Journal of Rheumatology

Time passes swiftly and is irrecoverable. In Love in the Time of Cholera , Gabriel García Márquez uses cholera as an analogy for the physical and emotional burdens caused by longing and lovesickness. Just as Florentino Ariza suffers physical and emotional pains from his longing for Fermina Daza, as one might suffer from a disease like cholera, in this issue, Katz and Ye tell a story of longing for equal access to rheumatology services.1 .

The Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) ultrasound (US) steering committee provided an update at GRAPPA's 2022 annual meeting on activities to enable earlier diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis. An update of the Diagnostic Ultrasound Enthesitis Tool (DUET) study included preliminary reliability results for US enthesitis elementary lesions. Common scanning pitfalls were reviewed. New projects included widening the scope of US beyond large entheses and validating small point-of-care US probes to evaluate enthesitis...

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is an important comorbidity in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). However, the prevalence of obesity in axSpA compared with the general population and associated socioeconomic factors remain unknown. METHODS: This repeated cross-sectional study compared BMI groups of patients with axSpA to the Swiss population at three time points (2007, 2012 and 2017). BMI categories were compared by different age, sex, and education categories using the Chi-Squared Goodness of Fit test...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the efficacy and safety data of children with polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pcJIA) treated with abatacept (ABA) + methotrexate (MTX) or ABA monotherapy when prior MTX use was either ineffective or not tolerated. METHODS: Posthoc analysis of 2 phase III trials of subcutaneous (SC) and intravenous (IV) ABA over 2 years in patients with pcJIA (aged 2-17 years). Patients were stratified by treatment with ABA + MTX or ABA monotherapy and further by prior biologic use...

OBJECTIVE: This post hoc analysis investigated the relationship between paraoxonase-1 (PON1) genotype and activity, and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and malignancies in tofacitinib rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical studies. METHODS: Data were pooled from 9 phase II/III studies and the associated long-term extension studies (all completed by October 2017). PON1 activities in plasma were measured using paraoxon (paraoxonase activity), dihydrocoumarin (lactonase activity), and phenylacetate (arylesterase activity) as substrates...

OBJECTIVE: To explore residual disease, defined as substantial symptoms and disease burden despite a remission/low disease activity (described as 'LDA') state, in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and to determine which factors are associated with residual disease. METHODS: For this cross-sectional observational study, one timepoint per patient was used from SpANet, a web-based monitoring registry for (ax)SpA. Patients with an Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)<2...

The International Dermatology Outcome Measures (IDEOM) organization presented an update on its progress related to patient-centered outcome measures for psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) at the 2022 annual meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA). The Musculoskeletal (MSK) Symptoms working group presented an update on the development of the IDEOM Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (IDEOM MSK-Q). The IDEOM MSK-Q is a patient-reported outcome measure intended to capture MSK symptoms and describe their intensity and impact on health-related quality of life in patients with psoriatic disease...

Young-GRAPPA (Y-GRAPPA) was introduced at the 2021 Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) annual meeting. Here we present the 1-year progress of Y-GRAPPA and future plans of this enthusiastic group of young clinicians and early career researchers interested in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

One of the highlights of the 2022 Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) annual meeting was the trainee symposium. Dermatology and rheumatology trainees presented their research related to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. This report briefly reviews 5 oral presentations and 15 posters that were selected for this annual meeting. Topics include basic/translational, clinical, and outcomes research reflecting the spectrum of GRAPPA's effort and influence nationally and internationally in the area of psoriatic diseases...

The Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) pilot grant awards help support young researchers starting their careers while also encouraging them to develop a focus on psoriatic disease. In this brief report, winners of the 2020 and 2021 awards present the results of their pilot projects.

The 2022 annual meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) was held from July 14 to 17, 2022, in New York City, New York, USA, and was attended by 420 rheumatologists, dermatologists, basic scientists, allied health professionals, patient research partners, and industry partners from 31 countries. A GRAPPA executive retreat, a Trainee Symposium, and the Patient Research Partners Network meeting were held prior to the annual meeting. Presentations included updates in basic research, focusing on biomarkers, personalization of treatments, and the promise of single-cell omics, elucidating the pathogenesis of psoriatic disease (PsD)...

Enthesitis is a key disease manifestation in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) that considerably contributes to pain, lower physical function, and reduced quality of life. Clinical assessment of enthesitis lacks sensitivity and specificity, and therefore better methods are urgently needed. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows detailed assessment of the components of enthesitis, and consensus-based validated MRI scoring systems exist. These include the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Heel Enthesitis MRI Scoring System (HEMRIS) method, which assesses the entheses of the heel region in a detailed manner, and the OMERACT MRI Whole-Body Score for Inflammation in Peripheral Joints and Entheses (MRI-WIPE) method, which provides an overall assessment of the inflammatory burden in the peripheral entheses and joints in the entire body using whole-body MRI...

During the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) 2022 conference, Drs. Laura Coates and Atul Deodhar debated whether axial psoriatic arthritis (axPsA) is the same as ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with psoriasis. Dr. Coates argued that AS represents a spectrum of disease and that axPsA can be considered within that spectrum. Dr. Deodhar argued that axPsA and AS are 2 different diseases, using construct, content, face, and criterion validity. Their main arguments are described in this manuscript...

Seven patient research partners (PRPs) attended the 2022 annual meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) in person, the first in-person annual meeting since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The GRAPPA PRP Network remains engaged and committed to providing dedicated voices supporting delivery of the GRAPPA mission. This report provides a summary of the current activities of the GRAPPA PRP Network.

People with psoriasis (PsO) are at increased risk of developing psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Screening patients with PsO for PsA may be helpful in diagnosing PsA early. Dermatologists play a role in assessing their patients with PsO for musculoskeletal symptoms and referring them to a rheumatologist for diagnosis and treatment.

Interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-23 inhibitors are both approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (PsO), as well as psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In the absence of head-to-head studies, it is not clear which agent is better suited to treat patients with moderate-to-severe PsO and mild PsA. During the 2022 Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) conference, Dr. April Armstrong and Dr. Joseph Merola debated which of these 2 biologic classes should be used in this patient population...

The Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA)-Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) working group-comprising rheumatologists, dermatologists, methodologists, and patient research partners-provided updates at the GRAPPA 2022 annual meeting on its work to evaluate composite outcome measures for PsA. Ten composite outcome measures were considered. Initial steps were to define the population, the purpose of use, and the proposed pros and cons of the 10 candidate composite instruments for PsA...

A core mission of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) is to provide education about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis globally. This is a multifaceted endeavor involving in-person and virtual lectures, discussions, podcasts, and archived videos directed toward clinicians and researchers who are involved with psoriatic disease (PsD) care. In partnership with patient service leagues, we also aim to provide education to patients with PsD. At the 2022 annual meeting, an update of the ongoing and expected educational initiatives was presented...

At the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) 2022 annual meeting, the recently published new GRAPPA recommendations were presented and their unique characteristics highlighted, including their truly international approach, the inclusion of patient views from the very beginning, the representation by both rheumatologists and dermatologists, consideration of the diverse domains of psoriatic arthritis, and the inclusion of comorbidities to inform possible adverse events and their potential influence on treatment choices...

Type I interferon (IFN-I) is thought to play a role in many systemic autoimmune diseases. IFN-I pathway activation is associated with pathogenic features, including the presence of autoantibodies and clinical phenotypes such as more severe disease with increased disease activity and damage. We will review the role and potential drivers of IFN-I dysregulation in 5 prototypic autoimmune diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, rheumatoid arthritis, primary Sjögren syndrome, and systemic sclerosis...