Frailty may increase risk of adverse outcomes in RA patients on biologic or targeted-synthetic DMARDs
USA: A recent study published in Arthritis Care & Research has shown frailty to be an important predictor for the risk of serious infections among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with biologic (b) or targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (tsDMARDs).
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are a group of medications commonly used in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Some of these drugs are also used for treating other conditions, such as psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. They work to reduce pain and inflammation, prevent or reduce joint damage, and preserve the function and structure of the joints.
The study was conducted by Namrata Singh, Division of Rheumatology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, and colleagues to determine whether frailty status portends an increased risk of adverse outcomes in RA patients initiating biologic (b) or targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.
For this purpose, the researchers identified new users of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), Janus Kinase inhibitors (JAKi), or non-TNFi bDMARDs during 2008-2019, among RA patients. Baseline frailty risk score in patients was calculated using a Claims-Based Frailty Index [≥0.2 defined as frail] 12 months before drug initiation.
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