AB0267 DISEASE ACTIVITY IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS STRATIFIED BY HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS: A MULTI-CENTER STUDY

Background Anaemia is a multifactorial, pervasive, extra-articular manifestation that is a significant burden in RA. The most common types of anaemia in RA are chronic anaemia and iron-deficiency anaemia. A number of existing studies observed anaemia in 24.0%–70.6% of RA patients. Objectives The primary objective of this study was to examine the association between haemoglobin (Hb) levels and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods This retrospective study obtained data from adult RA patients with Hb reports from the Kuwait Registry for Rheumatic Diseases (KRRD). Patients were recruited from four public hospitals in Kuwait between February 2013 and February 2022. The cohort was stratified into two groups: low Hb (anaemic, ≤ 110 g/L) and high Hb (non-anaemic, > 110 g/L). Demographic, treatment, clinical, and laboratory characteristics were used to compare the two Hb cohorts. Multivariate and univariate statistical analyses were used to analyse the data. Results The total number of patients visited (Nv) was 11393 and consecutive patients with RA diagnoses and Hb data (Np) was 1584. Both Nv and Np were included in the study. Of these, 72.5% (n = 8260) had high Hb levels and 27.5% had low Hb levels (n = 3133). The average age of the cohort was 55.9±12.5 years. Logistic regression analysis revealed that a greater number of non-Kuwaiti patients had anaemia than Kuwaiti patients [adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.16-1.56; P <0.001). Patients who received biologic treatment were more likely to be non-anaemic [aOR, 1.33; 95% CI:1.23-1.45; P <0.001). Additionally, the study demonstrated that patients with anaemia had greater odds of acquiring Disease Activity Score 28-joint count (DAS-28) ≥ 3.2 as opposed to DAS-28 < 3.2 [aOR, 0.74; 95% CI:0.61-0.90; P =0.002]. Conclusion Lower haemoglobin levels in RA are independent predictors of disease activity. Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge Kuwait Registry for Rheumatic Diseases (KRRD), for providing us the needed data. Disclosure of Interests None Declared.