Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.)
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Arthritis Rheumatol · Sep 2015
Adverse Events in Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
Patients with connective tissue disease (CTD)-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have a poorer prognosis compared to those with idiopathic PAH, but little is known about the differences in treatment-related adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) between these groups. This study was undertaken to characterize these differences. ⋯ Patients with CTD-associated PAH experienced more treatment-related AEs compared to those with idiopathic PAH in therapeutic clinical trials. These findings suggest that the overall benefit of advanced therapies for PAH may be attenuated by the greater frequency of AEs.
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Arthritis Rheumatol · Sep 2015
Comparative StudyImpact of Total Knee Arthroplasty as Assessed Using Patient-Reported Pain and Health-Related Quality of Life Indices: Rheumatoid Arthritis Versus Osteoarthritis.
To assess and compare the impact of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and patients with osteoarthritis (OA). ⋯ TKA is highly effective in reducing clinically relevant knee pain (to a greater extent than its effect on other subjective HRQOL indices in patients with RA), although this improvement is less marked as compared to that among patients with OA. TKA serves as a "time machine" via which patients can return to a lifestyle with less disability, before the arthritis process catches up in RA.
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Arthritis Rheumatol · Sep 2015
Clinical Phenotype Classifications Based on Static Varus Alignment and Varus Thrust in Japanese Patients With Medial Knee Osteoarthritis.
To investigate the association between knee pain during gait and 4 clinical phenotypes based on static varus alignment and varus thrust in patients with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA). ⋯ Varus thrust with or without static varus alignment was associated with the occurrence of knee pain during gait. Tailored interventions based on individual malalignment phenotypes may improve clinical outcomes in patients with knee OA.
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Arthritis Rheumatol · Sep 2015
IgG4-Related Disease: Clinical and Laboratory Features in One Hundred Twenty-Five Patients.
IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated fibroinflammatory condition that can affect nearly any organ. Prior studies have focused on individual cases of IgG4-RD or small case series. This study was undertaken to report detailed clinical and laboratory findings in a larger group of patients with IgG4-RD whose diagnosis was established by strict clinicopathologic correlation. ⋯ Nearly 50% of this patient cohort with biopsy-proven, clinically active IgG4-RD had normal serum IgG4 concentrations. Elevations in the serum IgG4 concentration appeared to identify a subset of patients with a more severe disease phenotype. In addition, the levels of IgG4+ plasmablasts correlated well with the extent of disease activity.
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Arthritis Rheumatol · Sep 2015
Bronchiectasis is a Model for Chronic Bacterial Infection Inducing Autoimmunity in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
To examine the potential of chronic severe bacterial infection to generate rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs), by studying patients with bronchiectasis (BR) alone and BR patients with rheumatoid arthritis (BR/RA). ⋯ Bronchiectasis is an unusual but potent model for the induction of autoimmunity in RA by bacterial infection in the lung. Our study suggests that the ACPA response is not citrulline specific during the early stages of tolerance breakdown but becomes more specific in patients with BR in whom BR/RA develops.