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. 2022 Apr;9(2):82-87.
doi: 10.5152/eurjrheum.2022.21060.

A real-life analysis of patients with rheumatologic diseases on biological treatments: Data from TURKBIO Registry

Fatoş Önen  1 , Gerçek Can  1 , Sedat Çapar  2 , Ediz Dalkılıç  3 , Yavuz Pehlivan  3 , Soner Şenel  4 , Servet Akar  5 , Süleyman Serdar Koca  6 , Abdurrahman Tufan  7 , Ayten Yazıcı  8 , Sema Yılmaz  9 , Nevsun İnanç  10 , İsmail Sarı  1 , Merih Birlik  1 , Dilek Solmaz  5 , Ayşe Cefle  8 , Mehmet Akif Öztürk  7 , Servet Yolbaş  11 , Niels Steen Krogh  12 , Neslihan Yılmaz  13 , Şükran Erten  14 , Cemal Bes  15 , Özgül Soysal Gündüz  16 , Berna Göker  7 , Seminur Haznedaroğlu  7 , Şule Yavuz  13 , Gözde Yildirim Çetin  17 , Fatih Yıldız  17 , Haner Direskeneli  10 , Nurullah Akkoç  16
Affiliations

A real-life analysis of patients with rheumatologic diseases on biological treatments: Data from TURKBIO Registry

Fatoş Önen et al. Eur J Rheumatol. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: TURKBIO registry, established in 2011, is the first nationwide biological database in Turkey. This study aimed to provide an overview of TURKBIO data collected by June 2018.

Methods: The registry included adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-AxSpA), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Demographic and clinical features, disease activity markers, and other follow-up parameters, current and previous treat- ments, and adverse events were registered electronically at each visit using open-source software. The registration of patient-reported outcome measures was carried out electronically by the patients using touch screens.

Results: TURKBIO registry included a total of 41,145 treatment series with biologicals. There were 2,588 patients with axSpA (2,459 AS and 129 nr-axSpA), 2,036 with RA, and 428 with PsA. The total number of patients, including those with other diagnoses, was 5,718. In the follow-up period, the number of patients and also visits steadily increased by years. The yearly mean number of visits per patient was found to be 2.3. Significant improvements in disease activity and health assessment parameters were observed following the biological treatments. Biologics were often given in combination with a con- ventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug in patients with RA. Infections were the most commonly seen adverse events, followed by allergic reactions. Tuberculosis was observed in 12 patients, malignancy in 18, and treatment-related mortality in 31.

Conclusion: TURKBIO provided a valuable real-life experience with the use of biologics in rheumatic diseases in Turkey.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Centers included in TURKBIO Registry.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The distribution of patients by the diagnosis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The number of new and withdrawn treatment series in TURKBIO by years (first 6 months for 2018).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Distribution of biologics as a new treatment across a year of prescription in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The comparison of first-line TNFi survival in patients with RA, AS, nr-axSpA, and PsA (P < .001). RA: rheumatoid arthritis; AS: ankylosing spondylitis; nr-axSpA: nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis; PsA: psoriatic arthritis.
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