Considerable uncertainty surrounds whether people with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) who are treated with biologic drugs have an increased risk for developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is higher than if they receive other treatments, according to data reported at the annual meeting of the British Society for Rheumatology.
"We noticed two patterns," Gary Macfarlane, MD, PhD, Dsc, of the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) said in presenting findings from an analysis of the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for Ankylosing Spondylitis (BSRBR-AS) and a meta-analysis of available studies.
There was a "large excess risk in observational studies associated with biologic therapies, which was not replicated in RCTs [randomized, controlled trials]," he said, "and trials under extensions suggested a small absolute increased risk associated with etanercept and with [interleukin]-17 [inhibitors], although again with considerable uncertainty."
While these data make it difficult to draw any firm conclusions, "we should be reassured that the patient groups receiving these specific biologics in routine clinical care have not demonstrated an excess risk of IBD," Macfarlane told delegates at the meeting.
Addressing Clinical Questions
IBD is a known extra-articular manifestation of axSpA, with an estimated prevalence of about 7%, according to a 2015 meta-analysis of 69 studies
