Clinical rheumatology
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Clinical rheumatology · Mar 2014
Tuberculosis infection in primary Sjögren's syndrome: a nationwide population-based study.
Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a systemic autoimmune disease and may complicate with interstitial lung disease. The risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infection in patients with pSS has not been determined. This nationwide population-based study aimed to explore the incidence and risk factors of TB infection in patients with pSS. ⋯ The risk of TB was higher in the pSS cohort than in the control cohort with an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 1.58 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.13-2.18, p = 0.006). The risk factors for TB in the pSS cohort were age ≥60 years (hazard ratio [HR] 3.22, 95% CI 1.78-5.84; p < 0.001), and corticosteroid usage, which had a dose-dependent effect in the pSS patients compared to the nonusers (daily prednisolone dose or equivalent less than 5 mg/day: HR 2.34; p = 0.020, 95% CI 1.14-4.78; 5 mg/day to less than 10 mg/day: HR 4.79, 95% CI 2.15-10.68; p < 0.001; 10 mg/day or more: HR 12.19, 95% CI 4.42-33.63; p < 0.001). Patients with pSS had a higher risk of pulmonary TB in Taiwan, which was related to age ≥60 years and corticosteroid usage.
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Clinical rheumatology · Mar 2014
Case ReportsPneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in two patients with systemic lupus erythematosus after rituximab therapy.
New cases of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) have recently been reported in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after rituximab therapy. Several factors may contribute to susceptibility to P. jirovecii infection in this type of patients, including the immunological characteristics of the disease, the mechanisms of rituximab action, environmental factors, and the biological characteristics of the fungus. We report two patients with SLE who developed PJP after rituximab therapy.
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Clinical rheumatology · Mar 2014
Validation of the Arabic version of the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR_A) on Jordanian females with fibromyalgia.
The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Arabic version of the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR_A). Translation of the FIQR followed a worldwide-recognized approach to ensure the accuracy and equivalency of the translation from the English version of the FIQR. Following the translation of the FIQR, 92 women with fibromyalgia completed the FIQR_A, the Arabic Research ANd Development Short Form Health Survey (RAND SF-36), and the Arabic Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS). ⋯ Test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients were all significant and ranged from moderate to excellent. Internal consistency was found to be excellent. These observations suggest that the FIQR_A is a valid and reliable tool for both clinical practice and research purposes with Arabic speakers globally.