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Biological therapy in inflammatory rheumatic diseases: Issues in Central and Eastern European countries
Abstract and Figures
Biological drugs revolutionized the treatment of inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Access to treatment presents substantial variability across Europe. The economic level of a particular country as well as administrative restrictions have been proved as determining factors of biological drug uptake. The objective of this paper was to provide an overview of biological treatment in six selected Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, namely in the Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The literature is summarized with regard to the epidemiology, disease burden and use of biological agents in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Moreover, an estimate is provided on the prevalence and number of patients with biological treatment based on international and local sources. In view of the limited availability of information and uncertainty in data, there is an urgent need for development of systematic and comprehensive data collection in inflammatory rheumatic diseases in CEE countries.
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... Several studies were conducted involving these two countries in CEE to evaluate access to biologicals in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and psoriasis. [33,[61][62][63]. Although the access to biologicals correlated strongly with GDP per capita among European countries [64], substantial differences were found in the uptake among countries with similar economic development such as Poland and Hungary [33]. ...
... However, comparison of Hungary and Poland which have very similar total health expenditure refutes this assumption since in Hungary the exposure to biologicals used to be approximately ten times higher compared to Poland in inflammatory bowel diseases [51], despite the chronic financial deficits of the Hungarian healthcare system [65]. Similar differences were seen using biologics in psoriasis [63] and rheumatoid disorders [62,66]. ...
Background
In the Central and Eastern European region, the British EQ-5D-3L value set is used commonly in quality of life (QoL) studies. Only Poland and Slovenia have country-specific weights. Our study aimed to investigate the impact of value set choice on the evaluation of 18 chronic conditions in Hungary.
Methods
Patients’ EQ-5D-3L index scores were calculated using the VAS-based Slovenian and European and the time-trade-off-based Polish and British value sets. We performed pairwise comparisons of mean index values by dimensions, diagnoses and age groups. We evaluated disease burden by comparing index values matched by age and gender in each condition with those of the general population of the CEE region in all four value sets.
Results
Altogether, 2421 patients (55% female) were included in our sample with the average age of 55.87 years (SD = 17.75). The average Slovenian, European, Polish and British EQ-5D-3L scores were 0.598 (SD = 0.279), 0.661 (SD = 0.257), 0.770 (SD = 0.261) and 0.644 (SD = 0.279), respectively. We found highly significant differences in most diagnoses, with the greatest difference between the Polish and Slovenian index values in Parkinson’s disease (0.265). Systematic pairwise comparison across all conditions and value sets revealed greatest differences between the time-trade-off (TTO) and VAS-based value sets as well as varying sensitivity of the disease burden evaluations of chronic disease conditions to the choice of value sets.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that the choice of value set largely influences the health state utility results in chronic diseases, and might have a significant impact on health policy decisions.
... This result indicated that ASFs' potential to enhance the bone resorption of osteoclasts by participating in proinflammatory milieu formation through secreting inflammatory factors such as Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF), 32 a mechanism that might resemble animal models of arthritis in which mice overexpressing TNF develop destructive arthritis caused by activated osteoclasts. 33 Based on clinical trials, anti-TNF therapy has been proven to improve clinical symptoms in AS. 34 So far adalimumab, etanercept, golimumab, and infliximab have been used for the treatment of AS, 35 and among them Infliximab showed a relatively better effect. 36 However, there remains a subset of patients who do not respond to this treatment. ...
Purpose of the Review
Emerging evidence has shown that ankylosing spondylitis fibroblasts (ASFs) act as crucial participants in inflammation and abnormal ossification in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This review examines the investigations into ASFs and their pathological behavior, which contributes to inflammatory microenvironments and abnormal bone formation. The review spans the period from 2000 to 2023, with a primary focus on the most recent decade. Additionally, the review provides an in-depth discussion on studies on ASF ossification at the cellular level.
Recent Findings
ASFs organize immune functions by recruiting immune cells and influencing their differentiation and activation, thus mediate the inflammatory response in the early phase of disease. ASFs promote joint destruction at sites of cartilage and actively promote abnormal ossification by recruiting osteoblasts, differentiation into myofibroblasts or ossification directly. Many signaling pathways and cytokines such as Wnt signaling and BMP/TGF-β signaling are involved in ASF ossification.
Summary
ASFs play a key role in AS inflammation and osteogenesis. Further studies are required to elucidate molecular mechanisms behind that and provide new targets and directions for AS diagnosis and treatment from a new perspective of fibroblasts.
... For the tetanus toxoid vaccine, it is advised that AIIRD patients follow general population vaccination guidelines [7,8]. However, there are limited data on the uptake of these vaccines among patients with inflammatory arthritis, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, where the burden of inflammatory rheumatic diseases is significant [12]. ...
To determine the scope of recommended vaccination uptake among patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) receiving biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic agents (bDMARDs and tsDMARDs, respectively) and to determine factors, which influence their decision and are subject to modification. A single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted including patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) on bDMARDs or tsDMARDs. Demographic, anthropometric, and clinical parameters were analyzed. Disease activity was determined using the validated indices DAS28-CRP and CDAI for RA and peripheral PsA, whereas BASDAI and ASDAS for AS and axial PsA. Patients completed a questionnaire with predefined response options assessing their vaccination status and attitudes about receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. A total of 201 patients with inflammatory joint diseases were included in the study, with a mean age of 54.6 (± 8.6) years and a disease duration of 11 (± 14.4) years. More than one-third of the study group had received full vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, with the majority (68.1%) receiving the BNT162b2 vaccine. The proportion of patients who had received recommended pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and regular reimmunizations against diphtheria and tetanus was low, with only 13.9% (n = 28), 1.5% (n = 3), and 44.8% (n = 90), respectively. Patients who had a preceding discussions with a rheumatologist were more likely to get vaccinated. Considering the suboptimal vaccination rates and the prevalent uncertainty among individuals with IA in Bulgaria, there is an urgent need to devise novel strategies to promote vaccination uptake and enhance patient awareness. These strategies aim to educate patients about their autoimmune condition, as well as emphasize the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
... The analysis of patient-level data suggests that the variance of total costs is mainly attributable to individual patients [17,21]. Studies in Central-Eastern Europe have demonstrated considerable differences in treatment practices involving the same condition, despite the rather similar economic profile of countries [61,62]. When imputing missing costs, several methods have been proposed from using unadjusted averages of adjacent countries [23], using country-pair specific ratios based on the comparison of known baskets of healthcare goods or services [23,57] or adjustments by GDP per capita [18,30,31]. ...
Background:
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) the scarcity of local cost data is a key barrier to conducting health economic evaluations. We systematically reviewed reports of disease-related costs from MENA and analysed their transferability within the region.
Methods:
We searched PubMed and included full text English papers that reported disease-related costs from the local populations of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen between 1995 and 2019. Screening, study selection and data extraction were done in duplicate. Study-related variables, costing methods, all costs and their characteristics were extracted and analysed via descriptive methods. From multi-country studies of MENA employing homogenous costing methods, we estimated the ratio (cost transfer coefficient) between the relative differences in direct medical costs and macroeconomic indicators via robust regression. We predicted each cost via the estimated cost transfer formula and evaluated prediction error between true and predicted (transferred) costs.
Results:
The search yielded 1646 records, 206 full text papers and 3525 costs from 84 diagnoses. Transferability was analysed involving 144 direct medical costs from eight multi-country studies. Adjusting the average of available foreign costs by 0.28 times the relative difference in GDP per capita provided the most accurate estimates. The correlation between true and predicted costs was 0.96; 68% of predicted costs fell in the true ± 50% range. Predictions were more accurate for costs from studies that involved the largest number of countries, for countries outside the Gulf region and for drug costs versus unit or disease costs.
Conclusion:
The estimated cost transfer formula allows the prediction of missing costs in MENA if only GDP per capita is available for adjustment to the local setting. Input costs for the formula should be collected from multiple sources and match the decision situation.
... However, due to the high cost of biologics, considerable differences in their utilization exist, with many countries restricting access despite professional society guideline recommendations. The adoption of biologics by healthcare providers has been reported to be less in many CEE countries [35,36], and differences in utilization have been reported across medical specialties, healthcare providers, and at a regional and national level [37]. ...
Introduction/Objectives
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated condition. We compared AS diagnosis, treatment, and burden in Central Eastern European countries (CEE), where this has been less researched, and the United States (US) from a real-world perspective.Methods
Point-in-time survey of rheumatologists and their AS patients was conducted in the US (Apr–Oct 2018) and CEE (Aug–Nov 2019) via physician- and patient-completed record forms, including clinical and patient-reported outcomes. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, t-tests, Fisher’s exact tests, and generalized linear models.ResultsIn total, 487 patients were recruited from 88 rheumatologists in the US and 922 patients from 126 rheumatologists in CEE. Time from onset of symptoms to final AS diagnosis was longer in CEE than the US (4.2 vs 2.7 years, p < 0.05). At diagnosis, a greater use of conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and injected steroids was reported in CEE vs the US (43.7% vs 27.6%, p < 0.05; 19.3% vs 8.7%, p < 0.05). 22.9% of US patients received a biologic DMARD at diagnosis vs 10% of CEE patients (p < 0.05). At current consultation, biologic DMARD use in CEE was lower vs the US (27.9% vs 71.0%, p < 0.05). CEE vs US patients had greater disease activity (mean Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index 4.2 vs 3.1, p < 0.05) and worse quality of life (QoL; mean Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life Questionnaire score 6.2 vs 8.4, p < 0.05).ConclusionsAS patients in CEE vs the US faced slower diagnosis and worse access to biologics, disease activity, and QoL. Whether early access to biologics can improve symptoms, QoL, and daily activities in AS patients in CEE remains to be seen.
Key Points
• The study provided evidence on the real-world approach to the diagnosis, treatment, and burden of axSpA (axial spondyloarthritis) in CEE compared with the US.
• The study reported patients in CEE experienced longer delays in diagnosis and poorer access to biologics than in the US.
• This may have resulted in higher disease activity, greater levels of pain, and poorer outcomes, as reported by patients with axSpA in CEE.
... A közép-kelet-európai régióról -így Magyarországról is -nagyon korlátozottan állnak rendelkezésre epidemiológiai és költségadatok a rheumatoid arthritis vonatkozásában [29][30][31][32]. Kutatásunk az első olyan országos szintű elemzés, amely a társadalmi és a gazdasági teher oldaláról is megvizsgálja a rheumatoid arthritis kórképet valamennyi egészségbiztosítási kassza tekintetében, kor és nem szerinti bontásban. ...
Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: A rheumatoid arthritisszel kapcsolatos szolgáltatások igénybevétele nagy teher az egészségügyi rendszerek számára. Célkitűzés: Elemzésünk célja volt a rheumatoid arthritis okozta éves epidemiológiai és egészségbiztosítási betegségteher meghatározása Magyarországon. Adatok és módszerek: Az elemzésben felhasznált adatok a Nemzeti Egészségbiztosítási Alapkezelő (NEAK) finanszírozási adatbázisából származnak, és a 2018. évet fedik le. Meghatároztuk az éves betegszámokat, a prevalenciát 100 000 lakosra, továbbá az éves egészségbiztosítási kiadásokat korcsoportos és nemenkénti bontásban valamennyi egészségbiztosítási ellátás tekintetében. A rheumatoid arthritis kórképet fődiagnózisként a Betegségek Nemzetközi Osztályozása (BNO, 10. revízió) szerinti M0690-es kóddal azonosítottuk. Eredmények: Meghatározó betegforgalmat a gyógyszerek ártámogatása esetében találtunk: 7015 férfi, 23 696 nő, együtt 30 711 fő. A gyógyszer-ártámogatás betegforgalmi adatai alapján a 100 000 főre eső prevalencia férfiaknál 150,2 fő, nőknél 464,0 fő, együtt 314,1 fő volt. A rheumatoid arthritis kezelésére a NEAK 1,64 milliárd Ft-ot (6,07 millió USD, illetve 5,14 millió EUR) költött 2018-ban. A kiadások 19,3%-a férfiaknál, míg 80,7%-a nőknél jelenik meg. A gyógyszer-ártámogatás (az összes kiadás 42,8%-a), a járóbeteg-szakellátás (21,9%) és az aktívfekvőbeteg-szakellátás (12,4%) voltak a meghatározó költségelemek. Az egy betegre jutó átlagos éves egészségbiztosítási kiadás 53 375 Ft (198 USD/167 EUR) volt. Következtetés: A gyógyszerek ártámogatása bizonyult a fő költségtényezőnek. A rheumatoid arthritis előfordulási gyakorisága 3,1-szer magasabb a nők esetében a férfiakhoz képest. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(Suppl 1): 30-37.
Summary:
Introduction:
Utilisation of services related to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis poses a great burden for healthcare systems. Objecive: Our aim was to determine the annual epidemiological disease burden and the health insurance treatment cost of rheumatoid arthritis in Hungary.
Data and methods:
Data were derived from the financial database of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA) of Hungary, for the year 2018. The data analysed included annual patient numbers and prevalence per 100 000 population and annual health insurance treatment costs calculated for age groups and sex according to all health insurance treatment categories. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were identified as main diagnosis with the following code of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision: M0690.
Results:
We found a significant patient turnover in pharmaceutical reimbursement: 7015 men, 23 696 women, in total 30 711 patients. Based on patient numbers in pharmaceuticals, prevalence for 100 000 population among men was 150.2 patients, among women 464.0, in total 314.1 patients. In 2018, NHIFA spent 1.64 billion HUF (6.07 million USD, 5.14 million EUR) on the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. 19.3% of the costs was spent on the treatment of male, 80.7% on female patients. Pharmaceuticals (42.8% of the total expenditures), outpatient care (21.9%) and acute inpatient care (12.4%) were the main cost drivers. Average annual health insurance treatment cost per patient was 53 375 HUF (198 USD/167 EUR).
Conclusion:
Pharmaceutical reimbursement was the major cost driver. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was by 3.1 higher in women compared to men. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(Suppl 1): 30-37.
... The price of biosimilars is 15-75% lower than the originator; since the intrinsic properties of biosimilar drugs (that are not generic drugs but bioequivalent), the interchangeability is a medical decision in almost all countries in Western Europe and in the USA. Therefore, this shift is not to be made by pharmacists or by others in order to prevent an automatic substitution 10,35 . ...
AntiTNF-α biosimilars are broadly available for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis. There are a lot of data concerning the maintenance of clinical efficacy after switching from originators to biosimilars; therefore, such a transition is increasingly encouraged both in the US and Europe. However, there are reports about flares and adverse events (AE) as a non-medical switch remains controversial due to ethical and clinical implications (efficacy, safety, tolerability). The aim of our work was to evaluate the disease activity trend after switching from etanercept originator (oETA-Enbrel) to its biosimilar (bETA-SP4/Benepali) in a cohort of patients in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. In this area, the switch to biosimilars is stalwartly encouraged. We switched 87 patients who were in a clinical state of stability from oETA to bETA: 48 patients were affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA),26 by Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) and 13 by Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS).We evaluated VAS-pain, Global-Health, CRP, number of swollen and tender joints, Disease Activity Score on 28 joints (DAS28) for RA, Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) for PsA, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and Health Assessment Questionnaire for the spondyloarthropathies (HAQ-S),Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) for AS patients. 11/85 patients (12.6%) stopped treatment after switching to biosimilar etanercept. No difference was found between oETA and bETA in terms of efficacy. However, some arthritis flare and AE were reported. Our data regarding maintenance of efficacy and percentage of discontinuation were in line with the existing literature.
... In addition, public resources available for health care are also more limited in CEE countries [7,8]. Health-care budgetary constraints result in barriers of patient access to high-cost medical technologies such as innovative pharmaceuticals or medical devices [9][10][11]. Health Technology Assessment (HTA) aims to inform health policymakers by using the best available scientific evidence on the medical, social, economic, and ethical implications of investments in health care [12]; hence, CEE countries may benefit from its implementation by reducing the opportunity cost of inappropriate health policy and resource allocation decisions. ...
Introduction: Lower income European countries have a worse health status and less funds for health care compared to Western Europe. Despite their limited human and financial capacities for conducting Health Technology Assessment (HTA), the need for evidence-based decision-making is growing. Two main approaches emerged as potential solutions: joint clinical assessments on the European level, and simplified procedures relying on the judgements of well-established HTA agencies of Western countries.
Areas covered: Based on considerations of transferability, the European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) was built up to harmonize HTA methodologies across the European Union, and to develop an HTA Core Model by focusing on joint production of relative effectiveness assessment, which can be used as a basis for national value assessments. The second approach has been suggested in various forms without considering transferability issues.
Expert Opinion: Joint clinical assessments reduce duplication of efforts based on appropriate scientific rationale. On the other hand, recent examples show that relying on judgements of HTA agencies from wealthier countries with potentially different health care priorities can lead to suboptimal allocation decisions. In the short term, some stakeholders may benefit from ignoring transferability, but it will ultimately lead to limited access in other disease areas.
... References of full text papers were also reviewed by snowball method, resulting an additional five hits. The 32 potentially relevant full text papers contained 15 articles (Brennan et al., 2004;Kobelt and Kasteng, 2009;Orlewska et al., 2011;Balanescu and Wiland, 2013;Laki et al., 2013;Pavelka et al., 2013;Peńtek et al., 2014;Putrik et al., 2014b;Gulacsi et al., 2015;Gulacsi et al., 2017;Nikiphorou et al., 2017;Codreanu et al., 2018;Kotulska et al., 2018;Batko et al., 2019) mentioning at least one barrier. Full extraction of these papers to identify potential additional access barriers confirmed the completeness of the draft interview guide. ...
Introduction
Although there is a significant utilization gap of biologic medicines in the EU, many studies estimate equity in patient access to biopharmaceuticals only based on their availability on the national list of reimbursed medicines. Hidden access barriers may facilitate financial sustainability of pharmaceuticals in less affluent EU countries; however, they have rarely been documented in scientific publications. Our objective was to explore these access barriers for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in five Central and Eastern European countries.
Methods
A detailed interview guide was developed based on multi-stakeholder workshops and a targeted literature review. In each participant country 3-3-3-3 interviews with payers, rheumatologists, patients/patient representatives, and industry representatives were conducted. Responses were aggregated at a country level and validated by primary investigators in each country.
Results
Limited number of RA centers and consequently significant travelling time and cost for patients in distant geographical areas, uneven budget allocation among centers, limited capacity of nurses, narrowed patient population in national financial protocols compared to international clinical guidelines in initiating or continuing biologics, high administrative burden in prescribing biologics and limited health literacy of patients were the most relevant barriers to timely patient access in at least three participant countries.
Conclusion
Assessing only the availability of TNF alpha inhibitors on the national list of reimbursed medicines provides limited information about real-world patient access to these medicines. Revealing hidden access barriers may contribute to initiate policy actions which could reduce inequity in patient access.
... The importance of maintaining costs at a sustainable level for the health system is due to the fact that innovative therapies have greater efficacy, but also much higher costs than traditional treatment, their impact on health systems, even the wealthy ones, being significant. For this reason, the authorities, as well as prescribing physicians, should be interested in controlling the costs for new therapies [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. The advent of modern therapeutic molecules and availability of data derived from the Romanian Registry of Rheumatic Diseases (RRBR) allowed for cost estimation on a national level, which this study aims to report. ...
Given the limited resources of the health system, rheumatologists are interested in reducing the costs of modern treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis, given that the therapeutic targets are obtained and maintained. Data from the Romanian Registry of Rheumatic Diseases (RRBR, in Romanian) from 2016 to 2019 showed for all three diseases that: continuations on the same regimen with tapering experienced a marked increase; the yearly drug cost per patient steadily decreased towards 2019; adalimumab and etanercept originators present the most number of administrations per year and consequently the highest afferent costs in the entire observation period; new drugs (biologic biosimilars and targeted synthetic drugs) are gaining specific portions of the market; switches decrease costs of treatment since the hypothetical models in which switches would not have been performed and patients would have continued their previous treatment throughout the respective year showed 11% increases of costs. RRBR data have shown that reaching and maintaining therapeutic targets (including by switching strategies), reducing risks of adverse events by reducing exposure (tapering) and increasing the use of biosimilar biologics lead to significant cost reductions.
AIM: To investigate the association between the degree of anterioruveitis and related factors including inflammatory markers as well as sacroiliac joint imaging in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: Anterior changes evaluated by slit lamp, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and magnetic resonance imaging of 55 cases with AS associateduveitis were retrospectively analyzed. A modified endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) clinical standard was used for uveitis grading. SPARCC sacroiliac scoring was used to evaluate bone edema of sacroiliac joint. The correlation between the degree of uveitis and sacroiliitis was assessed. RESULTS: In the 55 patients with AS, EIU grading scored 2-10, and SPARCC index scored 0-22. Further analysis showed that the severity of uveitis was significantly correlated with ESR (r=0.869, P<0.001) and CRP (r=0.485, P<0.001). The degree of anterior uveitis in AS patients was not correlated with inflammation of sacroiliac joint (r=0.237, P=0.081). CONCLUSION: Local autoimmunity of uveitis and sacroiliac joint inflammation with subsequent bone formation in AS might be mutually independent processes.
Objective
To examine mortality rates in UK patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from 1990–2011 and compare with population trends.
Methods
The Norfolk Arthritis Register (NOAR) recruited adults with ≥2 swollen joints for ≥4 weeks: cohort 1 (1990–1994), cohort 2 (1995–1999), and cohort 3 (2000–2004). At baseline, serum rheumatoid factor and anti–citrullinated protein antibody were measured and the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism RA classification criteria were applied. Patients were followed for 7 years, until emigration or death. The UK Office for National Statistics notified the NOAR of the date and cause of deaths, and provided mortality rates for the Norfolk population. All-cause and cardiovascular-specific standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated. Poisson regression was used to compare mortality rate ratios (MRRs) between cohorts and then, with cubic splines, to model rates by calendar year. Analyses were performed in patients 1) with early inflammatory arthritis, 2) classified as having RA, and 3) autoantibody positive.
Results
A total of 2,517 patients were included, with 1,639 women (65%) and median age 55 years, and 1,419 (56%) fulfilled the 2010 RA criteria. All-cause and cardiovascular-specific SMRs were significantly elevated in the antibody-positive groups. There was no change in mortality rates over time after accounting for changes in the population rates. In RA patients, all-cause MRRs, compared to cohort 1, were 1.13 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.84–1.52) and 1.00 (95% CI 0.70–1.43) in cohorts 2 and 3, respectively.
Conclusion
Mortality rates were increased in patients with RA and SMRs were particularly elevated in those who were autoantibody positive. Compared to the general population, mortality rates have not improved over the past 20 years.
Introduction: Organised, nationwide screening for breast cancer with mammography in the age group between 45 and 65 years with 2 years screening interval started in Hungary in January 2002. Aim: The aim of this study is to analyze the attendance rate of nationwide breast screening programme for the 2008-2009 years. Method: The data derive from the database of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration. The ratio of women in the age group 45-65 years was calculated having either a screening mammography or a diagnostic mammography in the 4th screening round of the programme. Results: In the years 2000-2001, 7.6% of the women had an opportunistic screening mammography while in 2008-2009 31.2% of the target population had screening mammography within the organized programme. During the same periods 20.2% (2000-2001) and 20.4% (2008-2009) of women had a diagnostic mammography. Thus the total (screening and diagnostic) coverage of mammography increased from 26.6% (2000-2001) to 50.1% (2008-2009). The attendance rate failed to change between 2002 and 2009. Conclusions: In order to decrease the mortality due to breast cancer, the attendance rate of mammography screening programme should be increased. Orv. Hetil., 154(50), 1975-1983.
Objective. There is substantial uncertainty regarding the prevalence of depression in RA. We conducted a systematic review aiming to describe the prevalence of depression in RA.
Methods. Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, Medline and PubMed were searched for cross-sectional studies reporting a prevalence estimate for depression in adult RA patients. Studies were reviewed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and a meta-analysis was performed.
Results. A total of 72 studies, including 13 189 patients, were eligible for inclusion in the review. Forty-three methods of defining depression were reported. Meta-analyses revealed the prevalence of major depressive disorder to be 16.8% (95% CI 10%, 24%). According to the PHQ-9, the prevalence of depression was 38.8% (95% CI 34%, 43%), and prevalence levels according to the HADS with thresholds of 8 and 11 were 34.2% (95% CI 25%, 44%) and 14.8% (95% CI 12%, 18%), respectively. The main influence on depression prevalence was the mean age of the sample.
Conclusion. Depression is highly prevalent in RA and associated with poorer RA outcomes. This suggests that optimal care of RA patients may include the detection and management of depression.
In this work we discuss issues covering various aspects of the health care system of patients with rheumatic diseases in Poland: education and training in rheumatology, health services utilization (ambulatory and inpatient care) and access to biological treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. In Poland compared to other Central European countries the restrictions resulting from therapeutic programs may influence lower usage of biologics.
Objectives To explore criteria regulating treatment with reimbursed biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) across Europe and to relate criteria to indicators of national socioeconomic welfare.
Methods A cross-sectional study among 46 European countries. One expert from each country completed a questionnaire on criteria regulating the start, maintenance/stop and switch of reimbursed bDMARDs. A composite score was developed to evaluate the level of restrictions in prescription of a first bDMARD (0=highly restricted, 5=most liberal). The level of restrictiveness was correlated with national socioeconomic welfare indicators.
Results In 10 countries (22%), no bDMARD was reimbursed. Among 36 countries with at least one biologic reimbursed, 23(64%) had no requirement for disease duration to initiate a biologic. Half of the countries required a failure of two synthetic DMARDs to qualify for therapy. 31 countries specified a minimum level of disease activity to be fulfilled and in 20 (56%) countries cut-off for disease activity score with 28-joint assessment was higher than 3.2. Four countries (11%) had the maximum composite score (most liberal) and 20 (56%) scored between 0 and 2 (more restrictive). Criteria for initiation of a bDMARD were negatively associated with countries’ socioeconomic welfare (−0.34 to −0.64), and a moderate positive correlation was found between the composite score and welfare indicators (0.59–0.72). Only some countries had regulations for stopping (n=14(39%)) or switching (n=19(53%)).
Conclusions Clinical criteria regulating prescription of bDMARDs in RA differ significantly across Europe. Countries with lower socioeconomic welfare tend to have stricter eligibility criteria, pointing to inequities in access to treatment.
Objectives:
For effective health care provision, knowledge of disease prevalence is paramount. There has been no systematic endeavour to establish continent-based AS estimates, however, prevalence is thought to vary by country and background HLA-B27 prevalence. This study aimed to estimate AS prevalence worldwide and to calculate the expected number of cases.
Methods:
A systematic literature search was conducted. Prevalence data were extracted and used to calculate the mean prevalence by continent and the expected number of cases based on country-specific prevalence (or, if missing, the prevalence from neighbouring countries). A second estimate was made using the prevalence from countries with similar HLA-B27 prevalences if a country-specific prevalence estimate was not available.
Results:
The mean AS prevalence per 10,000 (from 36 eligible studies) was 23.8 in Europe, 16.7 in Asia, 31.9 in North America, 10.2 in Latin America and 7.4 in Africa. Additional estimates, weighted by study size, were calculated as 18.6, 18.0 and 12.2 for Europe, Asia and Latin America, respectively. There were sufficient studies to estimate the number of cases in Europe and Asia, calculated to be 1.30-1.56 million and 4.63-4.98 million, respectively.
Conclusion:
This study represents the first systematic attempt to collate estimates of AS prevalence into a single continent-based estimate. In addition, the number of expected cases in Europe and Asia was estimated. Through reviewing the current literature, it is apparent that the continuing conduct of epidemiological studies of AS prevalence is of great importance, particularly as diagnostic capabilities improve and with the recent development of the criteria for axial SpA.
Physiotherapy lacks studies performed with the use of the modern research methodology and, therefore, its use based on empirical considerations. International practice guidelines do not recommend unequivocally the use of all kinds of physiotherapy with the exception of exercise therapy, but Hungarian guidelines support its use in the treatment of several different conditions. National health insurance in Hungary provides financial support for the use of physiotherapy in the fields of home care, out- and inpatient care and spa treatment. In 2011 national health insurance in Hungary supported spa treatments with 4 billion HUF, and the most frequently used treatment was thermal bath in about 2 million occasions. National health insurance in Hungary spent about 1 billion HUF for physiotherapy used in outpatient care; both ultrasound and interference treatments were financed in 2 million occasions in 2011. Orv. Hetil., 154(48), 1917-1923.
Objectives To explore criteria regulating treatment with reimbursed biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) across Europe and to relate criteria to indicators of national socioeconomic welfare. Methods A cross-sectional study among 46 European countries. One expert from each country completed a questionnaire on criteria regulating the start, maintenance/stop and switch of reimbursed bDMARDs. A composite score was developed to evaluate the level of restrictions in prescription of a first bDMARD (0=highly restricted, 5=most liberal). The level of restrictiveness was correlated with national socioeconomic welfare indicators. Results In 10 countries (22%), no bDMARD was reimbursed. Among 36 countries with at least one biologic reimbursed, 23(64%) had no requirement for disease duration to initiate a biologic. Half of the countries required a failure of two synthetic DMARDs to qualify for therapy. 31 countries specified a minimum level of disease activity to be fulfilled and in 20 (56%) countries cut-off for disease activity score with 28-joint assessment was higher than 3.2. Four countries (11%) had the maximum composite score (most liberal) and 20 (56%) scored between 0 and 2 (more restrictive). Criteria for initiation of a bDMARD were negatively associated with countries' socioeconomic welfare (−0.34 to −0.64), and a moderate positive correlation was found between the composite score and welfare indicators (0.59–0.72). Only some countries had regulations for stopping (n=14(39%)) or switching (n=19(53%)). Conclusions Clinical criteria regulating prescription of bDMARDs in RA differ significantly across Europe. Countries with lower socioeconomic welfare tend to have stricter eligibility criteria, pointing to inequities in access to treatment.
Introduction:
There are limited data about the quality of life of rheumatoid arthritis patients admitted to rehabilitation centres in Hungary.
Aim:
The aim of the authors was to assess demographic data, social status, health related quality of life, and needs for assistance and disease-related information of 239 rheumatoid arthritis patients (169 women and 7 men) admitted to four rehabilitation centres in Hungary.
Method:
For the assessment of demographic, social and other data the authors developed questionnaires. The health related quality of life was evaluated using the validated Short Form 36 questionnaire.
Results:
The authors found that rheumatoid arthritis patients require in-patient rehabilitation relatively early in their disease course. 80.4% of the patients were over 50 years of age, and their social status was low as compared to the average of the Hungarian population. The health related quality of life of patients was significantly lower than that of the average population, but it was similar to the quality of life of patients with osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and low back pain. Among domains of the quality of life, the scores for physical function and pain were the lowest. The most common accompanying diseases included hypertension and osteoporosis. In case of knee and hip surgeries, postoperative rehabilitation was performed in due time. Patients were not satisfied with disease-related information and education given by health care providers.
Conclusions:
There is poor quality of life of rheumatoid arthritis patients admitted to rehabilitation centres in Hungary. More efforts should be done to provide disease-related information and education for patients.