Biologic Use for Arthritis Linked With Depression and Anxiety Save

In a recent study of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, the initiation of a biologic treatment or switching to another biologic was associated with an increased likelihood of the use of antidepressants and anxiolytics, reported Petros P. Sfikakis, MD, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and colleagues in RMD Open: Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases.

The group conducted the retrospective study using nationwide data from the Greek Government Center for Social Security Services medical database, which covers almost 100% of the country's population. After adjusting for age, sex, type of underlying disease, and concomitant treatment with glucocorticoids and conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), there was a positive association between starting treatment with a biologic agent and the use of antidepressants (OR 1.248, 95% CI 1.153-1.350, P<0.0001) or anxiolytics (OR 1.178, 95% CI 1.099-1.263, P<0.0001).

Similarly, there was a positive association between switching to a different biologic and the use of antidepressants (OR 1.502, 95% CI 1.370-1.646, P<0.0001) or anxiolytics (OR 1.161, 95% CI 1.067-1.264, P=0.001).

"The relationship between mood disorders and inflammation seems to be bi-directional, as chronic pain and inflammation are considered to be important mediators of depression, while at the same time depression affects perception of pain and reduces response to treatment, possibly by minimizing patient adherence to medication," Sfikakis and co-authors explained.

A total of 42,815 patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases were registered in the database, with 18,925 being treated with conventional DMARDs alone, usually methotrexate. During the 2-year period of 2016 to 2018, 23,890 patients initiated or continued treatment with a biologic, which was usually a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor, including 12,002 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 5,465 with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and 6,423 with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

More patients with PsA (18%) switched from one biologic to another compared with those with RA (13%) or AS (13.5%), and women more often switched than men in all disease subtypes (P<0.0001 for all):

• RA: 13.6% vs 10.2%
• PsA: 21.2% vs 14.3%
• AS: 50.5% vs 49.5%

Patients with PsA who switched were younger than those who didn't switch (54.96 vs 56.20 years, P=0.007), were slightly younger in the RA group (63.06 vs 63.80, P=0.051), and were similar ages in the AS group (50.79 vs 51.24, P=0.351).

The use of antidepressants or anxiolytics, respectively, was reported in 24% and 43% of patients with RA, 19% and 36% of those with PsA, and 16% and 30% of those with AS.

After adjustment for age, sex, disease subtype, and concomitant medication use, the likelihood of using antidepressants was higher in patients with AS than in those with PsA (OR 1.130, 95% CI 1.031-1.238, P=0.009), while the likelihood was lower for those with RA (OR 0.880, 95% CI 0.821-0.943, P<0.0001).

In addition, compared with the PsA group, those with AS did not differ in their likelihood of receiving anxiolytic treatment, but RA patients were less likely to use these agents (OR 0.817, 95% CI 0.770-0.866, P<0.0001).

A limitation of the study, Sfikakis and team said, was the lack of information about disease activity or severity in the national database.

Source Reference: Bournia VK, et al "Introduction and switching of biologic agents are associated with antidepressant and anxiolytic medication use: data on 42,815 real-world patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease" RMD Open 2020; DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2020-001303.