J Rheumatol
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Self-reported pain is one of the core endpoint measures in RA. The objective of this cross sectional study of 238 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was to examine the relationship between self-reported pain intensity, sociodemographic variables, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. ⋯ Self-reported pain in RA is not significantly influenced by sex, age, level of education, or income. Even when controlling for disease activity, there was a considerable correlation between self-reported pain and mental distress. Furthermore, our study lends support to the hypothesis that mental distress is mainly secondary to pain rather than vice versa.
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Comparative Study
Fibromyalgia versus rheumatoid arthritis: a longitudinal comparison of the quality of life.
To evaluate and compare the quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ⋯ FM has a negative impact on quality of life, similar to RA. Clinical, functional, and economic problems related to the disease were observed. The alteration observed remained relatively stable during the study period, except for physical disability.
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Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is characterized by the presence of scleroderma-like changes in the skin, inflammation and thickening of the fascia, associated with peripheral eosinophilia. Visceral involvement, telangiectasis, Raynaud's phenomenon, or gangrene of the digit is very unusual in EF. We describe a patient with EF that was accompanied by Raynaud's phenomenon and gangrene of the finger due to occlusive vasculitis of small and medium arteries in extremities.
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A 31-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), diabetes mellitus, and chronic renal failure developed digital ischemia, myocardial dysfunction, abnormal ECG, and elevated CPK levels. Radiographic studies revealed calcification of the peripheral vasculature although coronary angiography was unremarkable. ⋯ This case demonstrates that calciphylaxis can mimic the cardiovascular manifestations of SLE. Early differentiation of these disparate diseases is important because treatment strategies employed in SLE may exacerbate calciphylaxis.
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To investigate relationships between sex, pain threshold and fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms in the general population. ⋯ Symptoms of FM are correlated with pain threshold in the general population, but tender point counts correlate better than dolorimetry. These 2 measures of pain threshold assay different but overlapping factors. Pain threshold is lower in women; and women have more FM symptoms. Decreased pain threshold correlates with all of the symptoms of FM, even in those who do not meet criteria for the syndrome. This suggests that decreased pain threshold, as measured by the tender point counts, is an intrinsically important aspect of patient distress, regardless of the extent and kind of concomitant disease; and that much can be learned about patients by employing this examination.