Gender, body mass index and rheumatoid arthritis disease activity: results from the QUEST-RA Study

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether body mass index (BMI), as a proxy for body fat, influences rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity in a gender-specific manner. METHODS: Consecutive patients with RA were enrolled from 25 countries into the QUEST-RA program between 2005 and 2008. Clinical and demographic data were collected by treating rheumatologists and by patient self-report. Distributions of Disease Activity Scores (DAS28), BMI, age, and disease duration were assessed for each country and for the entire dataset; mean values between genders were compared using Student's t-tests. An association between BMI and DAS28 was investigated using linear regression, adjusting for age, disease duration and country. RESULTS: A total of 5,161 RA patients (4,082 women and 1,079 men) were included in the analyses. Overall, women were younger, had longer disease duration, and higher DAS28 scores than men, but BMI was similar between genders. The mean DAS28 scores increased with increasing BMI from normal to overweight and obese, among women, whereas the opposite trend was observed among men. Regression results showed BMI (continuous or categorical) to be associated with DAS28. Compared to the normal BMI range, being obese was associated with a larger difference in mean DAS28 (0.23, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.34) than being overweight (0.12, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.21); being underweight was not associated with disease activity. These associations were more pronounced among women, and were not explained by any single component of the DAS28. CONCLUSIONS: BMI appears to be associated with RA disease activity in women, but not in men

Gender, body mass index and rheumatoid arthritis disease activity: results from the QUEST-RA Study

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether body mass index (BMI), as a proxy for body fat, influences rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity in a gender-specific manner. METHODS: Consecutive patients with RA were enrolled from 25 countries into the QUEST-RA program between 2005 and 2008. Clinical and demographic data were collected by treating rheumatologists and by patient self-report. Distributions of Disease Activity Scores (DAS28), BMI, age, and disease duration were assessed for each country and for the entire dataset; mean values between genders were compared using Student's t-tests. An association between BMI and DAS28 was investigated using linear regression, adjusting for age, disease duration and country. RESULTS: A total of 5,161 RA patients (4,082 women and 1,079 men) were included in the analyses. Overall, women were younger, had longer disease duration, and higher DAS28 scores than men, but BMI was similar between genders. The mean DAS28 scores increased with increasing BMI from normal to overweight and obese, among women, whereas the opposite trend was observed among men. Regression results showed BMI (continuous or categorical) to be associated with DAS28. Compared to the normal BMI range, being obese was associated with a larger difference in mean DAS28 (0.23, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.34) than being overweight (0.12, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.21); being underweight was not associated with disease activity. These associations were more pronounced among women, and were not explained by any single component of the DAS28. CONCLUSIONS: BMI appears to be associated with RA disease activity in women, but not in men

Avanços na monitorização neurológica intensiva: implicações para a enfermagem Avances en el monitoreo neurologico intensivo: implicaciones para la atencíon de enfermería Advances in intensive neurological monitoring: implications for nursing care

A monitorização neurológica é uma avaliação e acompanhamento de dados fornecidos por aparelhagem técnica das alterações do sistema nervoso. Este estudo teve como objetivo realizar uma atualização sobre os diferentes métodos de monitorização neurológica intensiva e estabelecer relações com o trabalho do enfermeiro. O impacto do suprimento e renovação de equipamentos eletroeletrônicos de suporte vital ao paciente na unidade de terapia intensiva é um fato concreto, o que deve fazer com que a equipe de enfermagem se adapte ao ritmo da nova tecnologia a serviço da saúde do paciente. Monitorizar pacientes com alterações neurológicas é um grande desafio para toda a equipe, mas é através dela que se obtêm dados confiáveis e necessários para a intervenção.<br>La monitorización neurológica es una evaluación y un acompañamiento de los datos disponibles por el aparato técnico de las alteraciones del sistema nervioso. Este estudio objetivó realizar una actualización sobre los diversos métodos de monitorización neurológica intesiva y establecer relaciones con el trabajo de enfermería. El impacto del suministro y renovación de las equipajes eletro-eletrónicas de soporte vital al paciente en la unidad de terapia intensiva es un facto concreto que debe hacer con que el equipo de enfermería sea adaptado al ritmo de la nueva tecnología en el servicio a la salud del paciente. El monitoreo de los pacientes con alteraciones neurológicas es un gran desafío para el equipo, pero es a través de él que los datos confiables y necesarios son obtenidos para la intervención.<br>The neurological monitoring is an assessment and accompaniment of data supplied by technical devices of alterations in the nervous system. This study aimed at performing an update about the different methods of intensive neurological monitoring and establish relations with the nursing work. The impact of the supplement and electronics equipment renewal of vital support for the critical patient is a concrete fact, and must make the nursing team adapted with the rhythm of new technology in service of patient's health. Monitoring patient with neurological alterations is a great challenge, but is through it that they get trustworthy and necessary information's for nursing interventions

Work disability remains a major problem in rheumatoid arthritis in the 2000s: data from 32 countries in the QUEST-RA study

INTRODUCTION: Work disability is a major consequence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), associated not only with traditional disease activity variables, but also more significantly with demographic, functional, occupational, and societal variables. Recent reports suggest that the use of biologic agents offers potential for reduced work disability rates, but the conclusions are based on surrogate disease activity measures derived from studies primarily from Western countries. METHODS: The Quantitative Standard Monitoring of Patients with RA (QUEST-RA) multinational database of 8,039 patients in 86 sites in 32 countries, 16 with high gross domestic product (GDP) (>24K US dollars (USD) per capita) and 16 low-GDP countries (<11K USD), was analyzed for work and disability status at onset and over the course of RA and clinical status of patients who continued working or had stopped working in high-GDP versus low-GDP countries according to all RA Core Data Set measures. Associations of work disability status with RA Core Data Set variables and indices were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analyses. RESULTS: At the time of first symptoms, 86% of men (range 57%-100% among countries) and 64% (19%-87%) of women <65 years were working. More than one third (37%) of these patients reported subsequent work disability because of RA. Among 1,756 patients whose symptoms had begun during the 2000s, the probabilities of continuing to work were 80% (95% confidence interval (CI) 78%-82%) at 2 years and 68% (95% CI 65%-71%) at 5 years, with similar patterns in high-GDP and low-GDP countries. Patients who continued working versus stopped working had significantly better clinical status for all clinical status measures and patient self-report scores, with similar patterns in high-GDP and low-GDP countries. However, patients who had stopped working in high-GDP countries had better clinical status than patients who continued working in low-GDP countries. The most significant identifier of work disability in all subgroups was Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) functional disability score. CONCLUSIONS: Work disability rates remain high among people with RA during this millennium. In low-GDP countries, people remain working with high levels of disability and disease activity. Cultural and economic differences between societies affect work disability as an outcome measure for RA