Key clinical point: Circulating semaphorin 4A (SEMA4A) serum levels predicted treatment failure and showed an association with response to therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Major finding: Baseline serum levels of SEMA4A > 94 ng/mL predicted the risk for treatment failure defined by the occurrence of flares and treatment escalation (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.73; 95% CI 1.24-5.96). The baseline SEMA4A serum levels were significantly higher in patients who experienced no or moderate response than in those with a good response (P = .035).
Study details: The data come from a prospective observational routine care study that included two cohorts; the first cohort comprised 101 patients with established RA and the second comprised 40 patients with RA who initiated new therapy due to insufficient disease control.
Disclosures: E Vandebeuque declared receiving grants from the Société Française de Rhumatologie, Paris, and other sources. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Avouac J et al. Relevance of circulating Semaphorin 4A for rheumatoid arthritis response to treatment. Sci Rep. 2023;13:14626 (Sep 5). doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-41943-3