Spondyloarthritis & psoriatic arthritis
Association between air pollutants and initiation of biological therapy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a nationwide, population-based, nested case–control study
Authors' conclusion
This nationwide, population-based study revealed the initiation of reimbursed biologics was positively associated with CO levels, but negatively associated with NO2 levels.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with newly diagnosed AS from 2003 to 2013, Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database
- Exposure
- AS patients initiating biologics vs matched AS controls, by air pollutant exposure within 1 year before biologic use
- Outcome
- Initiation of reimbursed biologics for active AS, associated with air pollutant exposure (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, CO, SO2, O3) within 1 year prior to biologic use
Methodological detailsnationwide, population-based, matched on gender, age at biologic initiation, year of AS diagnosis and disease duration
- Nationwide
- Population-based
- Matched on gender, age at biologic initiation, year of AS diagnosis and disease duration
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Biologic initiation by air pollutant exposure · within 1 year prior to biologic use
CO (per 1 ppm), aOR
8.57
95% CI 2.02–36.32
NO2 (per 10 ppb), aOR
0.23
95% CI 0.11–0.50
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Other independent predictors of biologic initiation
- Disease duration (incremental year), aOR
- 8.95
- Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), aOR
- 1.31
- Psoriasis, aOR
- 25.19
- NSAID use, aOR
- 23.66
- MTX use, aOR
- 4.50 (95% CI 2.93-7.00)
- SSZ use, aOR
- 12.16 (95% CI 8.98-15.45)
- Prednisolone equivalent dosage (mg/day), aOR
- 1.12
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Association between air pollutants and initiation of biological therapy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a nationwide, population-based, nested case–control study. Arthritis Res Ther. Published 5 May 2023. doi:10.
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