Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Aug 2005
Multicenter StudyClinical presentation of osteoarthritis in general practice: determinants of pain in Italian patients in the AMICA study.
To assess the clinical characteristics and determinants of pain observed by general practitioners (GPs) in Italian patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand, hip, and knee. ⋯ The results of this study underscore the major impact of OA on care in general practice, the high frequency of OA-associated comorbidities, and the role of different risk factors in OA pain.
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Aug 2005
Multicenter StudyThe characteristics of symptomatic osteoarthritis in general and specialist practice in Italy: design and methods of the AMICA Study.
The diagnostic and clinical approach to osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand, knee, and hip in general practice and specialist practice in Italy as determined by the AMICA project. ⋯ This large data set reveals the attitudes of Italian GPs and specialists toward the diagnosis and treatment of OA of the hand, knee, and hip.
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Aug 2005
Comorbid conditions in the AMICA study patients: effects on the quality of life and drug prescriptions by general practitioners and specialists.
Osteoarthritis (OA) has been identified as the disease with the highest rate of comorbidities, which may increase the likelihood of disability. The AMICA study evaluated how the presence of a coexistent disease and/or its chronic pharmacological treatment influenced the prescription of pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapy in patients with OA. ⋯ Comorbidities decrease the quality of life and worsen the joint function in OA patients. Comorbidities and their treatment generally do not influence the physician's choice of OA treatment, with the exception of peptic ulcer and anticoagulant therapy, both of which were associated with a reduction in the prescription of antiinflammatory drugs. There was a preferential use of Coxibs in patients with peptic ulcer, and an underuse of gastroprotective measures in OA patients treated with NSAIDs.
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Apr 2005
Review Meta Analysis Comparative StudyAyurvedic medicine for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review.
To systematically review all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of Ayurvedic medicine for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ⋯ There is a paucity of RCTs of Ayurvedic medicines for RA. The existing RCTs fail to show convincingly that such treatments are effective therapeutic options for RA.
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Apr 2005
Health-related quality of life predicts future health care utilization and mortality in veterans with self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis: the veterans arthritis quality of life study.
To investigate whether health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures predict health care utilization and mortality in a cohort of veterans with self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis. ⋯ HRQOL, as assessed by the SF-36V, predicts future inpatient and outpatient health care utilization and mortality in veterans with self-report of physician-diagnosed arthritis.