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Infliximab improves health related quality of life and physical function in patients with psoriatic arthritis
  1. A Kavanaugh1,
  2. C Antoni2,
  3. G G Krueger3,
  4. S Yan4,
  5. M Bala4,
  6. L T Dooley4,
  7. A Beutler4,
  8. C Guzzo4,
  9. D Gladman5
  1. 1Center for Innovative Therapy, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, UCSD, San Diego, CA, USA
  2. 2Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
  3. 3University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
  4. 4Centocor, Inc, Malvern, PA, USA
  5. 5University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
  1. Correspondence to:
    Dr A Kavanaugh
    Center for Innovative Therapy Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, University of California at San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0943, USA; akavanaugh{at}ucsd.edu

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of infliximab on health related quality of life (HRQoL) and physical function in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the IMPACT 2 trial.

Methods: 200 patients with PsA unresponsive to conventional treatment were randomised to intravenous infusions of infliximab 5 mg/kg or placebo at weeks 0, 2, 6, 14, and 22; patients with inadequate response entered early escape at week 16. HRQoL was assessed using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) at weeks 0, 14, and 24. Functional disability was assessed using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) at every visit through week 24. Associations between changes in quality of life (SF-36) and articular (American College of Rheumatology (ACR)) and dermatological (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI)) responses were examined.

Results: Mean percentage improvement from baseline in HAQ was 48.6% in the infliximab group compared with worsening of 18.4% in the placebo group at week 14 (p<0.001). Furthermore, 58.6% and 19.4% of infliximab and placebo treated patients, respectively, achieved a clinically meaningful improvement in HAQ (that is, ⩾0.3 unit decrease) at week 14 (p<0.001). Increases in physical and mental component summary (PCS and MCS) scores and all eight scales of the SF-36 in the infliximab group were greater than those in the placebo group at week 14 (p⩽0.001). These benefits were sustained through week 24. Patients achieving ACR20 and PASI75 responses had the greatest improvements in PCS and MCS scores.

Conclusions: In patients with PsA, infliximab 5 mg/kg significantly improved HRQoL and physical function compared with placebo through 24 weeks.

  • ACR, American College of Rheumatology
  • HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire
  • HRQoL, health related quality of life
  • MCS, mental component summary
  • MTX, methotrexate
  • PASI, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index
  • PCS, physical component summary
  • PsA, psoriatic arthritis
  • RA, rheumatoid arthritis
  • TNFα, tumour necrosis factor α
  • psoriatic arthritis
  • infliximab
  • tumour necrosis factor α
  • quality of life
  • physical function

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Footnotes

  • Published Online First 11 August 2005