Rheumatology international
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The therapeutic effects of Cserkeszölö thermal water in osteoarthritis of the knee: a double blind, controlled, follow-up study.
The effects of thermal water from Cserkeszölö in Hungary were appraised in a randomised, double blind study conducted on 58 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Balneotherapy was delivered as a 15-day course of 30-min daily sessions performed with thermal water (active treatment) or tap water of similar colour and odour (placebo treatment). ⋯ Study endpoints (initial pain, range of motion, tenderness on palpation, stair climbing, physicians' opinion and subjective rating by patients, and ambulation) were assessed using visual analogue scales and symptom scores. Both groups improved; however, the magnitude of improvement was significantly greater in patients treated with thermal water from Cserkeszölö.
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We report a case of osteoblastoma in the uncommon location of the L5 lumbar vertebra, detailing the clinical and radiologic aspects. Although the plain radiographs of the patient were normal, computed tomographic scans of the lumbar region confirmed the diagnosis of osteoblastoma or osteoid osteoma of the L5 vertebra. The patient was referred to the orthopedic department for operation. ⋯ Although osteoblastoma is extremely rare in the spine, it should be included in the differential diagnosis as a cause of chronic back pain, especially in young males with painful scoliosis and/or radicular-type leg pain. The tumor is often not readily apparent on plain radiographs. Therefore, advanced radiological investigation is necessary to establish the correct diagnosis.
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Complex regional pain syndrome includes the previously termed condition reflex sympathetic dystrophy. It is a chronic pain disorder diagnosed on the basis of symptoms and skin changes and is known to have a psychological element. ⋯ We present two females who developed this syndrome after undergoing mastectomy for chronic mastalgia. These cases demonstrate that amputation of an organ for chronic pain can result in reflex sympathetic dystrophy developing in a nearby limb.
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The aim of this study was to investigate whether (99m)technetium-labelled polyclonal human immunoglobulin G (99mTc-IgG) scintigraphy reflects synovial inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We evaluated 29 patients with RA for this reason and found a highly significant correlation between total scintigraphic scores and total tenderness scores (r = 0.781, P < 0.001). A significant correlation was also found between 99mTc-IgG scintigraphic scores and tenderness in all joints other than the shoulders. ⋯ Total scintigraphic scores were correlated with serum levels of C-reactive protein (r = 0.401, P < 0.05) but not with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = 0.149, P > 0.05). The correlation between disease activity scores and total scintigraphic scores was also found to be significant (r = 0.812, P < 0.001). We suggest that 99mTc-IgG scintigraphy is a reliable and objective method in detecting synovial activity and can be appropriate for observing disease prognosis in clinical trials with RA.
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This study was undertaken to translate and adapt the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) into the Turkish language and investigate its validity and reliability for Turkish female fibromyalgia (FM) patients. After translation into Turkish, we administered the FIQ and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) to 51 women with fibromyalgia. As well as sociodemographic characteristics, the severity of relevant clinical symptoms, e.g., pain intensity, fatigue, and sleep disturbance, were assessed by visual analog scales. ⋯ Correlation between FIQ and HAQ scores was 0.43, which was low but statistically significant. Significant moderate correlations were obtained between the FIQ items and severity of clinical symptoms (0.63-0.77), except TPS, 0.31. The FIQ is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring functional disability in Turkish female FM patients.