Objective Many patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments used in systemic sclerosis (SSc) trials are limited by lack of validation, licensing fees, and complicated scoring systems. We assessed the construct validity for discriminative purposes of two new PRO instruments-the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29-item Health Profile (PROMIS-29) and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Dyspnea short form (FACIT-Dyspnea), measuring health status and dyspnea in SSc patients. Methods Seventy-three patients participated in a cross-sectional study at a tertiary SSc program. PROMIS-29, FACIT-Dyspnea, and legacy PRO instruments used in clinical trials (Medical Research Council [MRC] Dyspnea Score, St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ], Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index [HAQ-DI] and Short-Form 36 [SF-36]) were administered. Composite severity scores using an adaptation of the Medsger Disease Severity Index were generated using clinical, diagnostic and laboratory information. PROMIS-29 and FACIT-Dyspnea scores were compared with legacy PRO measures and composite severity scores. Results The mean (range) patient age (84% women) was 51 years (22–72). The mean (range) SSc disease duration from the onset of the first non-Raynaud symptom was 7 years (0–45). Spearman correlation coefficients across FACIT-Dyspnea and PROMIS Physical Functioning scores with legacy PRO instruments were generally high (range=0.64–0.86); those between PROMIS and FACIT-Dyspnea with composite disease severity scores were more modest, but statistically significant (range=0.33–0.48, p<0.01). Conclusion PROMIS-29 and FACIT-Dyspnea are valid instruments to measure the health status of SSc patients. PROMIS-29 and FACIT-Dyspnea may be preferable to legacy instruments because they are freely available in multiple languages, and simple to administer, score and interpret.

Objective To examine the impact of care fragmentation across multiple healthcare institutions on disease outcomes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods Using the Chicago HealthLNK Data Repository (HDR), an assembly of electronic health records from six institutions, we identified patients with SLE, using ICD-9 codes, whose care was delivered at more than one organization. We examined whether patients had severe infections or comorbidities (ICD-9 code defined) that indicate SLE-induced damage. T-tests and chi-squared tests were used to examine differences between fragmentation groups. Logistic regression was used to assess factors contributing to the occurrence of disease outcomes. Results We identified 4,276 patients with SLE. 856 (20%) received care from more than one healthcare institution. African American patients and patients with public insurance were more likely to experience care fragmentation compared to white and private insurance patients (OR 1.66; 95% CI 1.44, 1.97 and OR 1.63; 95% CI 1.42, 1.95). We identified increased risk of infections (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.30, 1.88), cardiovascular disease (OR 1.51; 95% CI 1.23, 1.86), end stage renal disease (OR 1.34; 95% CI 1.05, 1.70), nephritis (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.07, 1.54) and stroke (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.01, 1.62) among patients with fragmented care, adjusted for age, sex, race, insurance status, length of follow-up time, and total visit count. Conclusion In this cross-site cohort of SLE patients, care fragmentation is associated with increased risk of severe infection and comorbidities. These results suggest that improved health information exchange could positively impact outcomes for SLE patients.

Objective Patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) display a complex clinical phenotype. Transcriptional profiling of whole blood or tissue from patients are affected by changes in cellular composition that drive gene expression and an inability to detect minority cell populations. We undertook this study to focus on the 2 main subtypes of circulating monocytes, classical monocytes (CMs) and nonclassical monocytes (NCMs) as a biomarker of SSc disease severity. Methods SSc patients were recruited from the Prospective Registry for Early Systemic Sclerosis. Clinical data were collected, as well as peripheral blood for isolation of CMs and NCMs. Age‐, sex‐, and race‐matched healthy volunteers were recruited as controls. Bulk macrophages were isolated from the skin in a separate cohort. All samples were assayed by RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq). Results We used an unbiased approach to cluster patients into 3 groups (groups A–C) based on the transcriptional signatures of CMs relative to controls. Each group maintained their characteristic transcriptional signature in NCMs. Genes up‐regulated in group C demonstrated the highest expression compared to the other groups in SSc skin macrophages, relative to controls. Patients from groups B and C exhibited worse lung function than group A, although there was no difference in SSc skin disease at baseline, relative to controls. We validated our approach by applying our group classifications to published bulk monocyte RNA‐seq data from SSc patients, and we found that patients without skin disease were most likely to be classified as group A. Conclusion We are the first to show that transcriptional signatures of CMs and NCMs can be used to unbiasedly stratify SSc patients and correlate with disease activity outcome measures.

Objective. To externally validate the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Frailty Index (SLICC-FI) in a prevalent systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) cohort and to assess the ability of the SLICC-FI to predict organ damage accrual among individuals with longstanding SLE.Methods. This was a secondary analysis of data from the Study of Lupus Vascular and Bone Long-Term Endpoints (SOLVABLE) cohort, which consists of adult women from the Chicago Lupus Database who met the 1997 revised American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for SLE. There were 185 patients with SLE enrolled, of whom 149 patients were included in a 5-year follow-up analysis. The SLICC-FI and SLICC/ACR Damage Index (SDI) scores were calculated at baseline and 5-year follow-up. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models estimated the association of baseline SLICC-FI scores (per 0.05 increase) with damage accrual at 5-year follow-up.Results. At enrollment the mean ± SD age of the 149 patients was 43.30 ± 10.15 years, the mean ± SD disease duration was 11.93 ± 8.46 years, and the mean ± SD SDI score was 1.64 ± 1.83. At baseline, the mean ± SD SLICC-FI score was 0.18 ± 0.08, and 36% of participants were categorized as frail (SLICC-FI score >0.21). In a model adjusted for age, race, and disease duration, each 0.05-unit increase in the baseline SLICC-FI score was associated with 28% higher odds of subsequent damage accrual (odds ratio 1.28, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.63).Conclusion. In a prevalent cohort of women with established SLE, higher baseline SLICC-FI scores were associated with a higher risk of subsequent damage accrual at 5-year follow-up.

Purpose: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Popular Opinion Leader (POL) model was implemented in a lupus education program (MONARCAS) for the Latino community. The program aim was to increase lupus awareness by training high school students, community health workers, and parents.Methods: A curriculum was developed training POLs to disseminate concepts about lupus signs and symptoms. Pre- and post-program questions assessed lupus knowledge and message dissemination.Results: POL groups represented distinct demographic characteristics with Spanish or English language dominance. POLs reported increased lupus knowledge and program satisfaction.Conclusions: Future program goals should aim to increase understanding and improving access to care for Latino communities affected by lupus.