Relationship between disease impact scores and C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in patients with psoriatic arthritis

Aim To evaluate the relationships between the C-reactive protein (CRP)/albumin ratio (CAR), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) and Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease 12-item-questionnaire (PsAID-12) scores in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods This cross-sectional study involved 160 (121 female) patients with PsA who were >18 years old and treated in the rheumatology clinic of Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Education and Research Hospital between January 2020 and January 2021. Demographic and clinical data, PsAID12 and DAPSA scores, CRP, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), albumin level, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts were recorded. Results The mean age was 46.49±11.12 years; median (min-max) disease duration was 2 years (0.5-34). The PsAID score was ≥4 (high disease impact) in 74.4% of patients. Patients with high disease impact had significantly higher CRP, ESR, CAR, NLR, PLR, neutrophil counts, and DAPSA scores (P<0.001). PsAID scores significantly highly correlated with CRP (rho 0.864, P<0.001), DAPSA significantly highly correlated with the CAR (rho 0.890, P<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the CAR (area under the curve [AUC] 0.901, P<0.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.855-0.947, NLR (AUC 0.759, P<0.05, 95% CI 0.680-0.838), and PLR (AUC 0.686, P<0.05, 95% CI 0.591-0.782) predicted high disease impact. The cut-off value for the CAR was 0.98. Conclusion The CAR can be useful in daily practice as a simple and quick assessment method to evaluate disease impact in Ps

Effectiveness of Methotrexate in Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis Treatment

Background: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is a rare inflammatory disease of the breast, for which there is a lack of consensus on the treatment protocol; it requires long-term follow-up and is associated with a high rate of relapse after surgical treatment. In this study, we report on the largest single-center cohort of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis treated with steroids + methotrexate. Methods: We retrospectively examined the data of 33 patients histopathologically diagnosed with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis who were evaluated by our Rheumatology or General Surgery Clinics between 2013 and 2016. Results: Of the 33 female patients (age: 38.64 ± 6.9 years), 24 were admitted with an initial diagnosis of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, whereas 9 were admitted after surgical treatment. Remission was achieved in 87.9% of patients with steroid + methotrexate treatment, and there were no relapses during the 24-months follow-up period. Conclusions: Steroid + methotrexate treatment is an effective and reliable method for ensuring long-term remission in patients with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis diagnosis

Listening to patients, for the patients: The COVAD Study-Vision, organizational structure, and challenges

Background: The pandemic presented unique challenges for individuals with autoimmune and rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) due to their underlying condition, the effects of immunosuppressive treatments, and increased vaccine hesitancy. Objectives: The COVID-19 vaccination in autoimmune diseases (COVAD) study, a series of ongoing, patient self-reported surveys were conceived with the vision of being a unique tool to gather patient perspectives on AIRDs. It involved a multinational, multicenter collaborative effort amidst a global lockdown. Methods: Leveraging social media as a research tool, COVAD collected data using validated patient-reported outcomes (PROs). The study, comprising a core team, steering committee, and global collaborators, facilitated data collection and analysis. A pilot-tested, validated survey, featuring questions regarding COVID-19 infection, vaccination and outcomes, patient demographics, and PROs was circulated to patients with AIRDs and healthy controls (HCs). Discussion: We present the challenges encountered during this international collaborative project, including coordination, data management, funding constraints, language barriers, and authorship concerns, while highlighting the measures taken to address them. Conclusion: Collaborative virtual models offer a dynamic new frontier in medical research and are vital to studying rare diseases. The COVAD study demonstrates the potential of online platforms for conducting large-scale, patient-focused research and underscores the importance of integrating patient perspective into clinical care. Care of patients is our central motivation, and it is essential to recognize their voices as equal stakeholders and valued partners in the study of the conditions that affect them