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Updated: May 9, 2025
Author Spotlight: Enhancing Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Through HR-pQCT Imaging Analysis
Published on: October 6, 2023
[Annual report 2025 from the National Database of the Regional Collaborative Rheumatology Centers in Germany]
Katinka Albrecht1, Katja Thiele2, Tobias Alexander3,4
1Programmbereich Epidemiologie und Versorgungsforschung, Deutsches Rheuma Forschungszentrum Berlin, Charitéplatz1, 10117, Berlin, Deutschland. albrecht@drfz.de.
Background:
Data of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases are annually recorded within the National Database of the German Collaborative Rheumatology Centers.
Methods:
For rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), axial spondylarthritis (axSpA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), Sjögren's syndrome (SjS), idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM), polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), giant cell arteritis (GCA), ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), Behçet's disease (BD), adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) and autoinflammatory diseases (AID) data are reported from 2023. Information includes physician-reported disease activity on a numeric rating scale (NRS) of 0-10, treatment and patient-reported outcomes. For selected diagnoses, developments from 2010 to 2023 are presented regarding physicians' assessments of disease activity and treatment.
Results:
A total of 13,884 patients were documented from 14 rheumatology centers, most frequently with RA (5734), PsA (1741) and axSpA (1494). The mean age ranged from 45 years (BD) to 73 years (GCA) and the median disease duration ranged from 3 years (PMR) to 16 years (axSpA). Disease activity was predominantly low, with 6% (BD) to 15% (axSpA) rated moderate to high (> 4 on the NMR) by rheumatologists. Biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARD) were most frequently prescribed for axSpA (65%), AOSD (58%), PsA (53%) and GCA (41%). Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors were frequently used in axSpA (53%), BD (30%) and PsA (28%), interleukin (IL)-1 inhibitors in AOSD (51%) and AID (50%), IL-6Ri in GCA (38%), IL17i in PsA (17%) and rituximab in AAV (29%). Higher levels of pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances and reduced well-being were reported by patients with IIM, SSc, axSpA and AID. Among those younger than 65 years, 58% (SSc) to 77% (axSpA) were employed. The percentage of early retirement due to rheumatic diseases was 5% (AOSD) to 18% (AAV). Since 2010 the development in the proportion of patients in remission or with very low disease activity (NRS 0-1) has increased across all diagnoses. In terms of treatment there has been an increase in b/tsDMARDs and a decrease in glucocorticoids for various diagnoses.
Conclusion:
The results show the diversity of inflammatory rheumatic diagnoses and the continuously growing range of treatment in rheumatology along with good disease control in many patients.
