Clin Exp Rheumatol
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Web/Internet-based telemonitoring of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the time-integrated effects of a 24-week multicomponent intervention on key health outcomes in patients with fibromyalgia.
The aims of the study were to assess the efficacy of a multicomponent intervention and evaluate the feasibility and user acceptance of an internet-based home telemedical surveillance system for the evaluation of pain and other key health outcomes in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). ⋯ The multicomponent approach to FM was effective in treating the key symptoms and maintaining the improvements in the short term, and telemonitoring proved to be an easyto-use solution for patient-centred data acquisition.
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Emerging evidence associates fibromyalgia (FM) with pain system dysfunction. In this study, using laser evoked potentials (LEPs) and paired laser stimuli, we tested excitability in the pain matrices and sought possible changes in patients with FM. ⋯ Objective evidence from increased conditioned Aδ-LEP amplitudes reflecting hyperexcitability in the pain matrices in FM, provides diagnostically useful information and might help in developing new therapeutic approaches.
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Multicenter Study
Self-reported childhood maltreatment, lifelong traumatic events and mental disorders in fibromyalgia syndrome: a comparison of US and German outpatients.
The robustness of findings on retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment and lifetime traumatic experiences of adults with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) has not been demonstrated by transcultural studies. This is the first transcultural study to focus on the associations between FMS, childhood maltreatment, lifetime psychological traumas, and potential differences between countries adjusting for psychological distress. ⋯ The study demonstrated the transcultural robustness of findings on the association of adult FMS with self-reports of childhood maltreatment and lifelong traumatic experiences. These associations are mainly explained by current psychological distress.
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Observational Study
Population-based study of QT interval prolongation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Heart rate corrected QT interval (QTc) (which is obtained from a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and reflects ventricular repolarisation duration) is a strong predictor of cardiovascular mortality. Our primary purpose is to determine the impact of QTc prolongation on mortality in RA patients. ⋯ RA patients have a significantly elevated risk of developing QTc prolongation. However, idiopathic prolonged QTc was only marginally associated with all-cause mortality in RA patients. The clinical implications of these findings in RA require further study.
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The circadian rhythm of clinical symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been primarily attributed to circadian variations in humoral factors and hormones. In this study, we investigated circadian rhythms of cellular immunity in RA (CiRA study). ⋯ We conclude that (i) in RA some immune cell populations lose their normal circadian rhythms whereas others establish new 'inflammatory' circadian rhythms and (ii) these findings provide a good basis for further identifying pathophysiological aspects of RA chronobiology with potential therapeutic implications.