Anti-TNF therapy of ankylosing spondylitis in clinical practice. Results from the Czech national registry ATTRA

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate efficacy, safety and adherence to therapy of ankylosing spondlitis (AS) patients included in the Czech National Registry ATTRA, and to look for predictive factors for therapy discontinuation.

Methods: Patients were included according to the guidelines of the Czech Society for Rheumatology, which involve failure of previous therapy, BASDAI >4, and CRP >10 mg/l. Only patients with anti-TNF administered for the first time were analysed. Adherence to therapy was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and results were presented as cumulative survival. Comparison with data on patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed in the same registry was made.

Results: 310 of AS patients who had reached at least 1 year as well as those who discontinued the treatment before this time point were analysed. Drug survival was longer in patients with AS than in those with RA: 84% vs. 78% and 72% vs. 49% after 1 and 3 years of treatment. Significant risk factors for treatment discontinuation were female gender (RR 2.22, p=0.001) and CRP (RR 1.33, p=0.025). The proportion of patients with BASDAI <4 during the treatment period was higher in the etanercept group than in the infliximab group (p<0.001). The number of patients fully employed increased in the whole group from 48% to 63% after 1 year of treatment.

Conclusion: Follow-up of patients with AS in the national registry shows that it is an effective and safe way of treatment with longer adherence to anti-TNF therapy in comparison with RA patients.