Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Oct 2007
Comparative StudyThe impact of psychological functioning upon systemic sclerosis patients' quality of life.
To access health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, Short-Form (WHOQOL-BREF), and to identify the association between clinical, psychopathological, and personality parameters and SSc patients' HRQOL. ⋯ Impaired psychological functioning is associated with diminished HRQOL in SSc, and consequently, treatment of depressive symptoms should be considered a priority. Moreover, assessment of HRQOL should only be used in conjunction with specific psychological distress measurements, to detect the influence of psychopathology on HRQOL.
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Oct 2007
Clinical TrialResponse-driven combination therapy with conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs can achieve high response rates in early rheumatoid arthritis with minimal glucocorticoid and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use.
To assess the safety and efficacy of combination therapy in recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with dose adjustments determined by response, in a clinic setting over 3 years. ⋯ This implementation study demonstrates the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of combination therapy with inexpensive DMARDs, fish oil, and minimal glucocorticoid use, in routine clinical practice using predefined rules for dosage adjustment.