On 30 May, 2024, an expert meeting was held to update the approaches for the treatment of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). A new approach to the treatment of axSpA was considered, which consists of depleting autoreactive TRBV9+ T- lymphocytes by introducing a monoclonal antibody – the drug seniprutug. The value of the drug seniprutug in the treatment of the disease was discussed and key aspects for the incorporation of the drug seniprutug into real-world clinical rheumatological practice were agreed.

Introduction. Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is a reaction of severe, excessive, but ineffective inflammation. HPS is divided into primary or as a complication of a different causes — secondary HPS (sHPS).Aim: to analyze the effi cacy of different treatments in sHPS patients.Materials and methods. For the retrospective analysis, the medical documentation of patients who were treated in the period from June 2009 to January 2023 was used. The H-Score and HLH-2004 criteria were used to verify sHPS. The results of clinical blood analysis and biochemical tests are presented. The survival was analyzed within two weeks after the verification of sHPS. The main treatment options for sHPS were etoposide, glucocorticosteroids (GCSs), anticancer therapy and intravenous immunoglobulin.Results. The study included data from 130 patients, median age 56 years (18–90); 70 females and 60 males with sHPS. All patients received treatment with a drug change in cases of inefficiency: a total of 186 episodes. A stable response was achieved in 74 (56.9 %) patients. The median survival in patients without a response was 2 days. If the therapy was effective, the median survival was not reached. Positive dynamics were observed during the first day after the start of effective treatment, however, a few patients had transient worsening of some markers. The main factor in the negative prognosis was the degree of multiple organ failure during sHPS verification. In the group of patients with autoimmune diseases, GCSs were the most effective, with a response reached in 75 % of cases. For patients with resistance, as well as in patients with Epstein—Barr virus infection and blood malignancy, etoposide proved to be effective in 65.7 % of cases.Conclusion. sHPS was accompanied by an increase in pancytopenia, cytolytic, cholestatic syndromes, hypocoagulation, azotemia, hypertriglyceridemia and excessive hyperferritinemia. After the initiation of effective therapy, persistent clinical and laboratory responses developed during the first day. Therapy by GCSs was effective in most patients with autoimmune diseases associated with sHPS. With other forms of sHPS in the studied group, etoposide had the most pronounced effect.

Introduction. Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is a reaction of severe, excessive, but ineffective inflammation. HPS is divided into primary or as a complication of a different causes - secondary HPS (sHPS). Aim: to analyze the efficacy of different treatments in sHPS patients. Materials and methods. For the retrospective analysis, the medical documentation of patients who were treated in the period from June 2009 to January 2023 was used. The H-Score and HLH-2004 criteria were used to verify sHPS. The results of clinical blood analysis and biochemical tests are presented. The survival was analyzed within two weeks after the verification of sHPS. The main treatment options for sHPS were etoposide, glucocorticosteroids (GCSs), anticancer therapy and intravenous immunoglobulin. Results. The study included data from 130 patients, median age 56 years (18-90); 70 females and 60 males with sHPS. All patients received treatment with a drug change in cases of inefficiency: a total of 186 episodes. A stable response was achieved in 74 (56.9 %) patients. The median survival in patients without a response was 2 days. If the therapy was effective, the median survival was not reached. Positive dynamics were observed during the first day after the start of effective treatment, however, a few patients had transient worsening of some markers. The main factor in the negative prognosis was the degree of multiple organ failure during sHPS verification. In the group of patients with autoimmune diseases, GCSs were the most effective, with a response reached in 75 % of cases. For patients with resistance, as well as in patients with Epstein-Barr virus infection and blood malignancy, etoposide proved to be effective in 65.7 % of cases. Conclusion. sHPS was accompanied by an increase in pancytopenia, cytolytic, cholestatic syndromes, hypocoagulation, azotemia, hypertriglyceridemia and excessive hyperferritinemia. After the initiation of effective therapy, persistent clinical and laboratory responses developed during the first day. Therapy by GCSs was effective in most patients with autoimmune diseases associated with sHPS. With other forms of sHPS in the studied group, etoposide had the most pronounced effect.

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1607672923050058

Hyperuricemia is a condition characterized by an increase of serum uric acid level above 360 µmol/L. It is known that high serum uric acid levels are not only the condition for the etiopathogenesis of gout but also an important risk factor for the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases, kidney and liver pathologies, type 2 diabetes, and others. This makes hyperuricemia a relevant issue in general therapeutic practice. Despite extensive evidence on the negative role of hyperuricemia in many internal organ diseases, the management strategy for patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia in real clinical practice remains a subject of debate. This resolution represents an interdisciplinary consensus of experts from Commonwealth of Independent States, based on current evidence-based medicine data and proprietary registries. The proposed algorithm emphasizes the importance of a personalized approach to the treatment of hyperuricemia, taking into account the severity of comorbid conditions and the level of cardiovascular risk. Step-by-step recommendations are provided for general practitioners, family doctors, and a wide range of specialists in both non-pharmacological and pharmacological urate-lowering therapy. These guidelines aim to improve the quality of medical care for patients at high risk of socially significant diseases occurring together with asymptomatic hyperuricemia.

This article presents the results of the 3-year use of netakimab (NTK), a monoclonal antibody against interleukin 17, in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) as part of the phase III PATERA study. Objective: to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of NTK in patients with PsA over a period of 3 years. Material and methods. PATERA is a double-blind, multicenter, randomized, phase III clinical trial. 194 patients with active PsA were randomized 1:1 to NTX or placebo/NTX. NTX/placebo was administered at weeks 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 14. Placebo patients who did not achieve a 20% improvement according to ACR criteria (ACR20) at week 16 received NTX at weeks 18 and 22. Patients who achieved ACR20 received placebo at weeks 18 and 22. Subsequently, all patients received NTX. At week 54, patients who did not meet ACR20 criteria were withdrawn from the study and the remaining patients were treated in the extension phase. The total duration of NTX use in all groups was 3 years. Results and discussion. Therapeutic response achieved in the first year of treatment was maintained in the extended phase of the study. Against the background of NTX use, a significant long-term decrease in clinical manifestations of PsA was observed. Adverse events occurred mainly in the form of laboratory abnormalities and infectious diseases, which were mostly mild to moderate. Antibodies against NTK were detected in 9.3% of patients and in most cases they were formed at the end of the first and beginning of the second year of therapy. Conclusion. NTK showed a favorable safety profile with long-term use over 3 years. The clinical effect on all manifestations of PsA was maintained in most patients over a long period of time without significant loss of response.

Мочевая кислота (МК) — это конечный продукт пуринового обмена, являющийся основной составляющей клеточных запасов энергии, таких как аденозинтрифосфат (АТФ), а также компонентом дезоксирибонуклеиновой (ДНК) и рибонуклеиновой (РНК) кислот. На сегодняшний день в Российской Федерации нормальным показателем МК в сыворотке крови считается <360 мкмоль/л (6 мг/дл) для женщин и <420 мкмоль/л (7 мг/дл) для мужчин [1], в то время как Американская коллегия ревматологов рекомендует считать нормой уровень <360 мкмоль/л (6 мг/дл) [2,3], а Британское общество ревматологов - <300 мкмоль/л (5 мг/дл) [4].Гиперурикемия (повышение уровня МК в сыворотке крови) - широко распространенное метаболическое нарушение в Российской Федерации (16,8%) [1] и за рубежом (20,1%) [2], чаще выявляется у мужчин и возрастает по мере старения [1]. Гиперурикемия (ГУ) в 1,9 раза чаще встречается у лиц с ИМТ 25-30 кг/м2 и в 4,2 раза чаще у лиц с ИМТ >40 кг/м2 , по сравнению с пациентами с ИМТ <25 кг/м2[1].В крупных эпидемиологических исследованиях было показано, что ГУ представляет собой модифицируемый фактор риска развития и прогрессирования основных хронических неинфекционных заболеваний, таких как артериальная гипертензия (в том числе преэклампсия) [5,6], атеросклеротические сердечно-сосудистые заболевания (ССЗ) [7], хроническая сердечная недостаточность [8], сахарный диабет 2 типа (СД 2 типа), хроническая болезнь почек (ХБП), метаболический синдром [9], синдром обструктивного апноэ во сне [10]. Данные многочисленных эпидемиологических и проспективных исследований позволяют утверждать, что бессимптомная ГУ также выступает мощным, независимым и модифицируемым сердечно-сосудистым фактором риска. В связи с этим возникла необходимость разработать алгоритм инициации и интенсификации уратснижающей терапии у пациентов в зависимости от сердечно-сосудистого риска.С этой целью 02 декабря 2022 г. под председательством академика РАН О.М. Драпкиной под эгидой Российского общества профилактики неинфекционных заболеваний состоялся Совет экспертов «В фокусе гиперурикемия». Группа экспертов была представлена ведущими специалистами в области терапии, кардиологии, общей врачебной практики, ревматологии, клинической фармакологии. В результате объединения усилий была подготовлена резолюция, отражающая междисциплинарное мнение экспертов по различным аспектам проблемы гиперурикемии, и сформулированы предложения.

Aim. To evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on the clinical course of immunoinflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD). Material and methods . The clinical course of IRD was analyzed in 324 patients who underwent new coronavirus infection (NCI) from March 2020 to February 2021 and were treated at Clinical Rheumatology Hospital No. 25 (Saint-Petersburg, Russia) for exacerbation of the underlying disease. Results. The risk factors of severe COVID-19 course in IRD were: age older than 60 years, presence of comorbid conditions (IHD, CHD, COLD), use of glucocorticoids in dose more than 12.5 mg per day and erythrocyte sedimentation rate values ≥ 40 mm/h before development of NCI. The use of immunosuppressive therapy and biological therapy had no effect on the worsening of the course of the viral infection in patients with IRD. The development of post-covid syndrome (asthenia, dyspnea, weight loss, memory loss) was noted in ¼ of the patients. Post-covid articular syndrome was characterized by the formation of arthritis associated with viral infection in 3.6% of patients, transformation of undifferentiated arthritis (UDA) into specific nosological forms in 49.0% (more often into early rheumatoid arthritis, RA), and exacerbation of joint syndrome in 83.4% of patients with advanced stage RA. In patients with diffuse connective tissue disease (DCTD), a significant increase in immunological activity due to antinuclear antibodies (maximum 1: 163840) was noted. We present clinical cases of arthritis associated with viral infection and fatal outcome in a patient with systemic sclerosis and interstitial lung damage after COVID-19. Conclusions. In the cohort of patients with IRD observed at Clinical Rheumatology Hospital No. 25 (Saint-Petersburg, Russia) COVID-19 had a moderate to severe course in half of patients, initiated the development of pneumonic complications in 68.6% of patients, arthritis associated with viral infection in 3.6%, transformation of UDA into IRD in 49.0% of cases and exacerbation of the main disease in the great majority of patients. Patients with DCTD with interstitial lung damage have a high risk of adverse outcome of NCI, especially in cases of unstable course of the disease, pronounced immunosuppression and require special monitoring. The authors present their own clinical experience with the use of Alflutop in a comorbid patient with osteoarthritis and increased pain after undergoing CCI, which indicates its effectiveness and cardiovascular safety. An important practical advantage of Alflutop should be considered the absence of its effect on the parameters of hemocoagulation and the reduction in the need for NSAIDs, which reduces the risk of thrombotic complications characteristic of long-term COVID. A short course of Alflutop (ten intramuscular injections of 2.0 ml every other day) contributes to ease of use and increased adherence to therapy in patients with osteoarthritis.

The article describes a clinical case of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) resistant to traditional treatment regimens and the first successful experience with the type I interferon inhibitor – anifrolumab, as part of an early access program in the Russian Federation. High efficacy and safety of the drug in the treatment of SLE with active lesions of the skin, mucous membranes and joints were noted.

IgA anti-CD74 can be a promising marker for diagnosis, assessment of activity and prognosis for ankylosing spondylitis. The aim of the study was to determine the level of IgA anti-CD74 in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and to evaluate its relationships with ankylosing spondylitis activity and carriership of genetic alleles. Materials and methods . In 48 patients with a reliable diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis, aged 18 to 69 years were measured the ASDAScrp, BASDAI, level of highly sensitive С-reactive protein, concentration of IgA anti-CD74. The polymorphisms of the genes interleukin (IL)-17A197 a/g, IL-17F7 histidine (His) / arginine (Arg), IL-17F11139 c/g, TNF-a-863, TNFα-308, TNFα-238, IL-1B-31, IL- 4-590, IL-6-174, IL-10-1082, IL-10-592, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-2578, VEGF-936, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2-1306, MMP3-5A6A, MMP9-1562, HLA-B27 were evaluated in their relationships with AS activity and IgA anti-CD74 levels. Results . The mean age of patients was 45.1±14.2 years, male - 72.9%, psoriasis - 10.4%, IBD - 2.1%, BASDAI -2.99±0.28, ASDAS - 2.29±0.16, CRP - 6.5±1.65 mg/L, IgA эпй-СВ74 - 18.6±1.73 U/mL (72.9% of the patients with >12 U/mL). The relationship between an increase in concentration of IgA anti-CD74 and ASDAScrp, BASDAI activity indices, between an increase in the level of CRP and the presence of the IL-17A genotype heterozygous for the AA allele (r=0.965) was determined. CRP did not demonstrate the relationship with the BASDAI. An association of IL-17F-11139 СС and the presence of psoriasis (r=0.870) was established. 93.8% of patients with ankylosing spondylitis were carriers of the homozygous histidine allele IL-17F7 (his/his) and the TNF238 allele (GG). Conclusions . The increase in anti-CD74 IgA level was found in 72.9% of patients with ankylosing spondylitis receiving inhibitors of TNF-a and NSAIDs and associated with clinical and laboratory indicators of ankylosing spondylitis activity and with carriage of the homozygous histidine allele IL-17F7 (his/his) detected in 93.8% of patients. Carriage of TNF-238 GG; TNF-863 CC; HLA-B27; TNF-308 GG; IL-4-590 CC; IL-6-174 CG; MMP9-1562 CC; MMP9-1562 CC; VEGF- 936 CC alleles was not associated with an increase in concentration of IgA anti-CD74. CRP demonstrated an association with IL-17A-197 AA (r=0.965) detected in 29.2% of patients with no correlation with the clinical ankylosing spondylitis activity in patients receiving treatment with iTNF-α and NSAIDs.

Objective. To demonstrate the possibility of having a spondyloarthritic mask of osteomalacia in patients of both sexes.Materials and methods. Two clinical cases of osteomalacia occurring under the mask of spondyloarthritis in patients treated at the Clinical Rheumatology Hospital of Saint-Petersburg, Russia, as well as similar cases described in the literature, were analyzed.Results. In the cases described, patients were diagnosed with a disease from the group of spondyloarthritis based on a number of individual symptoms, such as pain in the lower back and stiffness, as well as instrumental examination data. At the same time, with in-depth evaluation, the pain in the lower back did not did not met to the inflammatory pain ASAS criteria, and there were also no signs of general laboratory activity of the disease. The conventional therapy for spondyloarthritis was ineffective. With the re-evaluation of clinical, laboratory and instrumental data, the diagnosis was changed to osteomalacia. Appointment of adequate therapy with vitamin D after a review of the diagnosis resulted in both a regression of clinical symptoms and an improvement in laboratory parameters.Conclusions. If the patient has pain in the lower back, especially without clear signs of inflammatory, no signs of general laboratory activity, further examination is necessary to clarify possible osteomalacia. Spondyloarthritis should be only diagnosed in cases with the secondary nature of symptoms excluded.

Objective: to analyze the results of tofacitinib (TOFA) therapy in real clinical practice according to the All-Russian Arthritis Registry (OREL). Subjects and methods. The OREL Registry included 347 patients (286 (82%) women and 61 (18%) men) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who initiated TOFA therapy. The male:female ratio was 1:4.7. The patients’ median age at onset of the disease was 42 years; its duration was 8 years. Most of the patients included in the registry had extended- (n=171 (52%)) or late- (n=148 (45%)) stage of RA. Results and discussion. Prior to initiation of TOFA therapy, RA activity according to DAS28 was high and moderate in 91 (64.5%) and 40 (28.4%) patients, respectively; the median DAS28 value was 5.5 [4.6; 6.2]; SDAI – 30.5 [21.4; 42.9], and CDAI – 28.2 [20.0; 37.1]. The use of TOFA was accompanied by significant decrease of disease activity. After 12 weeks, high RA activity was persistent in 32 (22.7%) patients; the number of patients with moderate activity increased to 77 (54.6%), that of those with low activity rose to 15 (10.6%); remission was observed in 17 (12.1%) patients. 216 (62.6%) and 76 (22%) patients received TOFA as first- and second-line therapy, respectively. TOFA was most frequently prescribed when tumor necrosis factor-á inhibitors (19.6%), rituximab (7.8%), tocilizumab (4.3%), and abatacept (5.2%) were insufficiently effective or poorly tolerated. Conclusion. The results of using TOFA in real clinical practice may suggest that the drug has high efficacy in patients with RA. TOFA can be used at a dose of 5 or 10 mg twice daily as both alone and in combination with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. TOFA showed similar efficacy in patients who had earlier taken biological agents and in those who had not.

Objective: to analyze the results of tofacitinib (TOFA) therapy in real clinical practice according to the All-Russian Arthritis Registry (OREL). Subjects and methods. The OREL Registry included 347 patients (286 (82%) women and 61 (18%) men) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who initiated TOFA therapy. The male:female ratio was 1:4.7. The patients’ median age at onset of the disease was 42 years; its duration was 8 years. Most of the patients included in the registry had extended- (n=171 (52%)) or late- (n=148 (45%)) stage of RA. Results and discussion. Prior to initiation of TOFA therapy, RA activity according to DAS28 was high and moderate in 91 (64.5%) and 40 (28.4%) patients, respectively; the median DAS28 value was 5.5 [4.6; 6.2]; SDAI – 30.5 [21.4; 42.9], and CDAI – 28.2 [20.0; 37.1]. The use of TOFA was accompanied by significant decrease of disease activity. After 12 weeks, high RA activity was persistent in 32 (22.7%) patients; the number of patients with moderate activity increased to 77 (54.6%), that of those with low activity rose to 15 (10.6%); remission was observed in 17 (12.1%) patients. 216 (62.6%) and 76 (22%) patients received TOFA as first- and second-line therapy, respectively. TOFA was most frequently prescribed when tumor necrosis factor-a inhibitors (19.6%), rituximab (7.8%), tocilizumab (4.3%), and abatacept (5.2%) were insufficiently effective or poorly tolerated. Conclusion. The results of using TOFA in real clinical practice may suggest that the drug has high efficacy in patients with RA. TOFA can be used at a dose of 5 or 10 mg twice daily as both alone and in combination with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. TOFA showed similar efficacy in patients who had earlier taken biological agents and in those who had not.

Netakimab (NTK) is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-17A. Objective . The main objective of BCD-085-5/ASTERA study was to prove superiority of NTK over placebo and assess its’ safety in patients with active AS. Subjects and methods . BCD-085-5/ASTERA was a double-blind, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase III study, which included 228 adult patients with active AS, persisting despite active treatment with NSAIDs. AS was considered active at BASDAI score ≥ 4.0. Patients were blindly randomized (1:1) to receive subcutaneous injections of NTK (120 mg) or placebo at weeks 0, 1, 2 and then every other week up to week 14. Starting from week 16 all patients from NTK group and patients from placebo group not achieving ASAS20 were switched to open label 120 mg NTK s/c once every two weeks. The total duration of treatment with NTK was 3 years. Results . Higher proportion of patients had ASAS40 response at week 16 (primary endpoint) in NTK arm compared to placebo (40,4 vs 2,6%, р <0,0001, 95% CI [27,4%; 48,1%]). Spinal pain subsided and laboratory inflammation markers decreased within one week after the first NTK injection. NTK safety profile was comparable to that of placebo. The most common for NTK adverse events were neutropenia (7,0%) and ALT increase (6,1%). Conclusion . Subcutaneous NTK at 120 mg dose demonstrated superior efficacy vs placebo, with fast onset of response and favorable safety profile when used in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Aim: To study of the features of the course of gout and the occurrence of comorbid conditions in patients with gouty arthritis for the period from 2000 to 2019.Patients and Methods: Based on data from the Saint Petersburg city register of gout and asymptomatic hyperuricemia for the period from 2000 to 2019, formed on the basis of the GALENOS cloud electronic data storage system (© OOO Techlab), an analysis of the clinical course of gouty arthritis and the prevalence of comorbid conditions was performed.Results: This study includes the results of a survey of 1,725 patients. The average follow-up time for patients was 4.85±3.36 (1–17) years. In the studied patients, chronic forms of gouty arthritis prevailed (exacerbation of chronic arthritis — 1198 (69.45%) patients, the presence of tofuses — in 522 (30.26%) patients. The frequency of comorbid conditions such as: arterial hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, tension angina, pulmonary embolism, cardiomyopathy, chronic heart failure, transient ischemic attack, acute cerebrovascular accident in history, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peptic ulcer disease of various localization, chronic pancreatitis, overweight or obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic pyelonephritis, urolithiasis and chronic kidney disease significantly exceeded the population (p≤0.05). Elevated uric acid levels were observed in 91.42% of patients with type 2 diabetes, 93.86% with hypertension, 94.33% with nephropathy, 92.93% with urolithiasis, 97.75% with acute myocardial infarction and 93.96% with overweight /obesity. Patients received a wide range of medications for both relieving acute GA and normalizing UA levels, and for the treatment of comorbid conditions.Conclusions: Patients with gouty arthritis have a high incidence of comorbid conditions, greater than in the population, the severity of which directly depends on the increase in the level of uric acid.KEYWORDS: gouty arthritis, gout, tophus, comorbidity, uric acid, hyperuricemia.FOR CITATION: Fonturenko A.Yu., Bashkinov R.A., Mazurov V.I. et al. Features of gouty arthritis and comorbid conditions in it — data from the city register of Saint Petersburg for 2000–2019. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2020;4(8):475–482. DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2020-4-8-475-482.

ASAS health index (ASAS HI) is a comprehensive tool developed on the basis of the international system of ICF (the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) to quantify the health of patients with spondyloarthritis (SPA), including ankylosing spondylitis (AS). ASAS HI is a questionnaire containing 17 questions, each related to a specific ICF pool (pain, emotions, sleep, sexual function, mobility, self-care and communication). ASAS HI additionally includes 9 questions (ASAS EF Item Set) to assess the impact of environmental factors on the health of the patient with SPA. The aim is a Russian translation and adaptation of the ASAS HI (including ASAS EF Item Set). Material and methods. Translation of ASAS HI and ASAS EF Item Set from English into Russian and its adaptation were carried out in five stages: the stage of direct translation; the stage of synthesis of translations and formation of the Russian version; the stage of reverse translation from Russian into English; the stage of comparison of the original English-language questionnaire with the result of reverse translation and the formation of the final Russian-language version; field test. Results and discussion. Three researchers performed an independent translation of ASAS HI (including ASAS EF Item Set), after which the fourth researcher created and agreed on a single Russian version of the questionnaire. Then two volunteers, for whom English is the main language, performed a reverse translation of ASAS HI from Russian into English (reverse translation). An independent researcher has compared the original and the resulting reverse translated English version of the ASAS HI, and then the three translators performed the joint correction of the text of the three questions, differing in English-language versions. The obtained second Russian-language version of ASAS HI (including ASAS EF Item Set) was tested by 10 patients with SPA: AS – 60%; non-radiological axial spondylitis (NR axSPA) – 40%, men – 60%; mean age – 32±12 years; duration of symptoms – 7.5±2.2 years; BASDAI index – 3.39±3.04; ASAS HI – 6,96±3,35.The average time to fill the questionnaire – 2,2±1,18 min. Patients rated the Russian version of the questionnaire as clear, easy to fill in and comprehensively characterizing health problems related to SPA. The results of testing Russian-speaking patients are comparable with the results obtained in testing 206 patients with SPA from 19 non-English-speaking and 4 English-speaking countries (AS – 65%; men – 59.7%; mean age – 42.4±13.9 years; duration of symptoms – 11.2±11.0 years; BASDAI – 3.8±2.3; ASAS HI – 7.1±4.4; filling time – 2.6±1.6 min). Conclusion. During the study translation and adaptation of the Russian version of ASAS HI, which is a tool for comprehensive assessment of health and function of patients with SPA, including AS were performed.

The paper gives the definition of remission in axial spondyloarthritides (axSpA), which has been developed by the Spondyloarthritis Study Group of Experts. The work used the Delphi technique. At stage 1, based on the analysis of the data available in the literature and on their own clinical experiences, the experts proposed some variants of the definition of remission and ways of its evaluation in patients with axSpA. At Stage 2, the definitions that had received at least 80% of the votes via anonymous voting were selected and adopted without further discussion. Those that had received an equal number of votes were reconsidered and additionally discussed; then there was repeat voting, by choosing the final definition. As a result of their discussion, the experts formulated the definitions of clinical laboratory and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remissions. They proposed the following remissions in axSpA: drug and drug-free, clinical laboratory, and MRI remissions, as well as a remission in the presence and absence of structural changes in the locomotor system, as evidenced by imaging techniques. Criteria for clinical laboratory remission and basic tools for its evaluation that can be used in real clinical practice and researches have been elaborated.

Objective: to determine the efficiency and safety of therapy with tofacitinib (TOFA) in combination with methotrexate (MTX) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after insufficient previous therapy in real clinical practice.Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled a total of 33 patients with RA who met the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and/or the 2010 ACR/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria. All the patients received TOFA 5–10 mg administered orally twice daily in combination with MTX; 30 patients took TOFA 10 mg/day and 3 patients had TOFA 20 mg/day. Every 6 weeks, the patients were examined by a rheumatologist and laboratory-instrumental tests. RA activity changes were assessed with DAS28-CRP, SDAI, and CDAI.Results and discussion. Results were assessed at weeks 12, 54, and 114. A significant decrease in DAS28-CRP, SDAI, and CDAI values was noted just at 12-week follow-up; at week 54, the mean values of these indices were 3.7±1.0, 14.9±8.8, and 13.4±9.0, respectively. There was a substantial decline in the levels of rheumatoid factor in 27% of the patients; while one third of them had a 60% decrease in its level and four patients achieved a negative seroconversion. Neither serious adverse events (AEs) no AEs that had not previously been described in the literature were observed during the follow-up study. Nine non-serious AEs were recorded in 8 (25.0%) patients.Conclusion. The investigation shows that TOFA makes it possible to control the activity of the inflammatory process and, with its sufficient safety and generally good tolerance, to achieve low RA activity in 49% of cases, including patients with multidrug resistance. The high efficacy of TOFA and, in particular, its combination with MTX used in patients with refractory RA give grounds for wider use of this drug, as confirmed by our investigation.