Abstract
AIM: To report adalimumab (Ada) efficacy on articular-gastrointestinal disease and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with enteropathic spondyloarthritis (ES). METHODS: A cohort of 52 patients with ES was evaluated in the departments of gastroenterology and internal medicine. At baseline, all patients underwent assessment by an integrated gastro-rheumatologic evaluation of articular and gastrointestinal activity, as well patient reported outcomes (PROs) of the HRQoL questionnaires. After this integrated evaluation and following a specific working flowchart, the Ada anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-inhibitor was assigned to a cohort of 30 patients and its clinical efficacy was evaluated at baseline and after 6-mo and 12-mo treatment by the following tests: (1) Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score-C-Reactive Protein (ASDAS-CRP); Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI) for articular activity; (2) Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ), Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) and partial Mayo (pMayo) score for gastrointestinal symptoms and activity; and (3) Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Patient Global Assessment (PGA) and Short Form-36 health survey (SF-36) questionnaires for PROs of the HRQoL. RESULTS: Integrated evaluation and management of the patients affected by ES, carried out simultaneously by a gastroenterologist and a rheumatologist, allowed clinicians to choose the optimal therapeutic strategy. In a cohort of 30 ES patients affected by active articular and gastrointestinal disease, or axial active articular inflammation, Ada led to fast and sustained improvement of both articular and gastrointestinal disease activities. In fact, all the clinimetric evaluation tests exploring articular or gastrointestinal activity, as well as all the HRQoL scores, showed a significant improvement having been achieved at the earliest (6-mo) assessment. This important clinical improvement was maintained at the 12-mo follow-up. Importantly, global and gastrointestinal quality of life significantly correlated with articular disease activity, providing evidence to support that the integrated evaluation is the best option to manage patients with ES. CONCLUSION: Ada treatment, upon multidisciplinary (gastro-rheumatologic) evaluation, significantly improves both articular and gastrointestinal inflammation, thereby improving the HRQoL in patients affected by ES.