Elsevier

Autoimmunity Reviews

Volume 8, Issue 5, March 2009, Pages 431-437
Autoimmunity Reviews

Predicting response to anti-TNF treatment in rheumatoid arthritis patients

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autrev.2009.01.005Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To identify the clinical factors predicting failure or a good clinical response in the cohort of RA patients entered in the Lombardy Rheumatology Network (LORHEN) registry after 3 years of treatment with anti-TNF agents.

Methods

We studied the patients who had received anti-TNF agents and been followed up for a minimum of 6 months. Disease activity at baseline and after 6 months was assessed using the DAS28, and response was evaluated according to the EULAR improvement criteria.

Results

1005 patients (55.72 years) were included in the analysis. at baseline the DAS-28 was 5.91 ± 0.95 and a HAQ score was 1.46 ± 0.61. At mean of 14.57 months, 29.9% of the patients achieved a DAS-28 of ≤ 2.6 (remission). A higher RR for remission was associated with male gender (AHR 1.51, 95% CI 1.14–2.00; p: 0.004) and a lower RR for remission with: prior treatment with > 3 DMARDs (AHR 0.077, 95% CI 0.58–1.03; p: 0.074), a high ESR (AHR 0.86, 95% CI 0.81–0.92; p: 0.000), Steinbrocker's functional class III/IV (AHR 0.66, 95% CI 0.48–0.90; p: 0.010), a high TJC (AHR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94–0.99; p: 0.011). A 12-month EULAR non-response was observed in 153/821 (18.6%) associated with a higher baseline HAQ score (AOR 1.51, 95% CI 1.03–2.20, p: 0.033), prior treatment with > 3 DMARDs (AOR 1.76, 95% CI 1.09–2.85; p: 0.021) and corticosteroid > 5 mg/day (AOR 2.05, 95% CI 1.06–3.97; p: 0.034).

Conclusion

We found that only a minority of patients with long-standing RA treated with anti-TNF agents achieve a good clinical response or remission.

Introduction

The anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents infliximab (INF), etanercept (ETA) and adalimumab (ADA)] have been found to be safe in large placebo-controlled trials involving patients with established or early disease, and effective in controlling disease signs and symptoms and improving the quality of life [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]. They have now been administered to more than one million patients and a recent review using the American College of Rheumatology 50% response (ACR50) after 12 months found that all three drugs are equally effective in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) taking concomitant methotrexate (MTX) [8]. However, none of these drugs has led to a 100% patient response, and responses are normally 50–70% [9], [10].

Before the introduction of anti-TNF agents, a number of studies investigated the clinical predictors of response to traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) [11]. A meta-analysis of clinical trials of DMARDs, including MTX, in RA found that the factors decreasing the rate of response to treatment included a longer disease duration, any prior use of a DMARD, a higher Steinbrocker functional class, low disease activity (according to patient global assessment), and female gender [12]. Since then, the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) Biologics Register has reported an improved outcome among patients receiving MTX in combination with anti-TNF therapies and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and that the most disabled patients were less likely to respond despite concurrent MTX; the poor outcomes with IFN were associated with smoking, and females were less likely to achieve remission [13].

At the time of the European introduction of anti-TNF agents for the treatment of RA patients with active disease who are refractory to conventional treatments (including MTX), the Lombardy Rheumatology Group started a database for the registration and active follow-up of anti-TNF-treated patients with rheumatic diseases (Lombardy Rheumatology Network [LORHEN] clinical registry) [14]. We have now assessed the 3-year efficacy and safety of all three currently available anti-TNF agents in a large cohort of RA patients, and the aim of this study was to identify the positive and negative predictors of response.

Section snippets

Patients

The patients for this analysis were selected from the large, prospective, observational LORHEN registry, the characteristics of which are described in detail elsewhere. The analysis only included the patients who fulfilled the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for RA [15] and had been treated with at least one dose of an anti-TNF agent (INF, ETA, ADA) at one of four Rheumatology Centres in Lombardy (Italy) with at least six months' follow-up. The Italian Society of

Predictors of a DAS28 response of < 2.6 (DAS28 remission)

The analysis included 1005 of 1114 patients with established RA: 228 (22.7%) treated with ETA, 282 (28.1%) with ADA, and 495 (49.3%) with INF. At the start of therapy, their mean age was 55.72 years (range 18–88), and their mean baseline DAS28 and HAQ scores respectively 5.91 ± 0.95 and 1.46 ± 0.61.

Eight hundred and fifty-eight patients (85.4%) were receiving MTX (mean dose 10 mg, range 7.5–20 mg) and 32 (3.2%) other DMARDs (Table 1); half of the cohort was currently receiving corticosteroids.

Discussion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest regional registry observational study of TNF inhibitors used in the clinical management of RA [14], [21], [22]. The patients in our cohort are covered by the Italian National Health System, which provides all-inclusive care at no end-user cost to almost 100% of the population and includes free access to clinical specialists; this is important because the cost of medications and follow-up specialist care in some countries may contribute to the

Conclusions

In a clinical practice setting, only a minority of patients with long-standing RA achieve a good clinical response or remission. We found that a poorer EULAR response was significantly associated with the number of DMARDs previously used, and baseline ESR and tender joint count. A high level of disability and a daily corticosteroid dose of > 5 mg at baseline strongly predicted a EULAR non-response, whereas concomitant MTX and higher DAS28 scores were associated with a EULAR response. Finally,

Take-home messages

  • In a clinical practice setting, only a minority of patients with long-standing RA achieve a good clinical response or remission.

  • EULAR response was significantly associated with the number of DMARDs previously used, baseline ESR and tender joint count.

  • A high level of disability and a daily corticosteroid dose of > 5 mg at baseline strongly predicted an EULAR non-response.

  • Males were more likely to achieve remission than females.

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