CHARACTERIZING AUTOIMMUNE FLARES IN REAL WORLD SETTINGS AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS ENROLLED IN AN ONLINE COMMUNITY
Author(s)
Christian J. Cerrada, PhD, Ernesto Ramirez, PhD, Ghazanfar Khan, MBChB, MPH;
Evidation, San Mateo, CA, USA
Evidation, San Mateo, CA, USA
OBJECTIVES: Real world data about symptom worsening and treatment escalation (i.e., flares) can help researchers better understand biological processes underlying autoimmune flares. We analyzed data from an ongoing longitudinal cohort to 1) characterize flare patterns among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 2) evaluate the feasibility of leveraging participant-generated data to trigger event-based biological sampling.
METHODS: Members of an online health community in the US with a self-reported autoimmune condition diagnosis were invited to join. Participants completed baseline questions about medication use and disease impact, e.g., Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID). Each day, participants reported whether their autoimmune symptoms were worse than usual (flare day). Flare episodes were defined as at least two consecutive flare days. Medication use, flare episodes, and overall engagement are summarized descriptively.
RESULTS: Between November and December 2025, 1,214 participants with RA enrolled (69% female, 25% under 40, 61% between 40-64, 14% 65 and older). Individuals were categorized by disease impact as assessed by RAID: 190 (16%) severe, 294 (24%) moderate, and 730 (60%) mild. Less than a third (29%) were taking a DMARD at baseline (NSAIDs only = 42%, No medication = 25%). Two-thirds (69%) reported at least 1 flare day (average total=5.4 days, sd=7.2). Approximately a third (30%) had days meeting criteria for a flare episode (average maximum duration=5.2 days, sd=6.9). Flare episodes were twice as common among those with moderate to severe disease impact (40-41% vs. 22%). Overall, participants completed 60% of available daily symptom check-ins; higher rates were observed among those with flare episodes (75%).
CONCLUSIONS: Despite high prevalence of flare days, our findings highlight low medication use, underscoring existing research on suboptimal treatment in RA. Compliance with daily symptom check-ins was high among those experiencing flare episodes, supporting the feasibility of triggering biological sampling at key timepoints across flare episodes within individuals.
METHODS: Members of an online health community in the US with a self-reported autoimmune condition diagnosis were invited to join. Participants completed baseline questions about medication use and disease impact, e.g., Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID). Each day, participants reported whether their autoimmune symptoms were worse than usual (flare day). Flare episodes were defined as at least two consecutive flare days. Medication use, flare episodes, and overall engagement are summarized descriptively.
RESULTS: Between November and December 2025, 1,214 participants with RA enrolled (69% female, 25% under 40, 61% between 40-64, 14% 65 and older). Individuals were categorized by disease impact as assessed by RAID: 190 (16%) severe, 294 (24%) moderate, and 730 (60%) mild. Less than a third (29%) were taking a DMARD at baseline (NSAIDs only = 42%, No medication = 25%). Two-thirds (69%) reported at least 1 flare day (average total=5.4 days, sd=7.2). Approximately a third (30%) had days meeting criteria for a flare episode (average maximum duration=5.2 days, sd=6.9). Flare episodes were twice as common among those with moderate to severe disease impact (40-41% vs. 22%). Overall, participants completed 60% of available daily symptom check-ins; higher rates were observed among those with flare episodes (75%).
CONCLUSIONS: Despite high prevalence of flare days, our findings highlight low medication use, underscoring existing research on suboptimal treatment in RA. Compliance with daily symptom check-ins was high among those experiencing flare episodes, supporting the feasibility of triggering biological sampling at key timepoints across flare episodes within individuals.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
PCR109
Topic
Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Patient-reported Outcomes & Quality of Life Outcomes
Disease
SDC: Systemic Disorders/Conditions (Anesthesia, Auto-Immune Disorders (n.e.c.), Hematological Disorders (non-oncologic), Pain)