16 research outputs found
Investigation of the genetic overlap between rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis in a Greek population
Significant overlap of inflammatory and degenerative features on spinal imaging among patients with Degenerativ spinal diease, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and radiographic axial spondyloarthritis
Bilateral Recurrent Uveitis in a Young Patient with Family History of Spondyloarthritis: Spondyloarthritis or Not?
We present the case of a young man with a strong family history of SpA, who was referred to the Rheumatology Clinic due to bilateral uveitis refractory to treatment with corticosteroids. The patientâs renal function gradually deteriorated and a subsequent biopsy was positive for interstitial nephritis. After excluding all other systemic diseases, the diagnosis of TINU syndrome was confirmed. Although rare, TINU syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis of non-infective uveitis especially in the presence of urinalysis abnormalities. © 202
Demyelination associated with anti-tnf alpha treatment in spondyloarthritis patients - a single-center experience
The relation of partnersâ illness representations to the coping behaviors of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases through patientsâ illness representation: A dyadic regulation process
Partners play a crucial role in patientsâ adaptation to a chronic illness, yet very little is known about the impact of partnersâ representations on rheumatic patientsâ coping behaviors. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the relation of partnersâ representations of control/cure, consequences and emotional representations to patientsâ coping behaviors through patientsâ representations, and to assess the impact of the potential interactions between patientsâ and partnersâ representations. The study was conducted at the Rheumatology Clinic, University of Crete Hospital in Heraklion, Greece. One hundred three heterosexual patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and their spouses (patientsâ mean age = 53.87 years; SD = 9.6; partnersâ mean age = 51.23; SD = 7.2; 91.3% women) participated in the study. All of them completed the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire. Patientsâ behaviors were assessed with the Coping with Health Injuries and Problems Scale. Structural Equation Modeling and mediation analysis were conducted. Partnersâ illness representations were only indirectly related to patientsâ coping behaviors through patientsâ representations (Ï2 = 20.39, df = 16, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the negative relation of patientsâ representations of personal control to palliative coping was stronger when partners perceived the rheumatic disease as less controllable (b = â0.07, t(82) = â2.36, p < 0.05). The findings emphasize the importance of partnersâ representations for patientsâ coping process and provide support to the need for partners to participate in relevant interventions. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
Failure of anti Interleukin-1 ÎČ monoclonal antibody in the treatment of recurrent pericarditis in two children
Discordance between patient and physician global assessment of disease activity in Behçetâs syndrome: a multicenter study cohort
Background: To compare the patientsâ and physicianâs global assessment of disease activity in Behçetâs syndrome (BS) and investigate the frequency, magnitude, and determinants of potential discordance. Methods: A total of 226 adult BS patients with a median (IQR) age of 46.9 (35.6â55.2) years were enrolled across Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain. Demographic, clinical, and therapeutic variables, as well as the patient reported outcomes, were collected at the recruitment visit. The physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary scores of the Short Form Questionnaire 36 (SF-36) and the Behçetâs syndrome Overall Damage Index (BODI) were calculated. Disease activity was assessed by the patientsâ (PtGA) and physicianâs global assessment (PGA) in a 10-cm visual analog scale, as well as the Behçet Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF). Discordance (â) was calculated by subtracting the PGA from the PtGA and defined as positive (PtGA>PGA) and negative (PtGA 80%) of disagreements were due to patients rating higher their disease activity. Higher values of BDCAF were associated to increased rate of positive discordance. When BDCAF = 0, the median (IQR) values of PtGA and PGA were 0.2 (0â2) and 0 (0â1), respectively. PCS (adjusted odds ratio (adjOR) 0.96 per unit, 95% CI 0.93â0.98, p = 0.006) and MCS (adjOR 0.96 per unit, 95% CI 0.93â0.99, p = 0.003) were independently associated with positive discordance using both cutoffs. Active ocular involvement emerged as a potential determinant of negative discordance (adjOR 5.88, 95% CI 1.48â23.30, p = 0.012). Conclusions: PtGA and PGA should be considered as complementary measures in BS, as patients and physicians may be influenced by different factors when assessing active disease manifestations. Particularly, PtGA may be a useful tool in the assessment of BS disease activity, as it carries a low risk to misclassify an inactive disease, and may allow to capture aspects of the patientâs health that negatively affect his well-being and the treatment
A MULTICENTER âAT-RISKâ COHORT FOR THE DISCOVERY OF ENVIRONMENTAL, CLINICAL AND MOLECULAR PREDICTORS FOR THE TRANSITION INTO SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE)
Development and preliminary validation of the Behçet's syndrome Overall Damage Index (BODI)
OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate the evidence-based and consensus-based Behçet's Syndrome Overall Damage Index (BODI). METHODS: Starting from 120 literature-retrieved preliminary items, the BODI underwent multiple Delphi rounds with an international multidisciplinary panel consisting of rheumatologists, internists, ophthalmologists, neurologists, and patient delegates until consensus was reached on the final content. The BODI was validated in a cross-sectional multicentre cohort of 228 patients with Behçet's syndrome (BS) through the study of (a) correlation between BODI and Vasculitis Damage Index (VDI) and (b) correlation between BODI and disease activity measures (ie, Behçet's Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF), Physician Global Assessment (PGA), Patient Global Assessment (PtGA)), c) content and face validity and (d) feasibility. RESULTS: The final BODI consists of 4 overarching principles and 46 unweighted-items grouped into 9 organ domains. It showed good to excellent reliability, with a mean Cohen's k of 0.84 (95% CI 0.78 to 0.90) and a mean intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.88 (95% CI 0.80 to 0.95). Overall, 128 (56.1%) patients had a BODI score â„1, with a median score of 1.0 (range 0-14). The BODI significantly correlated with the VDI (r=0.693, p<0.001), demonstrating to effectively measure damage (construct validity), but had greater sensitivity in identifying major organ damage and did not correlate with disease activity measures (ie, BDCAF: p=0.807, PGA: p=0.820, PtGA: p=0.794) discriminating damage from the major confounding factor. The instrument was deemed credible (face validity), complete (content validity) and feasible by an independent group of clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: Pending further validation, the BODI may be used to assess organ damage in patients with BS in the context of observational and controlled trials