Journal of clinical rheumatology : practical reports on rheumatic & musculoskeletal diseases
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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Evolving to Full-Blown Fibromyalgia: A Proposal of Common Mechanisms.
Spread of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) outside the affected limb is a well-recognized phenomenon; nevertheless, the actual evolution from CRPS to fibromyalgia is poorly documented. Similar mechanisms have been recently put forward to explain the development of CRPS and fibromyalgia including dorsal root ganglia (DRG) hyperexcitability and small fiber neuropathy. ⋯ Clinicians should be aware that CRPS can evolve to full-blown fibromyalgia. Spreading of neuroinflammation through DRG glial cell activation could theoretically explain the transformation from regional to generalized complex pain syndrome.
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Low back pain (LBP) is a public health problem that requires accurate assessment for proper management and predicting prognosis. ⋯ Visual analogue scale and NRS appeared reliable in assessing LBP severity with no significant difference between them. Moreover, either VAS or NRS scores can predict disability of patients with LBP.
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Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome of unknown etiology that can include subjective cognitive symptoms and variable evidence of cognitive dysfunction. Rates of occurrence and severity of cognitive impairment remain unclear. Additionally, comparison of this group with other pain conditions has been limited. The current cross-sectional study sought to identify rates of clinically significant cognitive impairment in FM and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using an automated clinical rating approach. ⋯ Increased rates of cognitive dysfunction as well as psychological distress exist in both FM and RA compared to a normative sample. However, psychological distress was unrelated to cognition in both groups. These findings have implications regarding the clinical presentation of individuals with FM and RA.
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Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We performed a comprehensive review of phase 3 studies of tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily (BID) (approved dose in many countries) in patients with moderate to severe RA and inadequate response to prior disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. ⋯ Tofacitinib 5 mg BID reduced RA signs and symptoms and improved physical function versus placebo in patients with inadequate response to prior disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Tofacitinib 5 mg BID had a consistent, manageable safety profile across studies, with no new safety signals identified.