Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • First Release
    • Current
    • Archives
    • Collections
    • Audiovisual Rheum
    • COVID-19 and Rheumatology
  • Resources
    • Guide for Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Payment
    • Reviewers
    • Advertisers
    • Classified Ads
    • Reprints and Translations
    • Permissions
    • Meetings
    • FAQ
    • Policies
  • Subscribers
    • Subscription Information
    • Purchase Subscription
    • Your Account
    • Terms and Conditions
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Duncan A. Gordon Award
    • Privacy/GDPR Policy
    • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • JRheum Supplements
  • Services

User menu

  • My Cart
  • Log In

Search

  • Advanced search
The Journal of Rheumatology
  • JRheum Supplements
  • Services
  • My Cart
  • Log In
The Journal of Rheumatology

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • First Release
    • Current
    • Archives
    • Collections
    • Audiovisual Rheum
    • COVID-19 and Rheumatology
  • Resources
    • Guide for Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Payment
    • Reviewers
    • Advertisers
    • Classified Ads
    • Reprints and Translations
    • Permissions
    • Meetings
    • FAQ
    • Policies
  • Subscribers
    • Subscription Information
    • Purchase Subscription
    • Your Account
    • Terms and Conditions
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Duncan A. Gordon Award
    • Privacy/GDPR Policy
    • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • Follow jrheum on Twitter
  • Visit jrheum on Facebook
  • Follow jrheum on LinkedIn
  • Follow jrheum on YouTube
  • Follow jrheum on Instagram
  • Follow jrheum on RSS
LetterCorrespondence

Dr. Mease et al reply

Philip J. Mease, Robert R. McLean, Blessing Dube, Mei Liu, Sabrina Rebello, Meghan Glynn, Esther Yi, Yujin Park and Alexis Ogdie
The Journal of Rheumatology December 2021, 48 (12) 1891-1892; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.210750
Philip J. Mease
1Swedish Medical Center/Providence St. Joseph Health and University of Washington, Seattle, Washington;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Philip J. Mease
  • For correspondence: pmease@philipmease.com
Robert R. McLean
2CorEvitas, LLC, Waltham, Massachusetts;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Blessing Dube
2CorEvitas, LLC, Waltham, Massachusetts;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Mei Liu
2CorEvitas, LLC, Waltham, Massachusetts;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Sabrina Rebello
2CorEvitas, LLC, Waltham, Massachusetts;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Meghan Glynn
2CorEvitas, LLC, Waltham, Massachusetts;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Esther Yi
3Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Yujin Park
3Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Alexis Ogdie
4Division of Rheumatology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
  • eLetters
PreviousNext
Loading

To the Editor:

We thank Dr. Maguire et al1 for their interest in and appreciation of our study from the Corrona Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondyloarthritis Registry comparing patient characteristics and disease burden between men and women with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).2 Dr. Maguire and colleagues raised a number of interesting questions around the causal relationship between the higher prevalence of depression and decreased work productivity we observed in women in our study. While we were unable to directly address these questions in the Registry, we agree and appreciate that these are important research priorities for future investigations.

As we noted in our study, limited information exists on the overall disease burden of axSpA in women in the US, as women are generally underrepresented in clinical studies. Further, much of our understanding of axSpA disease burden in women is based on data from patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Our historical understanding of sex differences in axSpA is limited.3

While the higher prevalence of depression in women with axSpA may drive worse levels of function and decreased work productivity, the causal link remains unclear. Globally, more women than men perform unpaid labor,4 which is associated with poorer mental health.5 Constraints on women’s professional advancement, such as the gender wage gap, may also contribute to gendered mental health disparities.6 Alternatively, as Dr. Maguire and colleagues noted,1 worse limitation in functional ability in women with axSpA may contribute to work instability and subsequent depression. Whether women with axSpA are under greater pressure to remain in the workforce remains unclear; however, a gender gap for disability benefits is well established.7 Women are substantially more likely to be rejected for disability insurance than men, controlling for health condition, occupation, and multiple demographic characteristics.8 As one of the first studies to evaluate differences in clinical and patient-reported disease burden between men and women with axSpA in the US, we hope our findings will spur additional research to further evaluate and understand these differences. We agree with Dr. Maguire and colleagues that future studies examining workforce participation and the effect of mental health in axSpA, especially in women, are paramount. One step in this direction will be gaining a deeper understanding of the influence of central sensitization, which is a broader concept than fibromyalgia and can be more prevalent in women than men.9 In our Registry, we have begun to assess this using the Widespread Pain Index/Symptom Severity Scale in order to determine the role of central sensitization more quantitatively on disease burden, response to treatment, comorbidities such as depression, and work productivity.

Footnotes

  • This study was sponsored by CorEvitas (formerly Corrona), LLC. CorEvitas, LLC, has been supported through contracted subscriptions in the last 2 years by AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Celgene, Crescendo, Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Merck, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Ortho Dermatologics, Pfizer Inc., Regeneron, Roche, Sun, and UCB. The design and conduct of the study were a collaborative effort between CorEvitas, LLC, and Novartis, and financial support for the study was provided by Novartis. Novartis participated in the interpretation of data and review and approval of the manuscript.

  • PJM has received research grants from AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun, and UCB; and consulting and/or speakers bureau fees from AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Galapagos, Genentech, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun, and UCB. RRM and BD are employees of CorEvitas, LLC. ML, SR, and MG were employees of Corrona, LLC, at the time of this analysis. EY and YP are employees of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. AO has received consulting fees from Amgen, AbbVie, BMS, Celgene, Corrona, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, and Pfizer; and grant support from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Psoriasis Foundation, Rheumatology Research Foundation, Pfizer (University of Pennsylvania), Amgen (FORWARD Databank), and Novartis (FORWARD Databank).

  • Copyright © 2021 by the Journal of Rheumatology

REFERENCES

  1. 1.↵
    1. Maguire S,
    2. Fitzgerald G,
    3. O’Shea F
    . Employment and functional ability in men and women with axial spondyloarthritis as described in the US-based Corrona Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondyloarthritis Registry. J Rheumatol 2021;48:1890–1.
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
  2. 2.↵
    1. Mease PJ,
    2. McLean RR,
    3. Dube B,
    4. Liu M,
    5. Rebello S,
    6. Glynn M, et al
    . Comparison of men and women with axial spondyloarthritis in the US-based Corrona Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondyloarthritis Registry. J Rheumatol 2021;48:1528–36.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  3. 3.↵
    1. Rusman T,
    2. van Vollenhoven RF,
    3. van der Horst-Bruinsma IE
    . Gender differences in axial spondyloarthritis: women are not so lucky. Curr Rheumatol Rep 2018; 20:35.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  4. 4.↵
    1. The World Bank
    . Gender differences in employment and why they matter. In: World development report 2012: gender equality and development. [Internet. Accessed July 14, 2021.] Available from: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/4391
  5. 5.↵
    1. Ciciolla L,
    2. Luthar SS
    . Invisible household labor and ramifications for adjustment: mothers as captains of households. Sex Roles 2019;81:467–86.
    OpenUrl
  6. 6.↵
    1. Platt J,
    2. Prins S,
    3. Bates L,
    4. Keyes K
    . Unequal depression for equal work? How the wage gap explains gendered disparities in mood disorders. Soc Sci Med 2016;149:1–8.
    OpenUrl
  7. 7.↵
    1. Ruffing K
    . Women and disability insurance: five facts you should know. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2018. [Internet. Accessed July 14, 2021.] Available from: https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/women-and-disability-insurance-five-facts-you-should-know
  8. 8.↵
    1. Low H,
    2. Pistaferri L
    . Disability insurance: error rates and gender differences. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2019. [Internet. Accessed July 14, 2021.] Available from: https://www.nber.org/papers/w26513
  9. 9.↵
    1. Mease PJ
    . Fibromyalgia, a missed comorbidity in spondyloarthritis: prevalence and impact on assessment and treatment. Curr Opin Rheumatol 2017;29:304–10.
    OpenUrlPubMed
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of Rheumatology
Vol. 48, Issue 12
1 Dec 2021
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by Author
  • Editorial Board (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about The Journal of Rheumatology.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Dr. Mease et al reply
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from The Journal of Rheumatology
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the The Journal of Rheumatology web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Dr. Mease et al reply
Philip J. Mease, Robert R. McLean, Blessing Dube, Mei Liu, Sabrina Rebello, Meghan Glynn, Esther Yi, Yujin Park, Alexis Ogdie
The Journal of Rheumatology Dec 2021, 48 (12) 1891-1892; DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.210750

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

 Request Permissions

Share
Dr. Mease et al reply
Philip J. Mease, Robert R. McLean, Blessing Dube, Mei Liu, Sabrina Rebello, Meghan Glynn, Esther Yi, Yujin Park, Alexis Ogdie
The Journal of Rheumatology Dec 2021, 48 (12) 1891-1892; DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.210750
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Footnotes
    • REFERENCES
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
  • eLetters

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Dr. Kitajima et al reply
  • Dr. Putman et al reply
  • Drs. Chung and McMahan reply
Show more Correspondence

Similar Articles

Content

  • First Release
  • Current
  • Archives
  • Collections
  • Audiovisual Rheum
  • COVID-19 and Rheumatology

Resources

  • Guide for Authors
  • Submit Manuscript
  • Author Payment
  • Reviewers
  • Advertisers
  • Classified Ads
  • Reprints and Translations
  • Permissions
  • Meetings
  • FAQ
  • Policies

Subscribers

  • Subscription Information
  • Purchase Subscription
  • Your Account
  • Terms and Conditions

More

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • My Alerts
  • My Folders
  • Privacy/GDPR Policy
  • RSS Feeds
The Journal of Rheumatology
The content of this site is intended for health care professionals.
Copyright © 2022 by The Journal of Rheumatology Publishing Co. Ltd.
Print ISSN: 0315-162X; Online ISSN: 1499-2752
Powered by HighWire