International journal of rheumatic diseases
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Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. It is a less frequently diagnosed disease in China, thus Chinese rheumatologists may have lower awareness of FM compared with colleagues in Western countries. The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of FM in Chinese rheumatologists and analyze their therapeutic approach in clinical practice. ⋯ The awareness and perception of FM are still low among Chinese rheumatologists. CME on FM is needed for improving the quality of health care in China.
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Remission is an ideal target in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We compared American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1981 preliminary definition of remission, European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) disease activity score of 28 joints - C-reactive protein (DAS28 (3)-CRP) and DAS28 (3)-ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and newer ACR/EULAR remission criteria from 2011. We assessed the agreement between these definitions using kappa statistics in a real-time clinical scenario. ⋯ The DAS28 (3)-CRP overestimated remission compared to all other criteria. Disagreement was more in laboratory inflammatory parameters. A uniform definition of remission is needed.
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Gout is a common condition which is mainly treated with the hypo-uricemic agent, allopurinol. Although allopurinol is generally a well-tolerated drug, there is a small risk of developing potentially fatal complications, such as allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome. Recent advances in pharmacogenomics have made possible the identification of genes which confer susceptibility to specific drugs. ⋯ The allele frequency of HLA-B*5801 is highest in the South East Asian population. Since other hypo-uricemic agents are available, patients may wish to have HLA-B*5801 testing before being started on allopurinol. As the test for HLA-B*5801 is expensive, time-consuming and only available in selected laboratories, there is a need to evaluate the utility and cost-effectiveness of this test in our region.