Presence of anti-SSA antibody reduces response to conventional RA treatment

Key clinical point: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were positive for anti-Sjögren's-syndrome-related antigen A (SSA) antibody were less responsive to initial methotrexate treatment compared with patients negative for anti-SSA antibody.

Major finding: At 6 months, a significantly lower proportion of patients in the anti-SSA antibody positive vs negative group achieved low disease activity based on the 28-joint Disease Activity Score-C-reactive protein (56.2% vs 75.8%; P  =  .03). Patients positive for anti-SSA antibody had a higher patient visual analogue score (median score 22 vs 19; P  =  .038) and use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (37.5% vs 18.0%; P  =  .018).

Study details: This was a retrospective cohort study including 210 methotrexate- or biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-naive patients with RA who initiated methotrexate, of which 32 patients tested positive for anti-SSA antibody.

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Disclosures: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Waki D et al. Effects of anti-SSA antibodies on the response to methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis: A retrospective multicenter observational study. PLoS One. 2022;17(7):e0271921 (Jul 22). Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271921