Relations Between Clinical Response Criteria and Disease Activity Levels With Axial Spondyloarthritis

According to a study published in RMD Open, patients who achieved increasingly stringent clinical response criteria and lower disease activity at week 52 of the trial reported larger improvements in core axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) domains.

Researchers aimed to evaluate how achieving different levels of clinical response or disease activity in patients with nonradiographic (nr-) and radiographic (r-) axSpA at week 52 translates into changes in core domains. Pooled data from BE MOBILE 1 and 2 trials were analyzed, regardless of treatment arm. Associations were assessed between achieving Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) response criteria, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI50), and change from baseline (CfB) in patient-reported outcomes (PROs).

The results showed that achieving increasingly stringent clinical efficacy endpoints at week 52 was linked to greater improvements in all PROs from baseline. Patients with nr-axSpA achieving ASAS40 experienced larger improvements in total spinal pain, fatigue, physical function, overall functioning and health, work productivity, activity impairment, and sleep compared to those achieving ASAS20. Similar patterns were observed for ASDAS and BASDAI50. Notably, similar improvements were seen in both nr-axSpA and r-axSpA patients.

In conclusion, patients with axSpA who achieved stricter clinical response criteria and lower disease activity at week 52 reported significant improvements in core axSpA domains. This underscores the importance of targeting stringent treatment goals to enhance overall patient outcomes across the axSpA disease spectrum.

Reference
Navarro-Compán V, Ramiro S, Deodhar A, et al. Association of clinical response criteria and disease activity levels with axial spondyloarthritis core domains: results from two phase 3 randomised studies, BE MOBILE 1 and 2. RMD Open. Published online ahead of print April 10, 2024. doi:10.1136/rmdopen-2023-004040