Spondyloarthritis at ACR Convergence 2020 Save

There are some really interesting poster and abstract presentations on spondyloarthritis at the ACR Convergence 2020. I’ll be covering these topics, and discussing select individual posters and abstracts during this meeting. 

Here is a flavour of my read through the topics that are being covered during the meeting.  

Firstly, there is the whole area of the effect of racial and gender factors in the presentation of spondyloarthritis. This may have impact on factors such as delays to diagnosis and also response to treatment. This is important as we understand the results of studies which are now being done across many countries and this has to be taken into account when interpreting results. There is also discussion on the effect of diet and lifestyle on the outcome of the condition. This is important as we often asked this in our clinical practice from patients. 

With regards to imaging, there is the important topic of radiographic progression in both axial spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Management of extra-articular manifestations such as inflammatory bowel disease and anterior uveitis will also be covered during the meeting. There is the impact of higher disease activity with patients with underlying inflammatory bowel disease. The presence of these extra-articular manifestations may also affect the choice of treatment. When we make these treatment choices in clinic, we stick to the principle of first do no harm. It is therefore important to understand how some of the extra-articular manifestations and co-morbidities affect the treatment choice and outcome.

The importance of patient reported outcomes (PROs) such as fatigue, anxiety and pain are also discussed. Again, let’s look at the evidence of how these PROs affect our treatment plans. Finally, in the aspect of treatment there is new information on therapies such as JAK and IL-17 inhibitors in spondyloarthritis. These new data will help us navigate the ever increasing choice we now have in the management of spondyloarthritis.