34 research outputs found
Disease evolution in mixed connective tissue disease: results from a long-term nationwide prospective cohort study
Systemic sclerosis associated interstitial lung disease - individualized immunosuppressive therapy and course of lung function: results of the EUSTAR group
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) polymorphisms do not predict therapeutic response to glucocorticoids or TNF-{alpha}neutralising therapies in rheumatoid arthritis.
How should worsening in osteoarthritis be defined? Development and initial validation of preliminary criteria for clinical worsening in knee and hip osteoarthritis
Long-term follow-up results after autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe systemic sclerosis.
Intranasal administration of recombinant Human Cartilage glycoprotein-39 as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis: A Phase II, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group dose-finding trial
European multicentre study to define disease activity criteria for systemic sclerosis. I. Clinical and epidemiological features of 290 patients from 19 centres
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the existence of differences among European referral centres for systemic sclerosis (SSc) in the pattern of attendance and referral and in the clinical and therapeutical approaches.
METHODS:
In 1995 the European Scleroderma Study Group initiated a multicentre prospective one year study whose aim was to define the disease activity criteria in SSc. During the study period each participating European centre was asked to enroll consecutive patients satisfying American College of Rheumatology criteria for SSc and to fill out for each of them a standardised clinical chart. Patients from various centres were compared and differences in epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutical aspects were analysed.
RESULTS:
Nineteen different medical research centres consecutively recruited 290 patients. The patients could be divided into two subgroups: 173 with the limited (lSSc) and 117 with the diffuse (dSSc) form of the disease. The clinical and serological findings for the series of 290 patients seemed to be similar to data previously reported. However, when the data were analysed to elicit any differences between the participating centres, a high degree of variability emerged, in both epidemiological and clinical features and in the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the disease.
CONCLUSIONS:
The clinical approach to SSc, not only in different countries but also in different centres within the same country, is not yet standardised. To overcome this problem, it will be necessary for the scientific community to draw up a standardised procedure for the management of patients with SSc. This would provide a common research tool for different centres engaged in research on this complex disease