Rheumatoid Arthritis Flashcards
Rheumatoid Arthritis - Symptom Presentation
1) Diffuse pain (myalgias, arthralgias, arthritis
2) Variable time to symptom onset
3) Morning joint stiffness (gelling) lasting greater than 1 hour
4) Affected joints are swollen and inflamed
- Elbow
- Foot and ankle
- Hand and wrists (proximal interphalangeal and metacarpopalangeal joints)
- Hip
- Knee
- Shoulder
Rheumatoid Arthritis - Other contributing factors
1) Family hx of inflammatory disease such as:
- Autoimmune thyroid disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Myasthenia gravis
- Rheumatoid arthrtitis
- Systemic lupus erythmatosus
2) Smoking is associated with increased disease activity
Vaccines to consider in patients receiving RA immunosuppressive therapy
Influenza vaccine - administer annually to all patients before and during DMARD therapy
Pneumococcal vaccine - Administer to all patients receiving biologic DMARDS, methotrexate, leflunomide and/or sulfasalazine before and during DMARD therapy
Hepatitis B - As above without the sulfasalazine
HPV - To all pts who meet recommendations from the CDC before and during DMARD therapy
Herpes Zoster - To all pts who meet recommendations from CDC before DMARD therapy and During if they are actively being treated with DMARD monotherapy or comination therapy but not if being treated with anti-TNF or non-TNF biologic agent
NSAID STEPS - Safety
- In patients at risk of or with existing cardiovascular disease, NSAID’s such as naproxen, ibuprofen and piroxicam are not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
- all NSAID’s carry the risk of causing changes in renal function
- Patients with a greater risk of GI toxicity include:
- Elderly patients
- Patients with a history of GI bleeds
- Patients concurrently using anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs, and/or systemic corticosteroids
NSAID STEPS - Tolerability
Dyspepsia
Prolonged bleeding
Dermatologic reactions
NSAID STEPS - Efficacy
- Available NSAIDs are equally effective, but individuals’ responses to agents will vary
- NSAIDs will reduce joint pain and swelling to some degree, but they will not modify the destruction or progression of RA
NSAID STEPS - Preference (Pearls)
- Celecoxib has fewer GI adverse events than other NSAIDs; however, it is no more effective at reducing pain and inflammation
- Adding misoprostol to an NSAID will decrease the risk of GI ulceration
- Adding a PPI to an NSAID will decrease nonulcerative symptoms
- If a patient does not respond to NSAID therapy (after an appropriate 14-28 day trial), providers should consider trying other NSAIDs before concluding therapeutic failure.
NSAID STEPS - Simplicity
- Widely available prescription and over-the-counter medications
- Once-daily formulations allow continuous analgesia
Corticosteroid STEPS - Safety
- Increased risk of osteoporosis and fracture
- Risk of symptoms of a psychiatric disturbance with increasing dose of corticosteroids
- Less than 40mg of prednisone/day 1-2%
- > 40mg of prednisone/day 5% incidence
- > 80mg of prednisone/day 20% incidence
Corticosteroid STEPS - Tolerability
Cataracts Dyslipidemia (high dose) Glaucoma Hirsutism Hyperglycemia Hypertension (high dose) Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression Osteoporosis Pancreatitis (high dose) Weight gain
Corticosteroid STEPS - Efficacy
- Short-term (weeks), low-dose (less than 15mg of prednisone daily) corticosteroids are effective for symptoms flare
- Early initiation of corticosteroid and continuance at a low dose (less than 10mg of prednisone daily) reduce joint destruction and likelihood of clinical remission
- Higher corticosteroid doses ma be warranted to treat symptoms of sever or advanced disease (e.g., presence of vasculitis
- Intra-articular injections may be beneficial, but limit injections in joint to more than every 3-4 months
Corticosteroid STEPS - Preference (Pearls)
- Start appropriate calcium and vitamin D supplementation in all patients taking corticosteroid therapy
- Assess for bisphosphonate therapy
Corticosteroid STEPS - Simplicity
Once-daily fixed dose appears to be effective for symptom control and possibly slowing disease progression
Methotrexate STEPS - Safety
- Contraindicated in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Pregnancy should be avoided for at lease 3 months with men and at least one ovulatory cycle for women after discontinuing methotrexate
- Significantly diminishes the ability to generate an immune response
- Increased incidence of the following:
- any malignancy
- Lung cancer
- Melanoma
- Non-Hodgkins lymphoma
- Avoid in patient with the following:
- CrCl < 30ml/min
- Platelet count less the 50,000/mm3
- White blood cell count less than 3000/mm3
- Liver transaminases greater than 2 times the upper limit of normal
- Avoid concurrent use of NSAIDs in patients before or actively using high-dose methotrexate
Methotrexate STEPS - Tolerability
Abdominal cramping Anorexia Bone marrow suppression Hypersensitivity pneumonitis Increased aminotransferases Infections Nausea Stomatitis
Methotrexate STEPS - Efficacy
- Substantial treatment response in patients with RA
- Intense treatment strategy and dose may result in an increased chance of disease remission, but also an increased likelihood of having an adverse event or discontinuing therapy
- Consider changing to subcutaneous methotrexate in patient with an inadequate response to oral therapy secondary to increased bioavailability of the injectable formulation
- Proposed benefit of decreased chance of cardiovascular mortality
Methotrexate STEPS - Preference (Pearls)
- Considered first choice for DMARD therapy
- Adding a folic acid supplement decreases adverse events (folate deficiency increases risk of methotrexate toxicity)
Methotrexate STEPS - Simpliciy
Dosed as on subcutaneous injection or one oral dose weekly
Leflunomide (Brand)
Arava
Leflunomide STEPS - Safety
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis
- May decrease defences against malignancy
- Women who wish to become pregnant or men who wish to farther a child should discontinue leflunomide use and us cholestyramine to achieve plasma (leflunomide) active metabolites less than 0.02 mg/L
- Patients with preexisting liver disease or aspartate aminotransferase/alanine transferase greater than 2 times thes upper limit of normal should not receive leflunomide
Leflnomide STEPS - Tolerability
- Alopecia
- Debilitating diarrhea
- Rash
- Severe hepatotoxicity
Leflunomide STEPS - Efficacy
- Available evidence shows leflunomide is comparable to methotrexate therapy
- May be added to methotrexate therapy to further improve symptoms, but at risk of hepatic toxicity
Leflunomide STEPS - Preference (Pearls)
An alternative for patients unable to tolerate or not responding to methotrexate therapy
Leflunomide STEPS - Simplicity
- 100mg by mouth daily for 3 days (loading dose) and then 20 mg by mouth once daily.
- dosage may be reduced (10 mg daily) for patients unable to tolerate full dose.
- Loading dose can be omitted for patients at high risk of hepatic or hematologic toxicities