Risk of venous thromboembolism in people with rheumatoid arthritis: a population-based study in the UK.

Objectives: To evaluate the absolute and relative risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with relation to age, sex, body mass index (BMI), disease duration, and exposure to exogenous oestrogens.

Methods: Individuals with RA, registered with the UK Oxford-RCGP RSC primary care database between 1999-2018, were matched 1:4 with individuals without RA. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards was used to compare VTE risk, stratified by age, sex, BMI, disease duration, and prescription of oestrogen-containing contraceptives or hormone-replacement therapy (HRT).

The incidence and mortality of connective tissue diseases: a population-level cohort study in England from 2012 to 2023.

Objectives: The reported incidence and mortality of connective tissue diseases (CTDs) in England has been inconsistent in the literature. Our objective was to describe current trends in the incidence and mortality of systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), Sjögren's disease (SjD), systemic sclerosis (SSc), idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective population-level study using primary care records in England via the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

Rising rates of sepsis in England: an ecological study.

Purpose: Sepsis is life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. A contemporary overview of sepsis epidemiology in England is long overdue.

The therapeutic potential for JAK inhibitors for immune-related adverse events from checkpoint inhibitors- a review of the literature.

Objectives: The role of JAK inhibitors in immune mediated adverse events were not included in the EULAR 2021 guidance on the management of rheumatic immune-related adverse events from checkpoint inhibitors or the society of immunotherapy of cancer guidelines on this topic. We aim to describe the role of JAK inhibitors for the management of immune mediated adverse events with a review of case reports.

Methods: Pubmed, EMBASE and MEDLINE searches were performed from inception till 25 May 2025 for case reports/series of the use of JAK inhibitors to treat checkpoint inhibitor induced immune adverse events.

Management of septic arthritis in adults with a hot swollen joint: British Society for Rheumatology guideline scope.

The last British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) guideline on the hot swollen joint (HSJ) was published in 2006. The guideline needs to be updated to provide a summary of the current evidence for investigating and managing a HSJ, with a particular focus on septic arthritis. This guideline is aimed at healthcare professionals in the UK who directly care for people presenting with an HSJ, including front-line clinicians (in general practice and the emergency department), rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons, infectious diseases physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, hand therapists, pharmacists, other health professionals and people experiencing an HSJ.

Risk of infection in patients with early inflammatory arthritis: results from a large UK prospective observational cohort study.

Objective: To identify risk of serious infections-(SI) according to initial conventional synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs-(csDMARD) and corticosteroids, in patients recruited to the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit.

Methods: An observational cohort study was used, including adults in England and Wales with new diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis-(RA) between 2018-2023. Main outcome was SI-events, defined as infections requiring hospitalisation/or resulting in death.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of biologic and targeted synthetic therapies in sarcoidosis.

Objectives: Infliximab, an anti-TNF agent, is used to treat sarcoidosis that does not respond to corticosteroids or second-line agents. The efficacy of other anti-TNF agents, non-TNF biologics and targeted synthetic therapies remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the role of these therapies in the management of multisystem sarcoidosis.

Trends in remission rates for rheumatoid arthritis in England and Wales: a population-level cohort study.

Objectives: Considerable data support early treatment of RA to obtain disease remission. Data from the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) in England and Wales suggest that, despite recent improvements in referral-to-treatment times, remission rates remain unchanged. We investigated reasons for this disconnect by evaluating temporal trends, geographical variation and predictors of remission in individuals with new RA diagnoses.

Incidence, prevalence, and mortality of sarcoidosis in England: a population-based study.

Background: The epidemiology of sarcoidosis in England is largely uncharted, with no population-level prevalence data and outdated incidence and mortality estimates. Our objective was to investigate contemporary trends in incidence, prevalence, and mortality.

Methods: This cohort study used primary care data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), linked to secondary-care and national death registration.

Temporal trends in hospitalisations for venous thromboembolic events in England: a population-level analysis.

Objectives: To describe temporal trends in hospitalisation episodes for venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) in England, and compare hospitalisation rates for pulmonary emboli (PEs) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Methods: Retrospective observational study.

Setting: Secondary care in England, UK, between April 1998 and March 2022.

Abatacept and the risk of malignancy: a meta-analysis across disease indications.

Objectives: To estimate the association between abatacept use and the incidence of malignancy excluding non-melanomatous skin cancers (NMSCs).

Methods: Systematic database searches were performed, to April 2024, to identify phase II/III/IV randomized clinical trials (RCTs), long-term extension (LTE) and observational cohort studies of abatacept in people with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Network and pairwise meta-analyses were performed to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for malignancy excluding NMSC, comparing abatacept with placebo and tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) in RCT/LTE studies.

Impact of visualising healthcare quality performance: a systematic review.

Objective: Performance visualisation tools are increasingly being applied in healthcare to enhance decision-making and improve quality of care. However, there is a lack of comprehensive synthesis of their overall effectiveness and the contextual factors that influence their success in different clinical settings. This study aims to provide a broad synthesis of visualisation interventions not limited to a specific department.

Temporal and regional variation in the use of biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs for rheumatoid arthritis: a nationwide cohort study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate temporal and regional variation in biologic and targeted synthetic DMARD (b/tsDMARD) initiation for RA in England and Wales.

Methods: An observational cohort study was conducted for people with RA enrolled in the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) between May 2018 and April 2022 who had 12-month follow-up data available. Temporal trends in escalation to b/tsDMARDs within 12 months of initial rheumatology assessment were explored, including comparisons before and after publication (July 2021) of national guidelines that lowered the threshold for b/tsDMARD initiation to include moderate-severity RA.

Association between interleukin-12 p40 subunit and risk of primary Sjögren's disease: a Mendelian randomization study.

Objectives: IL-12 signalling was proposed in the immunopathogenesis of primary Sjögren's disease. The efficacy of therapies targeting this pathway is currently unclear. Herein, we investigated the associations between circulating proteins involved in the IL-12 and IL-23 signalling pathways on primary Sjögren's disease using Mendelian randomization.

The safety of antivirals and neutralising monoclonal antibodies used in prehospital treatment of Covid-19.

Objective: This proof-of-principle pharmacovigilance study used Electronic Health Record (EHR) data to examine the safety of sotrovimab, paxlovid and molnupiravir in prehospital treatment of Covid-19.

Method: With NHS England approval, we conducted an observational cohort study using OpenSAFELY-TPP, a secure software-platform which executes analyses across EHRs for 24 million people in England. High-risk individuals with Covid-19 eligible for prehospital treatment were included.

Pneumococcal vaccine uptake in patients with inflammatory arthritis: a single centre cohort study.

Objectives: Current guidelines recommend pneumococcal vaccination in individuals who are over the age of 65 or are immunosuppressed due to a disease or treatment. The objective of this study was to assess vaccine uptake rates in people with inflammatory arthritis for the pneumococcal, influenza and Covid-19 vaccines and factors determining uptake.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective single centre cohort study in the UK of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis between October and December 2023.

Trust performance in managing inflammatory arthritis over time in England and Wales: a latent class analysis approach.

Objectives: To evaluate trust-level performance in time to initiation of DMARD therapy in patients with early inflammatory arthritis (EIA), with identification of the change in performance trajectories over time and investigation of trust characteristics associated with this change.

Methods: We included 130 trusts from the UK contributing to the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) from 2018 to 2020. The primary outcome was days from referral to initiation of DMARD therapy in patients with EIA.

OpenSAFELY: The impact of COVID-19 on azathioprine, leflunomide and methotrexate monitoring, and factors associated with change in monitoring rate.

Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented pressure on healthcare services. This study investigates whether disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) safety monitoring was affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A population-based cohort study was conducted using the OpenSAFELY platform to access electronic health record data from 24.

Gout incidence and management during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, UK: a nationwide observational study using OpenSAFELY.

Background: Gout is the most prevalent inflammatory arthritis, yet one of the worst managed. Our objective was to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted incidence and quality of care for people with gout in England, UK.

Methods: With the approval of National Health Service England, we did a population-level cohort study using primary care and hospital electronic health record data for 17·9 million adults registered with general practices using TPP health record software, via the OpenSAFELY platform.