International journal of rheumatic diseases
-
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.
-
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.
-
Recent studies report that cardiovascular mortality is more common in patients with spondyloarthropathy (SpA) compared with the normal population. In this study, we aimed to determine left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions using tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) in addition to conventional methods in undifferentiated SpA (uSpA) patients. ⋯ In this study we determined that left ventricular systolic function is preserved in patients with uSpA. Although frequency of diastolic dysfunction was similar in both groups, deterioration of some diastolic parameters in the uSpA group might be considered for possible cardiac involvement in patients with uSpA.
-
Several studies have reported STAT4 polymorphism is strongly associated with increased susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, a study from China showed no association between STAT4 and RA susceptibility in a Chinese Han subpopulation. Since the northern Hans are known to be genetically different from the southern Hans, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of STAT4 polymorphism with RA in a large cohort of a northern Chinese Han subpopulation. ⋯ STAT4 rs7574865 is significantly associated with RA susceptibility in northern Chinese Han subpopulations. The genetic differences of Han subpopulations should be considered when genetic susceptibility for diseases is studied.