Medicine (St Vincent's) - Research Publications
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ItemAssociation of clinic setting with quality indicator performance in systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross-sectional study(BMC, 2022-06-22)BACKGROUND: Healthcare quality for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a modifiable target for improving patient outcomes. We aimed to assess the quality of care processes in different clinic settings, comparing a subspecialty lupus clinic with hospital-based and private general rheumatology clinics. METHODS: Patients with SLE (n = 258) were recruited in 2016 from a subspecialty lupus clinic (n = 147), two hospital general rheumatology clinics (n = 56) and two private rheumatology clinics (n = 55). Data were collected from medical records and patient questionnaires. Quality of care was assessed using 31 validated SLE quality indicators (QI) encompassing diagnostic work-up, disease and comorbidity assessments, drug monitoring, preventative care and reproductive health. Per-QI performance was measured as a percentage of patients that met the QI relative to the number of patients eligible. Per-patient QI performance was calculated as a percentage of QIs met relative to the number of eligible QIs for each patient. Per-QI and per-patient QI performance were compared between the three clinic settings, and multiple regression performed to adjust for sociodemographic, disease and healthcare factors. RESULTS: Per-QI performance was generally high across all clinic settings for diagnostic work-up, comorbidity assessment, lupus nephritis, drug monitoring, prednisolone taper, osteoporosis and pregnancy care. Median [IQR] per-patient performance on eligible QIs was higher in the subspeciality lupus clinic (66.7% [57.1-74.1]) than the hospital general rheumatology (52.7% [47.5-58.1]) and private rheumatology (50.0% [42.9-60.9]) clinics (p <0.001) and the difference remained significant after multivariable adjustment. The subspecialty lupus clinic recorded higher per-QI performance for documentation of disease activity, disease damage, cardiovascular risk factor and drug toxicity assessments, pre-immunosuppression hepatitis and tuberculosis screening, new medication counselling, vaccinations, sun avoidance education and contraception counselling. CONCLUSIONS: SLE patients managed in a subspecialty lupus clinic recorded higher per-patient QI performance compared to hospital general rheumatology and private rheumatology clinics, in part related to better documentation on certain QIs.
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ItemContribution of HLA and KIR Alleles to Systemic Sclerosis Susceptibility and Immunological and Clinical Disease Subtypes.(Frontiers Media SA, 2022)Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoinflammatory, fibrotic condition of unknown aetiology. The presence of detectable autoantibodies against diverse nuclear antigens, as well as strong HLA associations with disease, suggest autoimmune involvement, however the links between endogenous and exogenous risk factors and SSc pathology remain undetermined. We have conducted a genetic analysis of HLA inheritance in two independent and meta-analysed cohorts of 1,465 SSc cases and 13,273 controls, including stratified association analyses in clinical and autoantibody positive subgroups of disease. Additionally, we have used patient genotypes to impute gene dosages across the KIR locus, encoding paired activating and inhibitory lymphocyte receptors for Class I HLA ligands, to conduct the largest analysis of KIR-HLA epistatic interactions in SSc to date. We confirm previous Class II HLA associations with SSc risk and report a new Class I association with haplotype HLA-B*44:03-HLA-C*16:01 at genome-wide significance (GWS). We further report statistically significant HLA associations with clinical and serological subtypes of disease through direct case-case comparison, and report a new association of HLA-DRB1*15:01, previously shown to bind topoisomerase-1 derived peptides, with anti-topoisomerase (ATA) positive disease. Finally, we identify genetic epistasis between KIRs and HLA class I ligands, suggesting genetic modulation of lymphocyte activation may further contribute to an individual's underlying disease risk. Taken together, these findings support future functional investigation into endogenous immunological and environmental stimuli for disrupted immune tolerance in SSc.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableA comprehensive framework for navigating patient care in systemic sclerosis: A global response to the need for improving the practice of diagnostic and preventive strategies in SSc(ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2021-09-23)Systemic sclerosis (SSc), the most lethal of rheumatologic conditions, is the cause of death in >50% of SSc cases, led by pulmonary fibrosis followed by pulmonary hypertension and then scleroderma renal crisis (SRC). Multiple other preventable and treatable SSc-related vascular, cardiac, gastrointestinal, nutritional and musculoskeletal complications can lead to disability and death. Vascular injury with subsequent inflammation transforming to irreversible fibrosis and permanent damage characterizes SSc. Organ involvement is often present early in the disease course of SSc, but requires careful history-taking and vigilance in screening to detect. Inflammation is potentially reversible provided that treatment intensity quells inflammation and other immune mechanisms. In any SSc phenotype, opportunities for early treatment are prone to be under-utilized, especially in slowly progressive phenotypes that, in contrast to severe progressive ILD, indolently accrue irreversible organ damage resulting in later-stage life-limiting complications such as pulmonary hypertension, cardiac involvement, and malnutrition. A single SSc patient visit often requires much more physician and staff time, organization, vigilance, and direct management for multiple organ systems compared to other rheumatic or pulmonary diseases. Efficiency and efficacy of comprehensive SSc care enlists trending of symptoms and bio-data. Financial sustainability of SSc care benefits from understanding insurance reimbursement and health system allocation policies for complex patients. Sharing care between recognised SSc centers and local cardiology/pulmonary/rheumatology/gastroenterology colleagues may prevent complications and poor outcomes, while providing support to local specialists. As scleroderma specialists, we offer a practical framework with tools to facilitate an optimal, comprehensive and sustainable approach to SSc care. Improved health outcomes in SSc relies upon recogntion, management and, to the extent possible, prevention of SSc and treatment-related complications.
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ItemRandomized feasibility trial of the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Self-Management (SPIN-SELF) Program.(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2022-02-26)BACKGROUND: The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) developed an online self-management program (SPIN-SELF) designed to improve disease-management self-efficacy in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc, or scleroderma). The aim of this study was to evaluate feasibility aspects for conducting a full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the SPIN-SELF Program. METHODS: This feasibility trial was embedded in the SPIN Cohort and utilized the cohort multiple RCT design. In this design, at the time of cohort enrollment, cohort participants consent to be assessed for trial eligibility and randomized prior to being informed about the trial. Participants in the intervention arm are informed and provide consent, but not the control group. Forty English-speaking SPIN Cohort participants from Canada, the USA, or the UK with low disease-management self-efficacy (Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease Scale [SEMCD] score ≤ 7) who were interested in using an online self-management program were randomized (3:2 ratio) to be offered the SPIN-SELF Program or usual care for 3 months. Program usage was examined via automated usage logs. User satisfaction was assessed with semi-structured interviews. Trial personnel time requirements and implementation challenges were logged. RESULTS: Of 40 SPIN Cohort participants randomized, 26 were allocated to SPIN-SELF and 14 to usual care. Automated eligibility and randomization procedures via the SPIN Cohort platform functioned properly, except that two participants with SEMCD scores > 7 (scores of 7.2 and 7.3, respectively) were included, which was caused by a system programming error that rounded SEMCD scores. Of 26 SPIN Cohort participants offered the SPIN-SELF Program, only 9 (35%) consented to use the program. Usage logs showed that use of the SPIN-SELF Program was low: 2 of 9 users (22%) logged into the program only once (median = 3), and 4 of 9 (44%) accessed none or only 1 of the 9 program's modules (median = 2). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study will lead to substantial changes for the planned full-scale RCT of the SPIN-SELF Program that we will incorporate into a planned additional feasibility trial with progression to a full-scale trial. These changes include transitioning to a conventional RCT design with pre-randomization consent and supplementing the online self-help with peer-facilitated videoconference-based groups to enhance engagement. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov , NCT03914781 . Registered 16 April 2019.
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ItemGastric antral vascular ectasia in systemic sclerosis: a study of its epidemiology, disease characteristics and impact on survival.(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2022-05-10)BACKGROUND: To describe the epidemiology, determinants and survival impact of gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: Consecutive SSc patients prospectively enrolled in the Australian Scleroderma Cohort Study (ASCS) were included. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to determine the associations of GAVE with clinical manifestations and serological parameters. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curves were used to estimate survival. RESULTS: The prevalence of GAVE in this SSc cohort of 2039 SSc patients was 10.6% (n = 216) over a median follow-up period of 4.3(1.7-8.4) years. SSc patients with a history of GAVE compared with those without a history of GAVE were older at SSc onset [49.5 (40.0-58.2) vs 46.7 (36.0-56.7) years, p = 0.05]; more likely to have diffuse disease subtype (dcSSc) (35.3% vs 24.1%, p < 0.001); be negative for Scl-70, U1RNP and Scl/PM antibody (4.0% vs 16.1%, p < 0.001, 3.5% vs 7.4%, p = 0.041, 0.0% vs 2.0%, p = 0.042; and respectively) and positive for RNAP III antibody (24.9% vs 8.3%, p < 0.001). Those with GAVE had a worse HRQoL (p = 0.002). Independent determinants of GAVE included the presence of RNAP III antibody (OR 3.46, p < 0.001), absence of Scl-70 antibody (OR 0.23, p = 0.001), presence of GIT dysmotility (OR 1.64, p = 0.004), and digital ulcers; pits; or digital amputation (OR 1.59, p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: GAVE is an underestimated and underappreciated SSc manifestation of SSc, which occurs with a relatively high frequency. Identifying an at-risk GAVE phenotype, as presented herein, is of practical importance as screening may prove advantageous given GAVE can be easily diagnosed and treated.
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ItemImpact of remission and low disease activity on health-related quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.(Oxford University Press (OUP), 2022-03-18)OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of remission and lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in systemic lupus erythematosus. METHODS: SF-36, EQ-5D-3L and FACIT-Fatigue data from the BLISS-52 (NCT00424476) and BLISS-76 (NCT00410384) trials were used. Duration in remission/LLDAS required to reach a HRQoL benefit ≥ minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) during and post-treatment was determined using quantile regression and generalised estimating equations. RESULTS: Patients (N = 1684) were assessed every 4th week (15 visits). Four cumulative (β = 0.60) or four consecutive (β = 0.66) visits in remission were required to achieve a benefit ≥MCID in SF-36 physical component summary (PCS) scores, and six cumulative (β = 0.44) or five consecutive (β = 0.49) for a benefit ≥MCID in mental component summary (MCS) scores. Eight cumulative (β = 0.30 for both) or eight consecutive (β = 0.32 for both) visits in LLDAS were required for a benefit in PCS/MCS ≥MCID, respectively.For EQ-5D-3L index scores ≥MCID, six cumulative (β = 0.007) or five consecutive (β = 0.008) visits in remission were required, and eight cumulative (β = 0.005) or six consecutive (β = 0.006) visits in LLDAS. For FACIT-Fatigue scores ≥MCID, 12 cumulative (β = 0.34) or 10 consecutive (β = 0.39) visits in remission were required, and 17 cumulative (β = 0.24) or 16 consecutive (β = 0.25) visits in LLDAS. CONCLUSION: Remission and LLDAS contribute to a HRQoL benefit in a time-dependent manner. Shorter time in remission than in LLDAS was required for a clinically important benefit in HRQoL, and longer time in remission for a benefit in mental compared with physical HRQoL aspects. When remission/LLDAS was sustained, the same benefit was achieved in a shorter time.
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ItemUsing magnetic resonance imaging to map the hidden burden of muscle involvement in systemic sclerosis(BMC, 2022-04-11)BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle can be directly affected by systemic sclerosis (SSc); however, a significant burden of SSc-associated myopathy is undetected because clinical parameters such as weakness and creatine kinase (CK) are unreliable biomarkers of muscle involvement. This study presents qualitative and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings that quantify the prevalence of myopathy and evaluate any association between skeletal and cardiac muscle involvement in SSc. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with SSc who fulfilled the 2013 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria underwent skeletal muscle MRI in addition to cardiac MRI. Skeletal muscles were independently assessed by two musculoskeletal radiologists for evidence of oedema, fatty infiltration and atrophy. Skeletal muscle T2 mapping times and percentage fat fraction were calculated. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the clinical and myocardial associations with skeletal muscle oedema and fatty infiltration. Cardiac MRI was performed using post gadolinium contrast imaging and parametric mapping techniques to assess focal and diffuse myocardial fibrosis. RESULTS: Thirteen participants (40.6%) had MRI evidence of skeletal muscle oedema. Five (15.6%) participants had fatty infiltration. There was no association between skeletal muscle oedema and muscle strength, creatine kinase, inflammatory markers or fibroinflammatory myocardial disease. Patients with skeletal muscle oedema had higher T2-mapping times; there was a significant association between subjective assessments of muscle oedema and T2-mapping time (coef 2.46, p = 0.02) and percentage fat fraction (coef 3.41, p = 0.02). Diffuse myocardial fibrosis was a near-universal finding, and one third of patients had focal myocardial fibrosis. There was no association between skeletal myopathy detected by MRI and burden of myocardial disease. CONCLUSIONS: MRI is a sensitive measure of muscle oedema and systematic assessment of SSc patients using MRI shows that myopathy is highly prevalent, even in patients without symptoms or other signs of muscle involvement. Similarly, cardiac fibrosis is highly prevalent but occurs independently of skeletal muscle changes. These results indicate that novel quantitative MRI techniques may be useful for assessing sub-clinical skeletal muscle disease in SSc.
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Item'Not at target': prevalence and consequences of inadequate disease control in systemic lupus erythematosus-a multinational observational cohort study.(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2022-03-14)BACKGROUND: The unmet need in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with the current standard of care is widely recognised, but few studies have quantified this. The recent definition of treat-to-target endpoints and other thresholds of uncontrolled disease activity provide an opportunity to formally define unmet need in SLE. In this study, we enumerated the prevalence of these states and examined their association with adverse outcomes. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively in a 13-country longitudinal SLE cohort between 2013 and 2019. Unmet need was defined as never attaining lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS), a time-adjusted mean SLEDAI-2K (AMS) > 4, or ever experiencing high disease activity status (HDAS; SLEDAI-2K ≥10). Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using SF36 (v2) and damage accrual using the SLICC-ACR SLE Damage Index (SDI). RESULTS: A total of 3384 SLE patients were followed over 30,313 visits (median [IQR] follow-up 2.4 [0.4, 4.3] years). Eight hundred thirteen patients (24%) never achieved LLDAS. Median AMS was 3.0 [1.4, 4.9]; 34% of patients had AMS > 4. Twenty-five per cent of patients had episodes of HDAS. Each of LLDAS-never, AMS>4, and HDAS-ever was strongly associated with damage accrual, higher glucocorticoid use, and worse HRQoL. Mortality was significantly increased in LLDAS-never (adjusted HR [95% CI] = 4.98 [2.07, 12.0], p<0.001) and HDAS-ever (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) [95% CI] = 5.45 [2.75, 10.8], p<0.001) patients. CONCLUSION: Failure to achieve LLDAS, high average disease activity, and episodes of HDAS were prevalent in SLE and were significantly associated with poor outcomes including organ damage, glucocorticoid exposure, poor quality of life, and mortality.
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ItemDeterminants and protective associations of the lupus low disease activity state in a prospective Chinese cohort(SPRINGER LONDON LTD, 2021-09-30)OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency and determinants of achieving the lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS), and the effect of LLDAS attainment on disease flare and damage accrual in a prospective, single-center cohort of Chinese lupus patients. METHODS: Baseline and follow-up data from consecutive patients at the Peking University First Hospital were collected from January 2017 to June 2020. RESULTS: A total of 185 patients were enrolled, with median (range) disease duration at enrolment of 2.3 (0.8-7.7) years, and median follow-up of 2.2 (1.0-2.9) years. By the end of the study, 139 (75.1%) patients had achieved LLDAS at least once; 82 (44.3%) patients achieved LLDAS for ≥ 50% of observations. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that 24-h urinary total protein (UTP; per g) (OR = 0.447, 95%CI [0.207-0.968], p = 0.041), serum creatinine (Scr; per 10 µmol/L) (OR = 0.72, 95%CI [0.52-0.99], p = 0.040), and C3 level (per 100 mg/L) (OR = 1.60, 95%CI [1.18-2.17], p = 0.003) at recruitment had independent negative associations with achieving LLDAS for ≥ 50% of observations. Kaplan-Meier analyses showed a significant reduction in flare rate with increased proportion of time in LLDAS. Attainment of LLDAS in at least 50% of observations was an independent protective factor for damage accrual (OR = 0.19, 95%CI [0.04-0.99], p = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: In this prospective Chinese cohort, LLDAS was an attainable goal in clinical practice. Nephritis-related markers (UTP and Scr) and C3 level at recruitment negatively influenced achievement of LLDAS. LLDAS achievement was significantly protective from flare and damage accrual. KEY POINTS: • Low disease activity status (LLDAS) is an achievable target during SLE treatment in China. Urine protein, serum creatinine, and C3 level at recruitment independently affect LLDAS achievement in this group of Chinese lupus patients. • As a treatment target, LLDAS achievement has a highly protective effect for preventing flare and damage accrual, especially in case of achieving LLDAS for ≥ 50% of observations. • The present results further highlight the practical significance of treat-to-target principle in SLE management (T2T/SLE) and the needs for promoting the application of T2T/SLE in clinical practice as well as exploring the concrete implement strategy.
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ItemIndependent associations of lymphopenia and neutropenia in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a longitudinal, multinational study(OXFORD UNIV PRESS, 2021-03-10)OBJECTIVE: The prevalence and associations of leucopenia in SLE remain incompletely understood. We evaluated associations of disease activity and medication use with leucopenia (lymphopenia and neutropenia) in a multinational, prospectively followed SLE cohort. METHODS: Data from the Asia Pacific Lupus Collaboration cohort, in which disease activity and medications were prospectively captured from 2013 to 2018, were used. Predictors of lymphopenia (lymphocyte count <0.8 × 109/l) and neutropenia (neutrophil count <1.5 × 109/l) were examined using multiple failure, time-dependent survival analyses. RESULTS: Data from 2330 patients and 18 287 visits were analysed. One thousand and eighteen patients (43.7%) had at least one episode of leucopenia; 867 patients (37.2%) had lymphopenia, observed in 3065 (16.8%) visits, and 292 (12.5%) patients had neutropenia, in 622 (3.4%) visits. After multivariable analyses, lymphopenia was associated with overall disease activity, ESR, serology, prednisolone, AZA, MTX, tacrolimus, CYC and rituximab use. MTX and ciclosporin were negatively associated with neutropenia. Lupus low disease activity state was negatively associated with both lymphopenia and neutropenia. CONCLUSION: Both lymphopenia and neutropenia were common in SLE patients but were differentially associated with disease and treatment variables. Lymphopenia and neutropenia should be considered independently in studies in SLE.