, the hippocampal volume was correlated with the levels of anti-NR2 antibodies. Isolated immunoglobulin G from patients with anti-NR2 antibodies were used for murine immunohistochemical experiments and functional assays on neuro…

Realität der Versorgungssituation der Gicht: Daten zur Klinik, Epidemiologie und Komorbiditäten von 4016 Patienten in Rheinland-Pfalz

Zusammenfassung Einleitung Ziel dieser Datenerhebung war die Untersuchung der klinischen, demografischen und Komorbidität-assoziierten Daten der Gicht sowie der klinischen Praxis der hausärztlichen Gichtversorgung in Rheinland-Pfalz (RL-P). Methoden Gicht-spezifische Fragebögen wurden über die kassenärztliche Vereinigung an alle Hausarztpraxen in RL-P versendet. Die Fragebögen setzten sich aus Items zur Erfassung von Epidemiologie, Medikation und Komorbiditäten zusammen. Darüber hinaus wurden Fragen zur klinischen Manifestation der Gicht mit einem besonderen Fokus auf therapierefraktäre Fälle eingebunden. Schließlich wurden die Hausärzte angehalten, den aktuellen Versorgungsstatus anhand ei…

Possible misclassification of cardiovascular risk by SCORE in antisynthetase syndrome: results of the pilot multicenter study RI.CAR.D.A

Abstract Objectives To test the ability of an established traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk prediction score [Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE)] and its EULAR modified version (mSCORE) to identify antisynthetase syndrome (ASyS) patients at high CV risk and to examine for the first time associations of CV and cerebrovascular surrogate markers with clinical and immunological ASyS parameters. Methods SCORE/mSCORE and the gold standard marker of aortic stiffness [carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV)] were examined in ASyS patients and healthy controls. Moreover, sonography of the common- (CCA) and internal- (ICA) carotid arteries was performed in subsets of both groups, eval…

Diagnostic Value of Optical Spectral Transmission in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Associations with Clinical Characteristics and Comparison with Joint Ultrasonography

Objective.To examine the value of optical spectral transmission (OST) in detecting joint inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to evaluate whether OST correlates with certain patient characteristics.Methods.OST measurements were performed in the metacarpophalangeal, proximal intraphalangeal, and wrist joints of 168 patients with RA and 114 controls. OST difference between the 2 groups was statistically examined and subsequently controlled for the effect of possible confounding factors. Diagnostic OST performance was tested by receiver-operating characteristics. Moreover, associations of OST with clinical and serological activity markers (patient group), joint ultrasoun…

FRI0628 DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF OPTICAL SPECTRAL TRANSMISSION IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: CORRELATIONS WITH DISEASE ACTIVITY, EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS

Background Valid assessment of disease activity leads to improvement of long-term outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (1). Clinical disease activity assessment tools such as the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) are partially subjective and do not always depict the real inflammatory burden. Ultrasound (US) and Hand-MRI are important diagnostic modalities which can nevertheless be time consuming (US, MRI), expensive (MRI) or usually performed unilaterally (MRI). Thus, further diagnostic tools are needed. Optical spectral transmission (OST) is a new modality able to assess the blood-specific absorption of light transmitted through a tissue promising quantification of inflammat…

AB0210 Quality of Life Indexes in Patients with Very Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (VERA): A Two Center Subgroup Analysis from The Adapthera Cohort: Table 1.

Background The significance of early diagnosis and early therapy initiation in patients with RA is tremendous. ADAPTHERA is a state wide rheumatology network based in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. ADAPTHERA aims to improve RA prognosis and quality of patients` life by reducing the time-to-RA-diagnosis. While there have been a lot of studies regarding quality of life in patients with established RA 1,2 , adequate data concerning very early rheumatoid arthritis (VERA) (disease duration Objectives To study quality of life in VERA patients and to investigate its associations with various RA associated clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods In a two center subgroup analysis from the ADAPTH…

Dr. Triantafyllias, et al reply

To the Editor: We have read with great interest the letter of Verhoeven, et al ,1 referring to our recent publication on the diagnostic value of optical spectral transmission (OST) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).2 In our work we had described for the first time, to our knowledge, that OST values could be influenced not only by disease-associated factors (i.e., inflammatory activity) but also by patient-associated characteristics, such as sex, BMI, and age. …

AB1209 THE RHEUMA-BUS-TOUR: TWO WEEK OPEN-ACCESS SCREENING FOR EARLY RHEUMATIC DISEASES

Background Early diagnosis is crucial for patients with rheumatic diseases. Studies show that early stage patients already show reduced mental and physical health [2, 3]. However, early diagnosis is often delayed due to the severe lack of rheumatologists in Germany. Objectives The cross-sectional study compares data on physical and mental health of known and suspected early rheumatic patients, collected from participants of the bus tour. Methods The Rheuma-Bus-Tour is an annual, two week open-access screening event in three states (Rhineland-Palatine, Saarland, Lower Saxony) that raises awareness for rheumatic diseases and identifies people with potential early cases of RA, SpA and PsA. All…

AB1232 RHEUMA-VOR: A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT NETWORK STUDY FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF RHEUMATOLOGICAL HEALTH CARE THROUGH COORDINATED COOPERATION

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis arthritis (PsA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) are the most common chronic autoimmune rheumatic diseases. For all 3, the so-called “window of opportunity” [1-3] has been identified as the decisive factor affecting the outcome. Objectives The aim of the prospective study is to improve early diagnosis of RA, PsA and SpA and thus positively impact the quality of care for patients with the help of coordinating centers. The primary endpoint is the number of cases with an actual indication for immediate referral to a specialist in proportion to all reported cases. Methods The project establishes a network of the University Medical Center Mainz, the Med…

The relationship between BAFF serum levels, anti-NMDAR autoantibodies and fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis.

Influence of Antisynthetase Antibodies Specificities on Antisynthetase Syndrome Clinical Spectrum Time Course

Antisynthetase syndrome (ASSD) is a rare clinical condition that is characterized by the occurrence of a classic clinical triad, encompassing myositis, arthritis, and interstitial lung disease (ILD), along with specific autoantibodies that are addressed to different aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (ARS). Until now, it has been unknown whether the presence of a different ARS might affect the clinical presentation, evolution, and outcome of ASSD. In this study, we retrospectively recorded the time of onset, characteristics, clustering of triad findings, and survival of 828 ASSD patients (593 anti-Jo1, 95 anti-PL7, 84 anti-PL12, 38 anti-EJ, and 18 anti-OJ), referring to AENEAS (American and Europea…