Gender difference in disease severity and treatment outcomes among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) starting treatment with targeted therapies in the Czech Republic - analysis from the nation-wide ATTRA registry of biological therapy
Abstract
Introduction: The ATTRA registry captures more than 95% of patients with RA, AxSpA, or PsA treated with biologics in the Czech Republic (CZ). Objectives: We aimed to investigate gender-related differences in baseline characteristics and treatment effectiveness among patients with RA, AxSpa, and PsA starting first targeted therapy (TT) in CZ.
Methods: In this observational cohort study, the ATTRA registry provided prospectively collected data on RA, AxSpA, and PsA patients who initiated their first TT (mostly by TNFi) in 2012-6/2018. Treatment effectiveness was assessed at 12 months by a change in patient-reported outcomes (PROs), CRP, and % drug survival.
Differences in categorical and continuous data btw males and females were assessed using the Pearson χ2-test (of Fisher exact test, as appropriate), or Mann-Whitney test respectively. This study was primarily descriptive, and no statistical adjustments have been made.
Results: A total of 1602 RA, 1306 AxSpA, and 493 PsA patients were included. When starting their first TT, males tended to have higher levels of CRP, while females were more often (ex)smokers and reported worse parameters of quality of life across the diagnostic groups.
The improvement of PROs was similar in males and females, while males with axSpA and PsA showed larger improvements in CRP. Conclusions: Targeted therapy had a similar effect on the quality of life in females and males with RA, AxSpA, and PsA after one year of follow-up.