Arthritis care & research
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Arthritis care & research · Feb 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialLong-term outcomes and costs of an integrated rehabilitation program for chronic knee pain: a pragmatic, cluster randomized, controlled trial.
Chronic joint pain is a major cause of pain and disability. Exercise and self-management have short-term benefits, but few studies follow participants for more than 6 months. We investigated the long-term (up to 30 months) clinical and cost effectiveness of a rehabilitation program combining self-management and exercise: Enabling Self-Management and Coping of Arthritic Knee Pain Through Exercise (ESCAPE-knee pain). ⋯ Clinical and cost benefits of ESCAPE-knee pain were still evident 30 months after completing the program. ESCAPE-knee pain is a more effective and efficient model of care that could substantially improve the health, well-being, and independence of many people, while reducing health care costs.
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Arthritis care & research · Feb 2012
Association of body mass index with symptom severity and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia.
To examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and symptom severity and quality of life (QOL) in patients with fibromyalgia. ⋯ In patients with fibromyalgia, severe obesity (BMI ≥35.0 kg/m(2)) is associated with higher levels of fibromyalgia symptoms and lower levels of QOL.
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Arthritis care & research · Feb 2012
Rarity of anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase antibodies in statin users, including those with self-limited musculoskeletal side effects.
Statins, among the most commonly prescribed medications, are associated with a wide range of musculoskeletal side effects. These include a progressive autoimmune myopathy with anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (anti-HMGCR) antibodies that requires immunosuppression. However, it remains unknown whether these antibodies are found in statin users with and without self-limited musculoskeletal side effects; this limits their diagnostic utility. The current work assessed the prevalence of anti-HMGCR antibodies in these groups of statin users. ⋯ The majority of patients with and without statin exposure, including those with self-limited statin intolerance, do not develop anti-HMGCR antibodies. Therefore, anti-HMGCR antibodies are highly specific for those with an autoimmune myopathy.
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Arthritis care & research · Feb 2012
Association of magnetic resonance imaging-based knee cartilage T2 measurements and focal knee lesions with knee pain: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.
To evaluate the association of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based knee cartilage T2 measurements and focal knee lesions with knee pain in knees without radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) among subjects with OA risk factors. ⋯ These results suggest that elevated cartilage T2 values are associated with findings of pain in the early phase of OA, whereas among morphologic knee abnormalities only knee cartilage lesions are significantly associated with knee pain status.
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Arthritis care & research · Feb 2012
Work productivity in scleroderma: analysis from the University of California, Los Angeles scleroderma quality of life study.
To examine the productivity of patients with scleroderma (systemic sclerosis [SSc]) both outside of and within the home in a large observational cohort. ⋯ SSc has a major impact on productivity at home and at work. Nearly 40% of patients reported disability due to their SSc.