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Objectives The assessment of physical function is fundamental in the management of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). We aimed to investigate the physical function of patients with IIMs compared with those with non-IIM autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) utilizing Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function (PF) data obtained in the COVAD study, an international self-reported e-survey assessing the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in AIRDs. Methods Demographics, AIRD diagnosis, disease activity, and PROMIS PF short form-10a data were extracted from the COVAD database. PROMIS PF-10a scores were compared between disease categories and stratified by disease activity. Factors affecting PROMIS PF-10a scores other than disease activity were identified by multivariable regression analysis in patients with inactive disease. Results A total of 1057 IIM patients, 3635 non-IIM AIRD patients and 3981 healthy controls (HCs) responded to the COVAD e-survey from April to August 2021. Using a binomial regression model, the predicted mean of PROMIS PF-10a scores was significantly lower in IIM patients compared with non-IIM AIRD patients or HCs [36.3 (95% CI 35.5, 37.1) vs 41.3 (95% CI 40.2, 42.5) vs 46.2 (95% CI 45.8, 46.6), P Conclusion Physical function is significantly impaired in IIMs compared with non-IIM AIRDs or HCs, even in patients with inactive disease. Our study highlights a critical need for better strategies to minimize functional disability in patients with IIMs.

Cardiovascular involvement in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) is an understudied area which is gaining increasing recognition in recent times. Recent advances in imaging modalities and biomarkers have allowed the detection of subclinical cardiovascular manifestations in IIM. However, despite the availability of these tools, the diagnostic challenges and underestimated prevalence of cardiovascular involvement in these patients remain significant. Notably, cardiovascular involvement remains one of the leading causes of mortality in patients with IIM. In this narrative literature review, we outline the prevalence and characteristics of cardiovascular involvement in IIM. Additionally, we explore investigational modalities for early detection of cardiovascular involvement, as well as newer approaches in screening to facilitate timely management. Key points• Cardiac involvement in IIM in majority cases is subclinical and a major cause of mortality.• Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is sensitive for detection of subclinical cardiac involvement.

COVID-19; Registries; Vaccination COVID-19; Registros; Vacunación COVID-19; Registres; Vacunació Vaccine hesitancy is considered a major barrier to achieving herd immunity against COVID-19. While multiple alternative and synergistic approaches including heterologous vaccination, booster doses, and antiviral drugs have been developed, equitable vaccine uptake remains the foremost strategy to manage pandemic. Although none of the currently approved vaccines are live-attenuated, several reports of disease flares, waning protection, and acute-onset syndromes have emerged as short-term adverse events after vaccination. Hence, scientific literature falls short when discussing potential long-term effects in vulnerable cohorts. The COVAD-2 survey follows on from the baseline COVAD-1 survey with the aim to collect patient-reported data on the long-term safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines in immune modulation. The e-survey has been extensively pilot-tested and validated with translations into multiple languages. Anticipated results will help improve vaccination efforts and reduce the imminent risks of COVID-19 infection, especially in understudied vulnerable groups. HC is supported by the National Institution for Health Research Manchester Biomedical Research Centre Funding Scheme. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health.

Objectives The COVID-19 vaccination in autoimmune diseases (COVAD) study aimed to assess short-term COVID-19 vaccination-related adverse events (AEs) in RA patients. Methods An online self-reported questionnaire (March–December 2021) was used to capture data related to COVID-19 vaccination-related AEs in RA, other autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) (excluding RA and inflammatory myositis), non-rheumatic autoimmune diseases (nrAIDs) and healthy controls (HCs). Descriptive and multivariable regression analyses were performed. Results Of the 9462 complete respondents, 14.2% (n = 1347) had been diagnosed with RA; they had a mean (s.d.) age of 50.7 (13.7) years, 74.2% were women and 49.3% were Caucasian. In total, 76.9% and 4.2% of patients with RA reported minor and major AEs, respectively. Patients with active and inactive RA had similar AE and hospitalization frequencies. Overall, AEs were reported more frequently by BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 recipients and less frequently by BBV152 recipients compared with the rest. Major AE and hospitalization frequencies were similar across recipients of different vaccines. Patients receiving methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine reported fewer minor AEs than those patients not on them. Compared with HCs and patients with other AIRDs, patients with RA reported similar total AEs, overall minor AEs, and hospitalizations. Compared with nrAIDs, patients with RA reported lower frequencies of overall AEs, minor AEs (both odds ratio [OR] = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.5, 0.9), and injection site pain (OR = 0.6; 95% CI: 0.5, 0.8) with similar major AE and hospitalization frequencies. Conclusion Despite the differences in AE frequency across different COVID-19 vaccines, all were well tolerated in patients with RA and were comparable to HCs, providing reassurance as to the safety of COVID-19 vaccination.

Positron emission tomography (PET), often combined with computed tomography (CT), is a well-established tool for diagnosing malignancy and inflammatory disease. The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are chronic, multi-system diseases characterised by skeletal muscle inflammation, the potential for extramuscular manifestations such as interstitial lung disease (ILD) and an increased risk of malignancy. We performed a systematic literature review to evaluate the utility of PET or PET-CT in evaluation of IIM.A search of Medline and EMBASE from 1990 to 2022 using keywords related to IIM and PET was performed. English language studies of adults with IIM who had PET or PET-CT were included.Our search identified 1173 potentially relevant abstracts, 19 of which were included. The majority of studies used [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET or PET-CT scans, while the remainder used [18F] florbetapir and [PET-CT holds promise as a single tool that can simultaneously evaluate multiple aspects of IIM. These include screening for associated malignancy, achieving an early diagnosis of ILD and evaluating muscle inflammation.

Objectives COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be safe in the healthy population. However, gaps remain in the evidence of their safety in patients with systemic autoimmune and inflammatory disorders (SAIDs). COVID-19 vaccination-related adverse events (AEs) in patients with SAIDs and healthy controls (HC) seven days post-vaccination were assessed in the COVAD study, a patient self-reported cross-sectional survey. Methods The survey was circulated in early 2021 by >110 collaborators (94 countries) to collect SAID details, COVID-19 vaccination details and 7-day vaccine AEs, irrespective of respondent vaccination status. Analysis was performed based on data distribution and variable type. Results Ten thousand nine hundred respondents [median (interquartile range) age 42 (30–55) years, 74% females and 45% Caucasians] were analysed; 5867 patients (54%) with SAIDs were compared with 5033 HCs. Seventy-nine percent had minor and only 3% had major vaccine AEs requiring urgent medical attention (but not hospital admission) overall. Headache [SAIDs = 26%, HCs = 24%; odds ratio (OR) = 1.1 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.3); P = 0.014], abdominal pain [SAIDs = 2.6%, HCs = 1.4%; OR = 1.5 (95% CI: 1.1, 2.3); P = 0.011], and dizziness [SAIDs = 6%, HCs = 4%; OR = 1.3 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.6); P = 0.011], were slightly more frequent in SAIDs. Overall, major AEs [SAIDs = 4%, HCs = 2%; OR = 1.9 (95% CI: 1.6, 2.2); P Conclusion Vaccination against COVID-19 is safe in SAID patients. SAIDs were at a higher risk of major AEs than HCs, though absolute risk was small. There are small differences in minor AEs between vaccine types in SAID patients.

Objectives To determine the prevalence and associations of autoantibodies targeting a muscle-specific autoantigen, four-and-a-half-LIM-domain 1 (FHL1), in South Australian patients with histologically-confirmed idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and in patients with SSc. Material and methods Sera from patients with IIM (n = 267) from the South Australian Myositis Database (SAMD), SSc (n = 174) from the Australian Scleroderma Cohort Study (ASCS) and healthy controls (HC, n = 100) were analysed for anti-FHL1 autoantibodies by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA). Results Autoantibodies to FHL1 were more frequent in patients with IIM (37/267, 13.8%) compared with SSc (12/174, 7%) (P Conclusions We report a substantial prevalence (13.8%) of anti-FHL1 autoantibodies in a large cohort of patients with histologically confirmed IIM; 75% of these cases did not have a detectable myositis-specific autoantibody. Anti-FHL1 autoantibodies were also detected in a subgroup of patients with SSc (7%), indicating that anti-FHL1 autoantibodies may not be myositis-specific. The trend towards an HLA-DR association might indicate a specific immune response to the FHL1 protein.

Immune-mediated necrotising myopathy (IMNM)is a relatively recently described form of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM)that is characterised by progressive proximal weakness and few extra-muscular manifestations. Prominent myonecrosis, muscle fibre regeneration and a relative paucity of intramuscular lymphocytes are seen histologically. Immunological mechanisms are believed to underpin the pathogenesis, and intense immunotherapy is frequently required. Disease is often severe and neuromuscular recovery may be poor. Recently there has been an impressive international research effort to understand and characterise this emerging condition, although much remains unknown. Significant advances in the field include the discovery of specific autoantibodies, increased understanding of the risk factors, clinical characteristics and treatment options owing to a wealth of observational studies, and the development of novel classification criteria. Herein we review the current evidence regarding the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, histological features and serological profiles associated with this condition. Diagnostic approaches are discussed, including the role of muscle MRI and antibodies targeting 3‑hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR)and signal-recognition peptide (SRP), and a review of current treatment recommendations is provided Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Objective Recent advances in cardiac MRI (CMR) and other diagnostic techniques have made it easier to identify subclinical cardiac inflammation and dysfunction in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). Herein, we systematically review the literature regarding cardiac involvement in IIM. Methods We searched Medline and EMBASE from 1990 to 2020 using keywords related to IIM and cardiac disease. We included English language studies in adults with any immune-mediated, inflammatory muscle pathology. Results We identified 10 425 potentially relevant abstracts, of which 29 were included. Most frequently these included patients with PM or DM without symptomatic myocarditis. Five categories of cardiac investigation were used in these patients: cardiac enzyme testing, ECG, transthoracic echocardiography, CMR and nuclear medicine testing. Patients with clinical myocarditis had universally abnormal cardiac troponin levels and ECG. Elevated cardiac troponin T was more common than cardiac troponin I and may correlate with disease activity, whereas cardiac troponin I was more specific for cardiac involvement. Non-specific ECG changes were common. The major finding on transthoracic echocardiography was abnormal ejection fraction. Gross systolic dysfunction was unusual, but subclinical systolic dysfunction was reported in several studies. Abnormal diastolic function was common and may be associated with disease duration. Late gadolinium enhancement (reflecting regional necrosis or scarring) and abnormal myocardial mapping parameters (reflecting myocardial inflammation, fibrosis and oedema) were frequently identified on CMR, suggesting significant subclinical myocardial pathology (despite typically normal ejection fraction). Conclusion Abnormal cardiac investigations are commonly found in asymptomatic IIM patients, which has potential prognostic and treatment implications.

Background:Autoantibodies targeting a muscle-specific autoantigen, four-and-a-half-LIM-domain 1 (FHL1), have been previously identified in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) (1).Objectives:The aim of this project was to determine the prevalence and associations of anti-FHL antibody in South Australian patients with histologically-confirmed IIM and in an autoimmune disease control (systemic sclerosis (SSc)).Methods:Sera from patients with IIM (n=267) from the South Australian Myositis Database (SAMD), and SSc (n=174) from the Australian Scleroderma Cohort Study (ASCS) followed at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and healthy controls (HC, n=100) were analyzed for anti-FHL1 autoantibodies by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA). Clinical, serological and histological details were retrieved from the SAMD and the ASCS.Results:Autoantibodies to FHL1 were more frequent in patients with IIM (55/267, 20.5%) compared with SSc (18/174, 10%) (p+ patients compared with anti-FHL1- (p+ patients with inclusion body myositis (IBM) and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM). In 35/54 anti-FHL1+ patients, there were no other myositis-specific autoantibodies present. Anti-FHL1 autoantibodies in patients with SSc were associated with gastric antral vascular ectasia.Conclusion:Anti-FHL1 autoantibodies were detected in 20.5% of IIM patients. In IBM and IMNM, the presence of anti-FHL1-autoantibodies was associated with a severe myopathy as suggested by presence of dysphagia and muscle atrophy.References:[1]Albrecht I, Wick C, Hallgren A, Tjarnlund A, Nagaraju K, Andrade F, et al. Development of autoantibodies against muscle-specific FHL1 in severe inflammatory myopathies. J Clin Invest. 2015;125(12):4612-24.Disclosure of Interests:Angeles Shunashy Galindo-Feria: None declared, Begum Horuluoglu: None declared, Jessica Day: None declared, Catia Cerqueira: None declared, Susanna Proudman: None declared, Ingrid E. Lundberg Consultant of: Consulting fees from Corbus Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Grant/research support from: Research grants from Bristol Myers Squibb and Astra Zeneca, Vidya Limaye Consultant of: Scientific adviser for Actelion and Boehringer-Ingelheim, Grant/research support from: PI for clinical trials for Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Corbus, and CSL

We have read with great interest the article published by Jinnin et al , which was an external validation of sensitivity and specificity of the EULAR/ACR (European League Against Rheumatism / American College of Rheumatology) classification criteria for idiopathic inflammatory myopathies with a Japanese cohort. The title and article claim that this is the first external validation study. While this may be true for a Japanese cohort, our intention is to alert the readers to the earlier published validation studies that preceded this and help highlight the complete body of evidence that should be considered. The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are a group of uncommon disorders with a potential for significant mortality and morbidity. Progress in the understanding and management of these disorders has been …

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important tool in the evaluation of neuromuscular disorders. MRI accurately demonstrates muscle oedema, atrophy, subcutaneous pathology and fatty infiltration and also highlights the distribution of muscle involvement. This review examines the role of MRI in evaluation of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), a heterogeneous group of autoimmune conditions characterised by muscle inflammation and a variety of extra-muscular manifestations. MRI has a clear role in aiding diagnosis of these conditions, guiding muscle biopsy, differentiating subtypes of IIM using a pattern-based approach, and monitoring disease activity in a longitudinal fashion. Whole body MRI is an emerging technique that offers several advantages over regional MRI, but is not currently widely available. We will also consider newer MRI techniques which provide detailed information regarding the metabolism, function and structure of muscle, although their use is restricted to research purposes at present. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

To the Editor: Legionella species are significant pathogens with most infections being caused by Legionella pneumoniae and presenting as Legionnaire disease or Pontiac fever1. Extrapulmonary legionellosis is uncommon and is often thought to arise from hematogenous spread after primary pulmonary infection2. To date, the extrapulmonary sites of infections that have been reported in the literature include spleen, kidneys, liver3, infective endocarditis4, myositis5, cellulitis, and cutaneous abscesses5. The majority of extrapulmonary Legionella infections have been described in immunocompromised patients. A 69-year-old female florist presented to hospital with 1 week of worsening pain and swelling of the right hand, having been treated in the community for presumed seronegative arthritis for the preceding 6 months. Her presentation 6 months earlier was with pain and swelling in her right hand and mild, transient symptoms in the left hand. Clinical examination at that time found synovitis in multiple proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints and palmar tenosynovitis in the right hand. Otherwise, joint examination was normal. The tenosynovitis was confirmed on ultrasound (US). She was treated with ceftriaxone, but failed to improve. … Address correspondence to Dr. L. Chou, Department of Rheumatology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, 300 Grattan St., Parkville, Melbourne, Australia 3050. E-mail: louisa.chou{at}monash.edu