RMD Open最新文献

{"title":"Determinants of social participation in patients living with systemic lupus erythematosus: the Psy-LUP multicentre study.","authors":"Cécile Manet, Marie-Anastasie Aim, Viviane Queyrel, Julien Faraut, Nathalie Costedoat-Chalumeau, Eric Daugas, Eric Hachulla, Jean-Robert Harle, Antoine Huart, Aurélie Hummel, Gilles Kaplanski, Karin Mazodier, Julien Mancini, Francoise Sarrot-Reynauld, Nicolas Schleinitz, Laure Swiader, Nathalie Tieulie, Philippe Manet, Lionel Dany, Laurent Chiche, Noemie Jourde-Chiche","doi":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005661","DOIUrl":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005661","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can negatively impact patients' social participation. The aim of this study was to identify the determinants of social participation in patients with SLE.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional evaluation was carried out in 100 adult outpatients with SLE enrolled in the multicentre psychosocial lupus (Psy-LUP) study. Participants completed the following standardised questionnaires: Participation Scale (social participation); Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory; Sarason's Social Support Questionnaire; Couples Satisfaction Index; Brief Illness Perceptions; Short Form-36 and Lupus-QoL. Stepwise multivariate regression analysis identified determinants of social participation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>92 women and eight men were included. Mean age was 44 years, mean SLE duration was 14 years, 52% of patients had a history of lupus nephritis and 38% were currently receiving immunosuppressants and/or biologics. 73% were in a couple and 64% were employed. Social participation was reduced in 29% of patients (compared with 46% in rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis), who reported different illness perceptions than those with preserved social participation. In multivariate linear regression, female sex (p=0.006), smoking (p=0.04), osteoporotic fractures (p=0.03), anti-cardiolipin antibodies (p=0.01) and 'Past Negative' time perspective (p=0.002) were associated with reduced social participation, while haematological involvement (p=0.005) and 'Present Hedonistic' time perspective (p=0.02) were protective. Reduced social participation was also associated with illness representations and with lower health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) scores.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Social participation is frequently altered in patients with SLE and correlates with illness representations, time perspective and HR-QoL. Psychological support and therapeutic education may help improve patients' time perspective.</p><p><strong>Trial registration number: </strong>NCT03913754.</p>","PeriodicalId":21396,"journal":{"name":"RMD Open","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12198841/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144497978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical and genetic determinants of worse sexual experience in male patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis: a multimodal study.","authors":"Lidong Hu, Dai Gao, Xiaojian Ji, Yiwen Wang, Xingkang Liu, Jianglin Zhang, Jian Zhu, Feng Huang","doi":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005594","DOIUrl":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005594","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The expression and experience of sexuality is a key part of an individual's self-identity, yet it is often overlooked in clinical settings. This study aims to evaluate the impact of radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) on sexual experience in male patients, identify contributing factors and explore the potential causal relationship between r-axSpA and erectile dysfunction (ED).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We assessed the sexual experience of 113 male patients with r-axSpA and 73 healthy people using the Sexual Experience Questionnaire in the cross-sectional study. Linear regression analysis was used to explore the contributions of clinical factors to worse sexual experience. A two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) design was conducted to examine the potential causal association of r-axSpA with the risk of ED.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There was a significant difference in the total sexual experience score between patients with r-axSpA and healthy controls (41.81±8.71 vs 50.23±8.82, p<0.001). Patients with r-axSpA had a worse score in all dimensions of sexual experience, including erectile function, individual satisfaction and couple satisfaction, compared with healthy individuals. In the regression model adjusted for age, disease duration and body mass index, disease activity (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index), physical function (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index), mobility (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index, chest expansion and finger-floor distance), health index (Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society Health Index), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and psychological status (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), HADS-Anxiety and HADS-Depression) were significant determinants of sexual experience. The two-sample MR analysis demonstrated no causal effect of r-axSpA on the risk of ED (OR: 0.973; 95% CI: 0.824 to 1.149; p=0.749) based on the inverse variance weighted method. Sensitivity analyses supported the result, with no evidence of directional pleiotropy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Worse sexual experience was associated with increased disease activity, reduced mobility, lower health index, poor sleep quality and psychological status. Genetic-level evidence indicated no direct causal relationship between r-axSpA and ED. Therefore, actively assessing disease-related suffering and developing new management strategies are essential for improving sexual experience in patients with r-axSpA.</p>","PeriodicalId":21396,"journal":{"name":"RMD Open","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12198791/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144497975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High-frequency ultrasound can detect inflammatory changes of the finger pulleys anatomical entheses in early psoriatic arthritis.","authors":"Luis Coronel, Chiara Rizzo, Maribel Miguel-Pérez, Maria Antonietta D'Agostino, Ingrid Möller","doi":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005783","DOIUrl":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005783","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21396,"journal":{"name":"RMD Open","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12198779/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144485762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association between glucose intolerance and psoriatic arthritis features.","authors":"Shanti Mehta, Mu Yang, Liana Dimitropoulos, Sydney Thib, Sahil Koppikar, Richard J Cook, Lihi Eder","doi":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005709","DOIUrl":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005709","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21396,"journal":{"name":"RMD Open","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12186031/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144476521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patients with psoriatic arthritis and comorbid metabolic syndrome show a difficult-to-treat phenotype: another mosaic tile in the definition of a still undefined subset of patients.","authors":"Damiano Currado, Francesca Trunfio, Francesca Saracino, Lyubomyra Kun, Annalisa Marino, Erika Corberi, Antonio Orlando, Ludovica Lamberti, Leonardo Frascà, Marta Gatti, Onorina Berardicurti, Marta Vomero, Vasiliki Liakouli, Roberto Giacomelli, Luca Navarini","doi":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005717","DOIUrl":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005717","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory condition associated with psoriasis and characterised by heterogeneous clinical manifestations, including peripheral and axial arthritis, enthesitis and dactylitis. A subset of patients exhibits a 'difficult-to-treat' (D2T) phenotype, necessitating complex therapeutic strategies. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is highly prevalent in PsA patients and has been implicated in increased disease activity.This study aimed to evaluate the impact of MetS on the development of D2T phenotype in PsA and its potential implications for disease management.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted on PsA patients recruited from the Rheumatology Clinic at Fondazione Policlinico Campus Bio-Medico of Rome. Patients fulfilling the Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis criteria were assessed for disease activity and the presence of MetS according to National Cholesterol Education Programme Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. D2T PsA was defined based on the Rheumatoid Arthritis European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatolog criteria revised for PsA by Perrotta <i>et al.</i> Statistical analyses, including logistic regression and path analysis, were performed to explore associations between MetS and D2T PsA.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 182 PsA patients, 42.94% met MetS criteria. The D2T subset (n=66) demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of MetS (81.82% vs 29.37%, p<0.0001). Logistic regression revealed a strong association between MetS and D2T PsA (OR 7.56, 95% CI 2.53 to 22.56, p<0.0001), and path analysis confirmed MetS as an independent predictor of D2T phenotype.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>MetS is strongly associated with a D2T phenotype in PsA, suggesting that metabolic comorbidities contribute to disease severity and treatment resistance. Addressing metabolic dysfunction may be crucial in optimising therapeutic outcomes in PsA management.</p>","PeriodicalId":21396,"journal":{"name":"RMD Open","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12184358/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144369181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Different rheumatoid factor binding patterns distinguish between Sjögren's disease with or without associated RA.","authors":"Nienke Oskam, Gwenny Verstappen, Ninotska I L Derksen, Pleuni Ooijevaar-de Heer, Hendrika Bootsma, Gertjan Wolbink, Frans Kroese, Theo Rispens","doi":"10.1136/rmdopen-2024-005386","DOIUrl":"10.1136/rmdopen-2024-005386","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Sjögren's disease (SjD) are two rheumatic autoimmune diseases that commonly co-occur. Besides some overlap in clinical presentation, the two diseases share the frequent occurrence of rheumatoid factors (RF); autoantibodies targeting the constant region of IgG (IgG-Fc). We previously demonstrated that RFs of patients with RA or SjD have distinct reactivity profiles towards various epitopes on IgG-Fc, prompting the question of whether binding patterns in patients with RA-associated SjD (SjD-RA) would reflect either disease or a combination thereof.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We determined IgM- and IgA-RF levels against a selected set of RF targets that were developed to map preferential RF binding to specific epitopes. We assessed binding patterns among 14 patients with SjD-RA and compared these to patterns found among 28 patients with early RA and 152 patients with SjD.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both IgM-RF and IgA-RF profiles of SjD-RA patients closely resemble those of RA patients and are distinctly different from those found among SjD patients. Furthermore, the presence and binding pattern of RF seems to be inherently linked to the presence of anti-SSA/Ro antibodies in patients with SjD.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Analysing RF binding patterns could help to distinguish SjD, SjD-RA, RA and contributes to a better understanding of the underlying immunological processes in a complex multidisorder setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":21396,"journal":{"name":"RMD Open","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12184338/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144369180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bone health in juvenile idiopathic arthritis compared with controls based on a Norwegian observational study.","authors":"Anette Lundestad, Lena Cetrelli, Oskar Welander Angenete, Thomas Angell Augdal, Karin Tylleskär, Ellen Berit Nordal, Karen Rosendahl, Gry Børmark Hoftun, Mari Hoff, Pål Richard Romundstad, Marite Rygg","doi":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005605","DOIUrl":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005605","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) are at risk for impaired bone health. This study evaluates bone mineral density (BMD) and potential risk factors for reduced BMD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In the NorJIA study, Norwegian children with JIA, and age-matched and sex-matched controls participated in a multicentre cohort study with clinical examinations, questionnaires, imaging and blood tests. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and adjusted for bone age. Standard descriptive statistics and t-tests were used.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>205 children with JIA had BMD measured at two study visits, 2 years apart and 125 controls at the second visit. At visit 2, median age was 14.7 years (IQR 11.5-16.6). Median disease duration was 6.6 (IQR 4.7-10.4) years, 50.7% had used or were currently using biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and 25.9% had ever used systemic steroids. There were no substantial differences in BMD Z-scores between the JIA group and controls. Mean BMD Z-score L1-L4 in JIA was 0.0 (95% CI -0.1, 0.1) and in controls 0.1 (95% CI -0.1, 0.3). A robust association was seen between physical activity levels and BMD. In children with JIA, the mean BMD Z-score L1-L4 was -0.3 (95% CI -0.6, 0.0) in the low-activity group and 0.2 (95% CI 0.0, 0.4) in the high-activity group, with a similar trend in controls. Children with JIA were as physically active as controls.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>BMD Z-scores in JIA were similar to controls and positively associated with physical activity. This underlines the importance of early disease control, steroid-sparing medications and physical activity to optimise bone health.</p><p><strong>Trial registration number: </strong>NCT03904459.</p>","PeriodicalId":21396,"journal":{"name":"RMD Open","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12182186/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144333806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early effects of ozoralizumab 30 mg in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate response to methotrexate: a post hoc trajectory analysis of the phase II/III OHZORA trial.","authors":"Yusuke Miyazaki, Nobuko Horiuchi, Shunsuke Okamoto, Rumiko Matsumoto, Tsutomu Takeuchi, Yoshiya Tanaka","doi":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005710","DOIUrl":"10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005710","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study assessed the early effects of ozoralizumab (OZR) 30 mg in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX-IR), drawing on OHZORA trial data for efficacy and safety insights.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study included 141 patients with RA from the OHZORA trial, initiated on OZR 30 mg. The primary measure was the rate of achieving low disease activity (LDA) by the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) 3 days post-OZR initiation. Growth mixture modelling (GMM) of CDAI trajectories was performed to enable a more detailed analysis of the impact of OZR on disease activity improvement.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The retention rate of OZR up to 52 weeks was 87.9% (n=124). The LDA achievement rate on the third day of OZR introduction was 12.8% (n=18), and by week 52, 70.9% (n=100) had improved to LDA. Three distinct groups were identified using GMM: one group (n=78) reached LDA within 4 weeks of OZR initiation and maintained LDA up to week 52. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that both low baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) and low CDAI were independently associated with group membership.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>OZR 30 mg demonstrated both immediate and sustained efficacy in MTX-IR patients with RA. Multivariate analysis suggested that both baseline inflammation and disease activity-represented by CRP and CDAI-may independently influence treatment response. However, residual confounding due to baseline disease activity cannot be completely excluded, and this remains a limitation of the present study.</p>","PeriodicalId":21396,"journal":{"name":"RMD Open","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12182106/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144333807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Autoantibody clusters in rheumatoid arthritis are not driven by antigen specificity or isotype.","authors":"Anouk G van Mourik, Linda Johansson, Tineke J van Wesemael, Marc P Maurits, Heidi Kokkonen, Johan Rönnelid, Rachel Knevel, René E M Toes, Solbritt Rantapää-Dahlqvist, Diane van der Woude","doi":"10.1136/rmdopen-2024-005291","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/rmdopen-2024-005291","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Autoantibodies are a key feature of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They can be detected years before disease onset, but it is unknown if there is any pattern in the co-occurrence of antigen recognition or isotype profiles. A common signature could point to a unique initial trigger for autoantibody development. Therefore, we sought to determine if there is a pattern in antigen or isotype reactivity in pre-symptomatic cases and established RA.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>One pre-symptomatic cohort and one RA cohort were analysed for the co-occurrence of different isotypes of anti-modified protein antibodies (AMPA) and rheumatoid factor (RF). Patterns in autoantibody levels were investigated with clustering. Additionally, total IgG was measured in 1- year follow-up sera of a representative subgroup of the RA cohort.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>While especially anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) IgG and RF IgA co-occurred with other autoantibodies, no specific patterns emerged. In both cohorts, clusters of autoantibody levels were not determined by particular antigen reactivities or isotype. However, clusters were driven by elevated levels of several different AMPA, with distinct AMPA high- and low-level clusters. A broad IgG autoantibody profile was not accompanied by high total IgG levels.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Autoantibody clusters are most likely not driven by AMPA specificity or isotype profile, neither before nor at RA onset, but are instead determined by a broad variety of autoantibodies. This indicates that the triggers for autoantibody development in RA do not skew the response towards certain autoreactivities or isotypes but rather lead to a broad and diverse autoantibody repertoire reflecting continuous and ongoing immune activation.</p>","PeriodicalId":21396,"journal":{"name":"RMD Open","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12164635/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144294865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rising incidence of systemic autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic: a geographical cohort study.","authors":"Enrico De Lorenzis, Paolo Parente, Salvatore Soldati, Andrea Barbara, Gerlando Natalello, Marina Davoli, Silvia Laura Bosello, Maria Antonietta D'Agostino, Mirko Di Martino","doi":"10.1136/rmdopen-2024-005227","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/rmdopen-2024-005227","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The natural infection with SARS-CoV-2, or vaccination against it, has been postulated to directly contribute to an increase in the incidence of autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRDs). Conversely, preventive measures limiting access to healthcare services could have resulted in missed or delayed AIIRD diagnoses or have reduced the infection rate of any triggering infections. We aimed to define real-life trends in AIIRD diagnoses from the prepandemic period through 2023 in a large and geographically circumscribed population of 6.5 million inhabitants.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>AIIRDs' annual diagnosis rates from 2017 to 2023 were derived from the registration of disease-specific exemption codes of the resident population of Lazio, a highly populated region in central Italy. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated to compare pandemic and average prepandemic rates (2017-2019). Poisson regression was used to define statistically significant changes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 16 254 AIIRD diagnoses were registered over the 7-year period. The average prepandemic incidence of AIIRDs was 4.81 per 10 000 inhabitants (95% CI 4.69 to 4.92). Compared with the prepandemic period, the diagnosis rate decreased in 2020 (IRR 0.68, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.72) but remained above prepandemic levels in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 2023, there was a 22% increase in AIIRD incidence compared with prepandemic levels (IRR 1.22, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.28, p<0.001). This excess incidence was primarily driven by increases in both primary arthritides and systemic rheumatic diseases.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We observed a temporary decline in diagnosis in 2020, followed by a substantial increase from 2021 to 2023. This trend (decline and increase) may be linked to COVID-19 infection or to the reduction and subsequently potential increase of other infectious triggers following the use of preventive measures, such as facial masks and social distancing.</p>","PeriodicalId":21396,"journal":{"name":"RMD Open","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12164633/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144294867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}