What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 279 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The study was sponsored by McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was long-term safety (phase 4). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Nearly three times more likely to develop flu protection with the high-dose vaccine.
The Lancet. Rheumatology · 2020 · NCT02936180
These findings — that high-dose vaccine increased the odds of developing protective antibodies versus standard dose — were published in the The Lancet. Rheumatology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 279 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, a high-dose flu vaccine may offer you better protection against seasonal flu. This vaccine was safe in this study and didn't make arthritis symptoms worse. Talk to your doctor about whether this option is right for you.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open rheumatoid arthritis trials
Dysphagia in Rheumatoid Arthritis
The primary goal of this cross-sectional study is to assess risk factors/predictors for dysphagia in RA. The secondary goals include demonstrating whether flexible fiberoptic pharyngolaryngoscopy can detect joint-affection-induced dysphagia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether both oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia are present among these patients. The main questions it aims to answer are * What are the predictors that are associated with dysphagia via flexible fiberoptic pharyngolaryngoscopy in rheumatoid arthritis patients? * Whether flexible fiberoptic pharyngolaryngoscopy can detect joint-affection-induced dysphagia in patients with RA? * Whether both oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia are present in patients with RA?
National Cohort of Subjects at Risk of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis
PROMESS 1 is a multicenter cohort interventional study aiming at analyzing the factors associated with the risk of developing clinical arthritis among exposures or combinations of exposures in patients at risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as they have high levels of anti-citrullinated peptides autoantibodies (ACPA ≥2 N). The primary endpoint is the occurrence of clinical arthritis confirmed by ultrasound at two years of following for the subject's groups at risk of RA. This may be explained by the following exposures or combinations of exposures: smoking, occupational exposure, physical activity, diet, hormonal exposure, drug exposure, trauma and psychological stress. Other factors may also explain the occurrence of clinical arthritis: * Other symptoms * Comorbidities, medical history, drug exposures * Current biology: ACPA levels, rheumatoid factor levels and isotypes, CRP levels at baseline, etc. * Ultrasound and MRI abnormalities.