BIOLOGICAL THERAPY IN UVEITIS ASOCIATED TO AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS. SINGLE CENTER UNIVERSITY STUDY

Background: Uveitis is the most frequent extraarticular manifestation of axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Effects of Biological Therapy (BT) on uveitis associated to axSpA are contradictory (1-3). Objectives: To assess in uveitis associated to axSpA a) frequency and features of uveitis, and b) efficacy and relation of BT in a single-center university study. Methods: Observational study from a cohort of 301 consecutive unselected patients with axSpA classified according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society criteria. Episodes of uveitis were analyzed before and after BT initiation. Likewise, uveitis incidence rate (episodes/100 patients/year ) at baseline and after first BT was calculated. Results: Uveitis was observed in 44 (25 men/19 women) out of 301 (14.6%) patients. Mean age was 45.6 ± 10.3 years. Demographic and clinical features in patients who developed uveitis and those that did not are summarized in Table 1 . After 18.6 ± 10.4 years of follow-up, 44 (14.6%) patients suffered from at least one episode of uveitis. Uveitis was anterior and acute in all cases and unilateral in 37 (84.1%) patients. Mean anterior chamber cells was 1.7 ± 1.2 cells. Per episode of uveitis, 20 patients received BT with: secukinumab (SECU) (n=7, 35%), adalimumab (n=6, 30%), golimumab (n=3, 15%), infliximab (n=2, 10%), certolizumab (n=1, 5%), and etarnecept (ETN) (n=1, 5%). Before the initiation of BT, patients treated with SECU developed 29.7 episodes/100 patients/year while those treated with monoclonal anti-TNFα 16.3 episodes/100 patients/year and patients with ETN 5.8 episodes/100 patients/year . After 5.9 ± 3.7 years of follow-up, patients treated with SECU developed 16.1 episodes/100 patients/year while those treated with monoclonal anti-TNFα 7.6 episodes/100 patients/year and patients with ETN 0 episodes/100 patients/year ( Figure 1 ). No serious adverse effects were observed. Conclusion: Uveitis was observed in 14.6% of axSpA. Most of them were HLA-B27 positive. Acute, anterior and unilateral was the most frequent pattern of uveitis in axSpA. There was a similar decrease in incidence rate between patients treated with SECU and those treated with monoclonal anti-TNFα. REFERENCES: [1]Deodhar AA, et al. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2020; 2:294-299. [2]Roche D, et al [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol 2019; 71 (suppl 10). [3]Lindström U, et al Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2020;79:9-10. Table 1. Main general features and differences between patients with and without uveitis. Overall n= 301 Uveitis n= 44 Non uveitis n= 257 p Age, years (mean±SD ) 44.9 ± 11.8 45.6 ± 10.3 44.8 ± 12.1 0.47 Gender, n (m/w) (% ) 179/122 (59.5/40.5) 25/19 (56.8/43.2) 154/103 (59.9/40.1) 0.71 HLAB27 positive,n (% ) 190 (63.1) 37 (84.1) 153 (60.0) 0.00 Follow-up of axSpA, year (mean±SD ) 13.5 ± 11.2 18.6 ± 10.5 12.6 ± 11.1 0.33 Family history, n (% ) 84 (27.9) 15 (34.1) 69 (27.2) 0.35 r-axSpA, n (% ) 217 (72.1) 36 (81.8) 181 (70.4) 0.12 nr-axSpA, n (% ) 84 (27.9) 8 (18.2) 76 (29.6) 0.12 Enthesitis, n (% ) 108 (35.9) 14 (31.8) 94 (36.6) 0.54 Peripheral arthritis, n (% ) 96 (31.9) 12 (27.3) 84 (32.7) 0.47 Psoriasis, n (% ) 35 (11.6) 6 (13.6) 29 (11.3) 0.65 Inflammatory bowel disease, n (% ) 22 (7.3) 2 (4.5) 20 (7.8) 0.45 Hip involvement, n (% ) 20 (6.6) 3 (6.8) 17 (6.6) 0.96 Dactylitis, n (% ) 17 (5.7) 3 (6.8) 14 (5.4) 0.72 Cardiovascular event, n (% ) 7 (2.3) 1 (2.3) 6 (2.3) 0.98 Figure 1. Uveitis incidence rate before and after biological therapy. Disclosure of Interests: Alba Herrero-Morant: None declared, Iñigo González-Mazón: None declared, Vanesa Calvo-Río Speakers bureau: Abbott, Lilly, Celgene, Grünenthal, UCB Pharma, Grant/research support from: MSD and Roche, Javier Rueda-Gotor: None declared, Miguel Á. González-Gay Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Lilly, Celgene and MSD, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, MSD, Jansen and Roche, Ricardo Blanco Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Pfizer, Roche, Bristol-Myers, Janssen, Sanofi, Lilly and MSD, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, MSD and Roche Citation: Ann Rheum Dis, volume 80, supplement 1, year 2021, page 730Session: Spondyloarthritis – treatment (POSTERS only)