Disease activity and cognition in rheumatoid arthritis: an open label pilot study

Graham Raftery, Jiabao He, Ruth Pearce, Daniel Birchall, Julia L Newton, Andrew M Blamire, John D Isaacs

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22 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: We hypothesised that fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is related to TNF-alpha induced dysregulation of cerebral blood flow. Our objectives were to assess fatigue, cognitive function and cerebral blood flow before and after initiation of anti-TNF treatment. METHODS: In a pilot study, 15 patients initiating treatment with adalimumab were assessed for fatigue using a visual analogue scale (FACIT-F), cognitive function using a panel of psychometric tests and regional cerebral blood flow using MR perfusion imaging. RESULTS: Patients improved clinically after anti-TNF therapy in terms of DAS28 and FACIT-F. Furthermore significant improvements were documented in full scale, verbal and performance IQ following therapy. There was a non-significant trend towards reduced cerebral perfusion in both grey and white matter, and fatigue at 3 months correlated with cerebral blood flow in white (p = 0.014) and grey (p = 0.005) matter. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate for the first time a significant improvement in cognitive function following effective treatment of RA. Although we observed minor reductions in cerebral blood flow, and a correlation between cerebral blood flow and fatigue, a larger, controlled study would be required to affirm a causal relationship.
Original languageEnglish
Article numberR263
Number of pages6
JournalArthritis Research & Therapy
Volume14
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Dec 2012

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements
This work was supported in part by NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre. Funding for this study was provided by Abbott Laboratories. Abbott Laboratories were not involved in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; or in the writing of the report.

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