Incidence, baseline-associated factors and burden of difficult-to-manage axial spondyloarthritis: a 10-year analysis of the DESIR cohort.

Authors

Olivier Fakih, Anna Moltó, Frank Verhoeven, Clément Prati, Daniel Wendling

Published in

RMD open. Volume 12. Issue 3. Sep 07, 2026. Epub Sep 07, 2026.

Abstract

To determine the cumulative incidence of difficult-to-manage axial spondyloarthritis (D2M-axSpA) and treatment-refractory axSpA (TR-axSpA) in a recent-onset axSpA inception cohort, identify baseline factors and characterise long-term outcomes.
Patients from the French prospective DESIR (DEvenir des Spondyloarthrites Indifférenciées Récentes) cohort fulfilling the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) 2009 criteria for axSpA and exposed to ≥1 biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) were included. Patients with D2M-axSpA and TR-axSpA were classified according to both the ASAS definition and an extended definition adapted to historical treatment availability (failure of ≥3 b/targeted synthetic DMARDs regardless of mechanism of action). Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify baseline factors associated with D2M-axSpA. Clinical, imaging and socio-economic outcomes were analysed over up to 10 years of follow-up.
Among 177 patients exposed to ≥1 bDMARD, the cumulative incidence of D2M-axSpA was 6.8% (95% CI 2.4 to 11.0) and 14.4% (95% CI 8.3 to 20.2) using the ASAS and extended definitions, respectively, while TR-axSpA remained rare (0.7% and 3.7%, respectively). Female sex and higher baseline disease activity were associated with the development of D2M-axSpA (extended definition). During follow-up, patients with D2M-axSpA according to the extended definition had a higher prevalence of fibromyalgia (60% vs 22.9%), greater healthcare resource utilisation (cumulative number of medical visits 110 vs 60) and opioid use (100% vs 72%).
In this recent-onset axSpA inception cohort with long-term follow-up, D2M-axSpA was rare, rarely associated with true treatment refractoriness or structural progression and was accompanied by a persistent disease burden carrying a substantial socio-economic impact, highlighting the need for a broader, patient-centred approach to its management.
NCT01648907.

PMID:
42705859
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Sep 2026.

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