E086 Comparing ankylosing spondylitis disease activity during the COVID-19 pandemic using patient-reported outcome measures with face-to-face clinical evaluation of disease scores pre-pandemic
Authors: Kurzeja Dominik A , Song Kaiyang , Mirza Maria , Ashraf Madiha , James Lija , Verdiyeva Ayna , Luqmani Raashid 
Published: April 2023

Background/Aims

During the COVID-19 pandemic, asynchronous consultations were introduced for patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). To assess disease activity in the absence of face-to-face clinical review and blood testing, patients submitted patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) via electronic survey forms which were subsequently triaged by clinicians. We compared pre-pandemic clinician-reported scores with intra-pandemic self-reported scores and assessed clinical outcomes including allocation of follow-up and further management/treatment escalation.

Methods

Clinician-reported scores were obtained in-person pre-pandemic (defined as 01/01/2019-01/03/2020). Self-reported BASDAI scores were submitted by patients via electronic forms sent out during-pandemic (defined as 01/12/2020-31/03/22). The responses were stored and analysed in a secure database. These scores are analogous to disease activity scores completed by clinicians during outpatient appointments. Score comparison was performed using Wilcoxon Sign Rank testing. We used the need for a follow-up within 3 months as target for those with severe disease. Data analysis was performed in Microsoft Excel and R (version 4.2.1).

Results

We noted a significantly higher overall level of patient-reported disease activity during the pandemic. In the total cohort of AS patients, the median BASDAI Score collected during-pandemic increased from 5.30 (n = 124, range 0-10) compared to 2.80 pre-pandemic (n = 590, range 0-12) (p &lt; 0.001). The proportion of patients with severe/active disease (defined as BASDAI &gt;4) increased from 36% pre- to 65% during pandemic. In a smaller cohort of 34 patients for whom we had both pre- and during-pandemic scores, all patient parameters worsened during the pandemic. Notably, median BASDAI increased from 2.65 to 5.62 (p &lt; 0.0001). Patients with severe AS increased from 10 (29.4%) to 21 (61.8%) intra-pandemic. Follow-up data was available for 12/21 patients with severe AS during-pandemic. 7/12 patients (58%) received a follow-up appointment within one month; 11/12 (91%) were seen within three months. On subsequent clinician assessment, only 7 (58%) of patients with self-reported severe AS were felt to have active disease; treatment was escalated for 3 patients.

Conclusion

There was a significantly higher reported level of AS disease activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 62 % of patients qualifying for biologic therapy (BASDAI &gt;4). In a focussed sample, 91% of patients with new severe disease during-pandemic were followed up within the target of 3 months. The BASDAI score is independent from clinical examination and inflammatory markers, and therefore self-reported score should reliably reflect a patient’s perception of disease activity. Further work is required to determine the reason for the increased disease activity observed during pandemic, and for the disparity between clinician impression and score results.

Disclosure

D.A. Kurzeja: None. K. Song: None. M. Mirza: None. M. Ashraf: None. L. James: None. A. Verdiyeva: None. R. Luqmani: None.