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Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an umbrella term that includes ankylosing spondylitis and nonradiographic axSpA. Presence or absence of definitive sacroiliitis on radiographs differentiates ankylosing spondylitis (also called radiographic axSpA) from nonradiographic axSpA. There is growing evidence that indicates IL-17 pathway is a key contributor to the pathogenesis of axSpA. Ixekizumab (IXE) is an IL-17A inhibitor (IL-17i) with data to support its use in patients with radiographic axSpA. The pharmacologic properties of IXE were reviewed. Data regarding the use and efficacy of IXE in patients with radiographic axSpA were evaluated. Quality life outcomes and safety profiles of IXE were examined as well. By comparison with other chronic inflammatory arthritides, the number of targeted treatment options for axSpA is currently limited to tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) and IL-17i secukinumab. IXE has good evidence of improved outcomes in terms of clinical efficacy, patient reported outcomes and imaging outcomes, with an acceptable safety profile in patients with radiographic axSpA. The current results discussed in this article support use of IXE as a treatment option for TNFi naive as well as in subjects with prior inadequate response to or intolerance to TNFi agents.

IntroductionSixty-seven million Americans have hypertensionthat costs the nation $47.5 billion each year. The aim of this study was to determine if regular phone calls by residents helped achieve better blood pressure control.MethodsThe study was a randomized open-labeled study in a resident-run outpatient clinic in Rochester, New York. A total of 57 poorly controlled hypertensives in the clinic were divided into two groups. All the patients received scheduled phone calls once every two weeks for a total of 24 weeks. In one group, the medications were adjusted over the phone and the other group was referred to be seen in the clinic for elevated blood pressures. Both the groups were compared to the usual standard of care group.ResultsFifty-eight patients were recruited for the trial out of which 53 were used for the final data analysis. Eleven patients completed the trial and had a mean drop of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 28 and 11 mmHg with p < 0.01 and p < 0.03, respectively. Among the patients who did not complete the trial but answered at least one phone call, the mean drop of SBP and DBP was 29 and 8 mmHg with a p < 0.001 and p < 0.008, respectively. When these were compared to the usual standard of care group, the mean drop in SBP was 28.36 (12.36-48.36), 29.85 (11.85-47.85), and 0.76 (8.04-9.56) with a p < 0.02.ConclusionsPatients enrolled in the trial had much better blood pressure control compared to the usual standard of care. Residents can take greater ownership of patients to help achieve better blood pressure control. To our knowledge this is the first such study done exclusively by residents in a resident-run clinic.

Background:Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis characterized by joint and entheseal inflammation seen in 30% patients with psoriasis (Pso). In 90% of patients, Pso precedes PsA. Inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor (TNFi) are efficacious treatment options for both, though whether they prevent development of incident PsA in Pso patients is unknown.Objectives:To determine if the use of TNFi reduces the risk of developing psoriatic arthritis in Pso patients compared to those treated with methotrexate alone.Methods:Records on all Pso patients seen at dermatology clinic at our University from January 2006 - June 2019 were reviewed. Patients with any musculoskeletal symptoms were referred to rheumatology and were considered to have PsA if they were diagnosed by a rheumatologist. We used Student’s t-test to compare continuous covariates and Pearson’s chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test to compare categorical covariates. Variables that were found to be significantly associated with PsA diagnosis were included as potential confounders in the multivariate model. We used Cox proportional hazards models to compare the risk of incident PsA diagnosis for those who initiated TNFi compared to those who initiated methotrexate. A propensity score of TNFi therapy compared to methotrexate therapy was calculated using variables associated with treatment choice and adjusted for in the model. Variables that were associated with both treatment choice and PsA risk were not included in the propensity score. We used backwards stepwise variable selection to build the final model.Results:Out of 154 Pso patients who did not have PsA at baseline, and were started exclusively on a TNFi or methotrexate during the study period,, 85 (55.2%) initiated methotrexate and 69 (44.8%) initiated a TNFi. Mean duration of therapy for those on TNFi was 3.95 (standard error: 0.50) years while mean duration of therapy for those on methotrexate was 1.93 years (standard error: 0.28). Mean follow-up time for those on TNFi was 5.18 years (standard error: 0.49) and for those on methotrexate was 2.71 years (standard error: 0.37) Seventy nine (51.3%) of the cohort were women. Thirty five (22.7%) of subjects developed PsA over the course of the study. After adjusting for propensity score, nail pitting, body surface area (BSA) involved in psoriasis, and depression, TNFi did not significantly reduce the risk of PsA as compared to methotrexate (HR: 0.68 [95% CI: 0.32, 1.41]).Conclusion:Use ofTNFi was not associated with a statistically significant decreased risk of incident PsA compared to methotrexate in this study, but a larger cohort with longer follow up will have better power to estimate the true association.Table 1.Characteristics of the psoriasis cohort starting exclusively TNFi or methotrexateIncident PsAn = 35PsA negativen = 119p-valueTreatment [n (%)]0.37TNFi18 (51.4)51 (42.9)Methotrexate17 (48.6)68 (57.1)Sex [n (%)]0.24Female21 (60.0)58 (48.7)Male14 (40.0)61 (51.3)Age [median (IQR)]47.0 (39.4, 59.7)48.9 (35.3, 61.7)0.71Pso manifestations [n (%)]Nail pitting27 (77.1)51 (42.9)<0.01Scalp psoriasis31 (88.6)105 (89.0)0.95Inverse psoriasis14 (40.0)37 (31.09)0.33BSA [median (IQR)]6 (3, 15)12 (5, 22)0.06BMI [median (IQR)]31.7 (25.9, 40.4)29.1 (26.3, 34.7)0.30Therapy duration (years)TNFi [median (IQR)]4.38 (1.34, 8.13)2.26 (0.76, 5.82)0.29Methotrexate [median (IQR)]2.44 (0.06, 3.44)0.94 (0.27, 2.39)0.43Disclosure of Interests:Noah Lininger: None declared, Sarah Siegel: None declared, Sonam Kiwalkar: None declared, Kevin Winthrop Grant/research support from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, GSK, Pfizer Inc, Roche, UCB, Alex Ortega Loayza Consultant of: Adviser board for Janssen, Atul Deodhar Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, GSK, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS), Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS), Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB

Diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), an immune-mediated inflammatory disease, is commonly associated with chronic inflammatory back pain (IBP) and often occurs years after initial onset of clinical symptoms. Recognition of IBP is important for timely referral of patients with suspected axSpA to a rheumatologist. Patients with all types of back pain are treated in chiropractic care, but the proportion of patients with undiagnosed axSpA is unknown. This systematic literature review investigated the presence of axSpA in patients treated by chiropractors and identified the chiropractor's role in axSpA diagnosis, referral, and management. A PubMed search was conducted using the following search strings: "chiropract*" AND ("sacroiliac" OR "back pain" OR "spondyloarthritis" OR "ankylosing spondylitis"); English language, since 2009; and (chiropractic OR chiropractor) AND (ankylosing spondylitis OR axial spondyloarthritis), with no date limits. Of 652 articles identified in the searches, 27 met the inclusion criteria. Although back pain was identified as a common reason for patients seeking chiropractic care, there was no mention of axSpA, ankylosing spondylitis, or the distinction between mechanical and IBP. Data from relevant articles suggested that the majority of patients seeking chiropractic care have lower back pain, whereas no articles reported axSpA in this patient population. The near absence of any identified articles on axSpA in chiropractic care may be due to underrecognition of axSpA, resulting in delayed rheumatology referral and appropriate management. Better awareness and increased use of validated screening tools could reduce diagnostic delay of axSpA in chiropractic care.