Arthritis care & research
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Arthritis care & research · Oct 2014
Relationship between homocysteine levels and hypertension in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Homocysteine has been linked to atherosclerosis and hypertension (HT) in the general population. However, there is limited evidence regarding the effect of homocysteine on blood pressure and arterial stiffness in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We examined whether homocysteine is associated with HT and arterial stiffness in women with SLE. ⋯ Homocysteine was independently associated with SBP and HT in women with SLE, but not in controls. Elevated homocysteine levels could increase the risk of HT in SLE.
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Arthritis care & research · Oct 2014
Polysymptomatic distress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: understanding disproportionate response and its spectrum.
Fibromyalgia (FM) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can cause consternation because symptoms are seen to be out of proportion to physician and laboratory assessments, and composite RA activity scores such as the 28 joint Disease Activity Score, Clinical Disease Activity Index, and Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID-3) can yield apparently "wrong" results. We explored the effect of polysymptomatic distress (PSD), a measure of fibromyalgianess and a quantity derived from the American College of Rheumatology 2010 FM diagnostic criteria, to explain the relationship of patient to physician variables. ⋯ PSD rather than FM diagnosis more usefully identifies and predicts disproportionate responses. Just as there are patients who lean disproportionately toward greater severity, there are also patients who disproportionately report milder symptoms. Composite measures used to assess RA are flawed, as they confound RA inflammation and patient distress, and more consideration should be given to disaggregated assessments. PSD also appears to be influenced weakly by RA disease activity.
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Arthritis care & research · Sep 2014
Association of thigh muscle strength with knee symptoms and radiographic disease stage of osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.
To determine whether thigh muscle strength differs between symptomatic and asymptomatic knees, and/or different radiographic strata of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). ⋯ Knee symptoms (i.e., pain) appear to be the relevant determinant of isometric knee extensor and flexor strength in KOA, whereas no direct association between strength and radiographic severity was observed. These findings suggest that the reduction in thigh muscle strength in KOA is related to pain but not to the structural (radiographic) disease status.
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Arthritis care & research · Sep 2014
Multicenter StudyWork productivity loss in early arthritis during the first 3 years of disease: a study from a French National Multicenter Cohort.
To assess work productivity (WP) loss during the first 3 years of disease in a cohort of patients with early arthritis (EA) diagnosed between 2002 and 2005. ⋯ WP loss is substantial in EA patients and is due to permanent disability before the third year of disease. Work absence and poor mental and physical health status at baseline are major determinants of WP costs.