Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.)
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Arthritis Rheumatol · Feb 2014
Self-reported pain and disease symptoms persist in juvenile idiopathic arthritis despite treatment advances: an electronic diary study.
To use electronic diaries (e-diaries) to determine whether pain, stiffness, and fatigue continue to be common, disabling symptoms in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) despite the use of aggressive treatments in contemporary medical management. ⋯ Self-reported pain, stiffness, and fatigue continue to be common in children with JIA, despite contemporary advances in treatment strategies, including use of biologic agents. These findings are surprisingly consistent with previous results from research using daily paper diaries in the pre-biologics era. There remains a pressing and ongoing need to optimize pain and symptom management in JIA.
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Arthritis Rheumatol · Feb 2014
Multicenter StudyGlucocorticoid dose thresholds associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in rheumatoid arthritis.
To delineate daily and cumulative glucocorticoid dose thresholds associated with increased mortality rates in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ⋯ Glucocorticoid use in RA is associated with a dose-dependent increase in mortality rates, with a daily threshold dose of 8 mg, at which the number of deaths increased in a dose-dependent manner. These findings may assist clinicians in selecting the appropriate glucocorticoid dosage for RA patients who require these agents.
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Arthritis Rheumatol · Feb 2014
Comparative StudyIncreased risk of complications following total joint arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Most of the evidence regarding complications following total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are based on patients with osteoarthritis (OA); less is known about outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Using a validated algorithm for identifying patients with RA, we undertook this study to compare the rates of complications among THA and TKA recipients between those with RA and those without RA. ⋯ Patients with RA are at higher risk of dislocation following THA and are at higher risk of infection following TKA relative to those with OA. Further research is warranted to elucidate explanations for these findings, including the roles of medication profile, implant choice, postoperative antibiotic protocol, and method of rehabilitation following joint replacement.
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Arthritis Rheumatol · Jan 2014
Disrupted brain circuitry for pain-related reward/punishment in fibromyalgia.
While patients with fibromyalgia (FM) are known to exhibit hyperalgesia, the central mechanisms contributing to this altered pain processing are not fully understood. This study was undertaken to investigate potential dysregulation of the neural circuitry underlying cognitive and hedonic aspects of the subjective experience of pain, such as anticipation of pain and anticipation of pain relief. ⋯ FM patients exhibit disrupted brain responses to reward/punishment. The ventral tegmental area is a source of reward-linked dopaminergic/γ-aminobutyric acid-releasing (GABAergic) neurotransmission in the brain, and our observations are compatible with reports of altered dopaminergic/GABAergic neurotransmission in FM. Reduced reward/punishment signaling in FM may be related to the augmented central processing of pain and reduced efficacy of opioid treatments in these patients.