16 research outputs found
Improving the Hydrogen Production Capacity of Rhodobacter Capsulatus by Genetically Modifying Redox Balancing Pathways
Apatite fission track dating of the Beypazarı Granitoid: insight for the inception of collision along the Northern Neotethys, Turkey
Post-volcanic activities in the Early Miocene Kırka-Phrigian caldera, western Anatolia – caldera basin filling and borate mineralization processes
Chaos in Secondary Education Programs and Textbooks in Terms of Literature from Turkish Republic to Today
Immobilization studies and biochemical properties of free and immobilized Candida Rugosa lipase onto hydrophobic group carrying polymeric support
Impact of rheumatoid arthritis in Turkey: A questionnaire study
Objective: Unmet needs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients regarding physician/patient communication, treatment preferences and quality of life issues were investigated in a Turkish survey study. Methods: The study was conducted with the contribution of 33 rheumatologists, and included 519 RA patients. The study population included patients who had been on biologic therapy for >6 months and were still receiving biologic therapy (BT group), and those who were biologic naive, but found eligible for biologic treatment (NBT group). Of the RA patients, 35.5% initially had a visit to an internal disease specialist, 25.5% to a physical therapy and rehabilitation specialist, and 12.2% to a rheumatology specialist for their RA complaints. The diagnosis of RA was made by a rheumatologist in 48.2% of patients. Results: The majority of RA patients (86.3%) visit their doctor within 15-week intervals. Most of the physician-patient communication focused on disease symptoms (99.0%) and impact of the disease on quality of life (61.8%). The proportion of RA patients who perceived their health status as good/very good/excellent was higher in the BT group than in the NBT group (74.3% vs. 51.5%, p<0.001). However, of those RA patients in the NBT group, only 24.8% have been recommended to start a biologic treatment by their doctors. With respect to dose frequency options, once-monthly injections were preferred (80%) to a bi-weekly injection schedule (8%). Conclusion: In conclusion, RA patients receiving biologic therapy reported higher rates of improved symptoms and better quality of life and seemed to be more satisfied with their treatment in our study. © Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 2014