Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40739374›Full record

ArticleClinical rheumatology2025

The impact of aging and glucocorticoid use on physical function of older rheumatoid arthritis in remission: analysis of a National Database of Rheumatic Disease in Japan.

Yoji Komiya, Takahiko Sugihara, Tatsuro Ishizaki, Naoki Kimura, Mari Kamiya, Fumio Hirano, Takumi Matsumoto, Hirokazu Sasaki, Tadashi Hosoya, Shigeto Tohma and 2 more

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Article in Clinical rheumatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

12 authors.

Yoji KomiyaDepartment of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Takahiko SugiharaDepartment of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. takahiko.sugihara@med.toho-u.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7181-7494
Tatsuro IshizakiHuman Care Research Team, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
Naoki KimuraDepartment of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Mari KamiyaDepartment of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Fumio HiranoDepartment of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Takumi MatsumotoDepartment of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Hirokazu SasakiDepartment of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Tadashi HosoyaDepartment of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Shigeto TohmaDepartment of Rheumatology, National Hospital Organization Tokyo National Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Shinsuke YasudaDepartment of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Toshihiro MatsuiDepartment of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Funding

Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development 21ek0410086h0001Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare 19FE1003
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate clinical features and physical function in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in remission with and without glucocorticoid (GC).

methodsData from 2078 RA patients aged 55-84 years in remission (simplified disease activity index (SDAI) ≤ 3.3) and at stage I/II according to the Steinbrocker classification were extracted from the National Database of Rheumatic Diseases in Japan (NinJa) which includes 11,036 patients from 2017 to 2018 before the coronavirus pandemic. Patients were stratified into six groups: RA aged 55-64, aged 65-74, and aged 75-84 with or without GCs. The primary outcome was the health assessment questionnaire disability index (HAQ-DI) > 0.5, and interactions of age and GC use on the HAQ-DI > 0.5 were examined by multivariable logistic regression.

resultsGC use in patients in remission increased with age. Methotrexate and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug prescriptions were similar in patients aged 75-84 with and without GC. Significantly more GC users aged 75-84, but not aged 65-74 and 55-64, had a HAQ-DI > 0.5 than GC non-users (23.9% vs. 14.8%, P = 0.015). An interaction between age and GC use for HAQ-DI > 0.5 was observed, and the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) relative to GC non-users aged 55-64 for HAQ-DI > 0.5 increased to 4.72 (95% CI 2.49-8.96, P < 0.001) for GC non-users aged 75-84 and 7.62 (95% CI 3.70-15.7, P < 0.001) for GC users aged 75-84.

conclusionsDecline in physical function among GC users was observed in patients aged 75-84, and increasing age and GCs were mutually associated with physical dysfunction of patients in remission. Key Points • The proportion of patients who were in remission but still using glucocorticoids increased with age. • Proportions of patients in remission with HAQ-DI > 0.5 were significantly higher in the patients aged 75-84 with GCs than those without GCs but not in the patients aged 55-64 and 65-74. • Glucocorticoid use for patients in remission was more strongly associated with impaired physical function in patients aged 75-84 than in patients aged 55-74 years.

Indexed as

AgingAntirheumatic AgentsArthritis, RheumatoidGlucocorticoidsAgedAged, 80 and overAge FactorsDatabases, FactualDisability EvaluationFemaleHumansJapanMaleMiddle AgedRemission InductionSeverity of Illness IndexAntirheumatic AgentsGlucocorticoidsAgingGlucocorticoidMotor activityRemission inductionRheumatoid arthritis

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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.