British journal of rheumatology
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The objective was to carry out a clinical assessment of different cervical mobility measurements in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), including two new tape methods for measuring cervical rotation and lateral bending. A range of cervical movements was measured in 52 consecutive male AS patients and the results correlated with detailed radiological changes in the whole spine and sacroiliac joints. Occiput- and tragus-to-wall distance (OWD/TWD), cervical rotation (CR) and lateral flexion (CLF) using a Myrin inclinometer (My) and a tape method (t), cervical flexion-extension (CFl-CExt/My) motion and chin chest distance (CCD) measurements were taken and repeated (test-retest). ⋯ Cervical lateral flexion is a recommendable measurement for clinical trials in AS. The two new tape methods for measuring cervical rotation and lateral bending were as valid and reliable as the inclinometer method (Myrin), but also quick and easy. Chin-to-chest distance was not among the most valid tests in AS.
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Comparative Study
Loss of bone mineral density in Chinese pre-menopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus treated with corticosteroids.
The adverse effect of disease and chronic corticosteroid therapy on bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been reported in several studies of Caucasian populations. As the factors controlling bone homeostasis may be different in Asian populations, we measured BMD in 52 pre-menopausal Chinese women (mean age 34.1 +/- 8.0 yr) with SLE (mean disease duration 6.4 +/- 4.5 yr) treated with prednisone (mean daily dose 11.4 +/- 10.8 mg/day). Lumbar spine, hip (total and subregions) and total body BMDs were measured in the SLE patients using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and compared with those from healthy controls matched for age, sex and body mass index. ⋯ When BMDs were compared between controls and SLE patients, subgrouped according to those not on calcium and those arbitrarily receiving calcium supplements (1 g/day), significantly lower BMDs were found in those not on calcium compared to both controls and SLE patients on calcium. BMDs in SLE patients on calcium were not different from those in controls. The low prevalence of osteoporosis in our SLE patients (4-6%) suggests significant loss of BMD in Chinese SLE patients on corticosteroid therapy is less than that reported in Caucasians (12-18%).