Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34107999›Full record

Observational studyArthritis research & therapy2021

Site-specific resolution of enthesitis in patients with axial spondyloarthritis treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors.

Michael J Nissen, Burkhard Möller, Adrian Ciurea, Ruediger B Mueller, Patrick Zueger, Martin Schulz, Fabiana Ganz, Almut Scherer, Eleftherios Papagiannoulis, Thomas Hügle

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Arthritis research & therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Development of a Mouse Model of Enthesis-Specific NF-κB Activation.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2025
    Article
  4. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 8 institutions in 2 countries.

Michael J NissenDepartment of Rheumatology, Geneva University Hospital, 26 Avenue Beau-Séjour, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland. Michael.J.Nissen@hcuge.ch.ORCID 0000-0002-6326-1764
Burkhard MöllerDepartment of Rheumatology, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Adrian CiureaDepartment of Rheumatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Ruediger B MuellerDivision of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Patrick ZuegerAbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, USA.
Martin SchulzAbbVie AG, Cham, Switzerland.
Fabiana GanzAbbVie AG, Cham, Switzerland.
Almut SchererSwiss Clinical Quality Management in Rheumatic Diseases Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland.
Eleftherios PapagiannoulisSwiss Clinical Quality Management in Rheumatic Diseases Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland.
Thomas HügleDepartment of Rheumatology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
ABB (Switzerland) · CHSCQM Foundation · CHAbbVie (United States) · USHôpital Beau-Séjour · CHKantonsspital St. Gallen · CHUniversity Hospital of Bern · CHUniversity Hospital of Zurich · CHUniversity of Lausanne · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEnthesitis is a hallmark of spondyloarthritis (SpA) with a substantial impact on quality of life. Reports of treatment effectiveness across individual enthesitis sites in real-world patients with axial SpA (axSpA) are limited. We investigated the evolution of enthesitis following tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) initiation in axSpA patients, both cumulatively and at specific axial and peripheral sites.

methodsAxSpA patients in the Swiss Clinical Quality Management Registry were included if they initiated a TNFi, had an available Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score, modified to include the plantar fascia (mMASES, 0-15), at start of treatment and after 6 and/or 12 months and ≥12 months follow-up. Logistic regression models were utilized to analyze explanatory variables for enthesitis resolution.

resultsOverall, 1668 TNFi treatment courses (TCs) were included, of which 1117 (67%) had active enthesitis at baseline. Reduction in mMASES at the 6- and 12-month timepoints was experienced in 72% and 70% of TCs, respectively. Enthesitis resolution at 6/12 months occurred in 37.9%/43.0% of all TNFi TCs and 40.7%/50.9% of first TNFi TCs. At 6 months, a significant reduction in the frequency of enthesitis was observed at all sites, except for the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia among first TNFi TCs, while at 12 months, reduction was significant at all sites in both TC groups. Enthesitis resolved in 60.3-77% across anatomical sites, while new incident enthesitis occurred in 4.0-13.5% of all TNFi TCs at 12 months. Both baseline and new-incident enthesitis occurred most frequently at the posterior superior iliac spine and the fifth lumbar spinous process. Younger age and lower mMASES at baseline were predictors of complete enthesitis resolution, while female sex and second- or later-line TNFi treatment were associated with persistence of enthesitis at 12 months.

conclusionIn real-world axSpA patients treated with a TNFi, enthesitis improved in the majority of patients across all anatomical sites. Significant improvement at the Achilles and plantar fascia entheses was observed only at 12 months. Complete and site-specific enthesitis resolution occurred in ≥40% and ≥60% of TCs evaluated at 12 months, with a low incidence of new site-specific enthesitis.

trial registrationNot applicable.

Indexed as

SpondylarthritisSpondylitis, AnkylosingFemaleHumansQuality of LifeTreatment OutcomeTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaTumor Necrosis Factor InhibitorsTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaTumor Necrosis Factor InhibitorsAxial spondyloarthritisEnthesitisResolutionTumor necrosis factor inhibitors

Identifiers

PMID34107999
PMCPMC8188725
OpenAlexW3108501799

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.