Clinical rheumatology
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Clinical rheumatology · Apr 2015
Meta AnalysisMeta-analysis of associations between functional prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism and susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
The aim of this study was to determine whether the prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism confers susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A meta-analysis was conducted for examining the associations between prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism and susceptibility to SLE or RA using allele contrast, recessive and dominant models, and homozygote contrast. A total of 10 comparative studies, consisting of 4 SLE and 6 RA studies, involving 4252 patients and 4949 controls, were included in the meta-analysis. ⋯ After stratification by ethnicity, the G allele was found to be significantly associated with RA in Caucasians (OR = 1.112, 95 % CI = 1.041-1.189, p = 0.002). Furthermore, the prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism was found to be associated with RA in Caucasians under the dominant model and under homozygote contrast. This meta-analysis demonstrates that the prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to RA, but not SLE, in Caucasians.
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Clinical rheumatology · Apr 2015
Comparative StudyComparison of tocilizumab and tumour necrosis factor inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective analysis of 1603 patients managed in routine clinical practice.
Tocilizumab (TCZ) and tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) are recommended for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients with inadequate response (IR) to prior disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). This retrospective analysis assessed the efficacy of TCZ and TNFi, alone or in combination with DMARDs, in 1603 patients with IR to previous treatment with either DMARDs (DMARD-IR) and/or TNFi (TNFi-IR), initiating treatment with TCZ or a TNFi, managed in routine clinical practice. Patients were grouped according to treatment history and treatment initiated: DMARD-IR patients initiating treatment with TCZ + DMARD (DMARD-IR TCZ) or TNFi + DMARD (DMARD-IR TNFi), DMARD-IR and/or TNFi-IR patients initiating treatment with TCZ monotherapy (TCZ mono) or TNFi monotherapy (TNFi mono), and TNFi-IR patients initiating treatment with TCZ + DMARD (TNFi-IR TCZ) or TNFi + DMARD (TNFi-IR TNFi). ⋯ More patients achieved moderate-good responses (EULAR criteria) in the TCZ treatment groups (79-85 %) compared with TNFi treatment groups (65-81 %). Patient-reported outcomes showed greater improvements in TCZ compared with TNFi groups. In patients with inadequate response to DMARDs and/or TNFi treated in routine clinical practice, TCZ in combination with DMARDs or as monotherapy resulted in significantly more patients achieving remission and more marked improvements in patient-reported outcomes compared with TNF inhibitors.
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Clinical rheumatology · Apr 2015
Pain characteristics in fibromyalgia: understanding the multiple dimensions of pain.
Fibromyalgia is a common disease with a high economic burden. The etiology of this disease remains unclear, as there are no specific abnormalities on clinical or technical examinations. Evidence suggests that central pain sensitization at the brain pain matrix might be involved. ⋯ Three clusters of patients could be revealed by these components. Clusters: 1 high scores on mood disorders, pain, and decreased mental health, 2 high scores on fatigue and physical health, and 3 a mixture of these two groups. This data suggest that different subgroups of fibromyalgia patients could be identified and based on that, treatment strategies and results might be adapted.