Objective. In this study, we aimed to address the prevalence of fatigue, its associated factors, and the effect of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) on this subgroup of patients in a large axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) cohort. Methods. The study included 681 patients [ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and nonradiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA)]. The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Bath AS Disease Activity Index question 1 (BASDAI Q1) indices were used for fatigue assessment. Severe fatigue was defined as an FSS ≥ 4 or a BASDAI Q1 ≥ 5. Disease activity, function, and quality of life (QoL) measures were recorded. Patients who had been treated with TNFi were identified, and baseline and followup data were analyzed. Results. Of the cohort, 67.3% had severe fatigue, and the prevalence was similar between AS (67.2%) and nr-axSpA (68.2%). Severely fatigued patients tended to have higher disease activity scores, increased acute-phase proteins, and decreased QoL measures. TNFi therapy was associated with improvement in disease activity, and although this treatment led to significantly decreased fatigue scores, this reduction was not optimal in the majority of patients with 80% continuing to have severe fatigue according to their posttreatment scores. Health Assessment Questionnaire, mean scores of BASDAI Q5 and Q6, and BASDAI enthesitis were independent predictors of fatigue severity. Conclusion. Fatigue is a common symptom in axSpA, and the burden of fatigue among patients with nr-axSpA is similar to that seen in AS. While biologics are effective in improving disease activity, their effect on fatigue is more limited. In axSpA, fatigue remains unresponsive to TNFi in nearly 80% of patients.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, inflammatory arthropathy occurring in up to 30% of patients with psoriasis, and is characterized by multiple manifestations including peripheral arthritis, enthesitis, dactylitis, spondylitis, and psoriatic skin and nail disease. This complex and heterogeneous disease is poorly understood and its diagnosis and treatment are suboptimal, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, where very few studies into the impact of PsA have been carried out. This article aims to highlight the disease burden of PsA in the region as well as to identify unmet clinical needs. A non-systematic review was carried out in the PubMed database and the most relevant publications were selected. Expert rheumatologists practicing in Africa and the Middle East provide an insight into the challenges of treating PsA in daily practice, along with recommendations for improvements.

To compare the antero-posterior (AP) pelvis view with the Ferguson view of the SI joint in order to resolve whether one modality has a clear advantage for grading of sacroiliitis. One hundred and nine patients fulfilling Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) criteria for axial spondyloarthritis who had AP pelvis and Ferguson views on the same day were identified from an axial spondyloarthritis clinic registry. Two rheumatologists independently scored the AP pelvis and Ferguson views according to modified New York (NY) criteria. Intra- and inter-reader agreements were obtained for both evaluations by using the kappa statistic and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Any change in diagnostic category dictated by the Ferguson vs the AP pelvis views was also evaluated. A total of 266 radiographs were read from 109 patients. Intra-observer reliability of the observers showed similar ICC scores; this was also reflected in the kappa for diagnosis of AS fulfilling modified NY criteria between the observers. The inter-rater agreement showed similar kappa values between the two modalities. When separately evaluating SI joints with score grading of 0–2, grade 2 showed the lowest kappa, reaching a low of 0.1 and 0.19 for the right SI joint for Ferguson and AP pelvis views, respectively. Both modalities were concordant diagnostically; reclassification from AS to non-AS and vice versa was in the range 5–11%. There was general agreement between the Ferguson and AP pelvis X-ray ICC and kappa scores. Either modality can be employed to evaluate the SI joint for sacroiliitis with the Ferguson view showing no clear superiority over the standard AP pelvis view.

Background: Methotrexate (MTX) Intolerance Severity Score (MISS) has been previously validated in the Arabic language and has helped to detect high levels of intolerance in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The aim of the current study was to evaluate patient and disease characteristics associated with a high risk of MTX intolerance. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional interview-based survey was conducted using adult RA patients as a study group, who were visiting a specialized rheumatology clinic at King Saud University Medical City. The Arabic MISS was used in this survey. Statistical analyses were performed to understand associations between MTX-intolerant and MTX-tolerant patients. Results: A total of 117 patients were involved in this study. Of those, 101 (86.3%) were females with a mean (SD) disease duration of 6.6 (5.7) years. The median (interquartile range (IQR)) Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28) was 3.6 (3.6– 4.1). MTX intolerance was observed in 55 (47%) patients. The most predominant component in patients with a positive test was the behavioral component. Intolerant patients had a higher median of pain (47.3 vs. 50.0; P = 0.010) and patient global assessment (50.0 vs. 60.0; P = 0.004) scales compared to those in tolerant patients. Additionally, MTX intolerance was associated with the female gender (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 6.724; 95% CI 1.420, 31.843, P = 0.016), marital status (AOR 2.549; 95% CI 1.037, 6.270, P = 0.042) and DAS28 (AOR 1.612; 95% CI 1.032, 2.517, P = 0.036). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the remaining disease activity parameters, background therapies, seropositivity, and smoking status (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Patient characteristics, rather than disease activity, significantly impact MTX intolerance. Behavioral component is the main driver of intolerance. Intolerant patients have higher patient-reported outcomes. Qualitative studies are needed to explore causes and potential solutions to MTX intolerance.

Objective Seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SpA) are a group of rheumatological disorders that share the common feature of being rheumatoid factor negative. Inflammation of the sacroiliac joint is considered the hallmark of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). On the other hand, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) affects patients with psoriasis. It is characterized by asymmetrical oligoarticular arthritis. Involvement of the distal interphalangeal joint is a unique feature of PsA. Enteropathic arthritis (EnA) involves the presence of inflammatory arthropathy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These diseases are strongly associated with the HLA-B27 gene. Although they are significantly disabling, their diagnosis has been frequently delayed. Early diagnosis is associated with early treatment, and thus better disease outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic delay (DD), that is, the duration between onset of symptoms and diagnosis, of SpA patients and its relation to the demographic characteristics, disease activity, measured by ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score (ASDAS) and bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) scores, and the HLA-B27 status of Saudi SpA patients. Methods The data of 94 patients who were diagnosed with SpA were collected from medical records and from them personally. The data included patient demographics, age at diagnosis, delay of diagnosis, in years, disease activity (BASDAI and ASDAS scores), HLA-B27 status and C-reactive protein levels (CRP). The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows version 21.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results 50% of patients were females. The mean DD was (mean +/- SD) 4.98 +/- 6.00 (range: 0-35). The average age of symptoms onset was 30.70 +/- 11.30 (range: 8-59) and the average age at diagnosis was 35.65 +/- 10.80 (range: 16-60). The mean BASDAI and ASDAS scores were 3.05 +/- 2.21 and 2.29 +/- 1.01, respectively. The majority of the patients had high disease activity (35.1 %). 25.0% were HLA-B27 positive. 83.7 % had normal CRP. There was no statistically significant difference between DD and gender, HLA-B27 status, ASDAS and BASDAI scores, and CRP. The DD was significantly higher in AS patients when compared to PsA (p-value= 0.048) and EnA patients (p-value < 0.0001). There was a statistically significant weak anticorrelation between DD and the age at symptoms onset in PsA patients (r-value= -0.39, p-value= 0.003). Age at diagnosis was statistically significantly higher in patients with PsA when compared to EnA. There was no correlation between DD and the disease activity in SpA patients. Conclusion The means of DD in AS, PsA, and EnA patients were 6.69 +/- 5.83, 3.67 +/- 6.42 and 2.00 +/- 1.60, respectively. DD was greater in AS patients when compared to PsA and EnA patients. Early detection and referral to rheumatologists should be addressed, as early intervention is associated with favorable disease outcomes.