Open Access Rheumatology: Research and Reviews (Aug 2020)
Recommendation for the Management of Spondyloarthritis Patients in Kuwait
Abstract
Yaser Ali,1 Fatemah Abutiban,2 Adel Alawadhi,3 Ali AlDei,4 Ahmad Alenizi,2 Hebah Alhajeri,1 Adeeba Al-Herz,4 Waleed Alkandari,5 Ahmad Dehrab,6 Eman Hasan,3 Sawsan Hayat,1 Aqeel Ghanem,1 Khulood Saleh,5 Xenofon Baraliakos7 1Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Jabriya, Kuwait; 2Al Jahra Hospital, Al Jahra, Kuwait; 3Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait; 4Al-Amiri Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait; 5Al Farwaniya Hospital, Al Farwaniya, Kuwait; 6Adan Hospital, Hadiya, Kuwait; 7Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet, Herne, and Ruhr-University, Bochum, GermanyCorrespondence: Yaser Ali Email [email protected]: In 2016, ASAS and EULAR made joint recommendations for the management of patients with spondyloarthritis. Although Global and European perspectives are important, they cannot accurately reflect the situation for all patients in all countries and regions. As such, the group worked to tailor the existing international recommendations to suit the specific demographic needs of local populations in the Gulf region, with a specific focus on Kuwait.Methods: Recommendations drafted following a PubMed search for relevant literature were reviewed and then underwent Delphi vote to reach consensus on those to be included. Advice for newly approved agents, including targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, was included based on the group’s clinical experience.Results: The resulting 41 recommendations are grouped into five categories covering key definitions and principles for the management and treatment of both axial and peripheral forms of spondyloarthritis.Conclusion: Through adaptation of existing guidelines and incorporating the current evidence and clinical experience of the members of the group, these recommendations have been developed to reflect the unique situation in Kuwait with regard to differing patient profiles, local culture and approved therapeutic approaches, and are designed to aid in clinical decision-making.Keywords: spondyloarthropathy, psoriatic arthritis, biological therapy, practice guidelines, ankylosing spondylitis