Rheumatology international
-
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are common functional diseases in adult women. The aim of this study was to investigate whether female predominance in IBS is related to FM. Fifty patients with IBS and 50 healthy controls were enrolled. ⋯ Comparison of IBS+FM and IBS-only patients showed no significant difference in depression and anxiety status. However, both anxiety and depression scores were found to be higher in female IBS patients than their male counterparts ( P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Our findings suggest that the female predominance in IBS patients may result from coexisting FM.
-
In this study, serum antioxidant and oxygen derived free radical status of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was investigated and compared with that of age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The relationship of these parameters to disease activity indices was also examined. Thirty patients with AS not currently under disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment (e.g., sulfasalazine or methotrexate) (15 active and 15 inactive) and 16 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the study. ⋯ Our results indicate that oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation are accelerated in untreated patients with active AS. Serum catalase activity may be closely related to disease activity. In this regard, we underscore the likely benefit of some therapeutic interventions including high-potential antioxidants that will potentiate the antioxidant defense mechanism and reduce peroxidation in the management of AS.