More efficient means of identifying patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) could allow earlier diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of a revised version of an online patient questionnaire-based self-referral tool, RhePort 1.3. This prospective study included adult patients with musculoskeletal complaints presenting...
Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) remains challenging. The aim of this real-world evidence study of patients with refractory SLE treated with rituximab (RTX) was to explore for any potential long-term effect(s) of this particular B cell depletion approach. This study included patients with SLE who had i) received at least 1 cycle of RTX and had ii) an at least 10 yr...
To assess the difference in prevalence of sleep problems and insomnia in patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA), and explore characteristics associated with sleep problems and insomnia. We included 8,162 knee/hip OA patients enrolled in supervised exercise and patient education through the Good Life with osteoArthritis in Denmark (GLA:D®) program. We assessed presence of...
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is an ongoing disorder distinguished by its multifaceted characteristics. There has been increasing interest in its ophthalmologic aspects. This study evaluated the anterior segment parameters of the eye in patients with FMS, comparing them to healthy controls. Furthermore, correlations with disease activity were analyzed. This research was structured...
Gout and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are distinct disorders, but both of these inflammatory arthropaties are associated with a relatively similar risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. We aimed to assess carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) in both disorders to understand and compare the extent of...
The heterogeneity of symptoms among patients with fibromyalgia (FM) makes the development of standardized diagnostic criteria challenging. No imaging technique has reliably shown FM-related muscle changes to aid clinical assessment. This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the upper trapezius muscle in FM patients using B-mode ultrasonography and blob analysis and to examine...
To examine the pneumococcal, haemophilus influenza, hepatitis A virus (HAV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine rates and and predictors of vaccination among a Türkiye population of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. In this multicenter, cross-sectional study, vaccination levels and related factors were questioned by face-to-face survey method during routine clinical...
Individuals with clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA) are at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is unknown whether CSA patients have a deprived health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL), how this develops over time, and whether it differs between those who develop RA and those who do not. Using three unique cohorts, we explored the course of HRQoL in CSA patients and...
Despite their increasing use and their proven efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors have been questioned by credible cardiovascular safety concerns. To date, mechanistic links of cardiovascular complications to JAK inhibitors remain largely unexplored. We aimed to investigate the effect of JAK inhibition on coronary microvascular...
Systemic autoinflammatory disorders (SAID), immune dysregulation disorders with onset frequently occurring in youth, are defined by unprovoked inflammation. Research suggest inflammation is associated with the pathogenesis of mental ill-health. Separately, research has identified that mental ill-health is prevalent in people with immune dysregulation disorders compared to healthy...
Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are highly prevalent and place a significant socioeconomic burden on healthcare systems. However, their diagnosis and management remain suboptimal. This study aimed to analyze healthcare-seeking behaviors, key touchpoints, access barriers, and diagnostic pathways for individuals experiencing initial or progressive symptoms of RMDs...
Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), a type of inflammatory myopathy, is associated with anti-SRP or anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (anti-HMGCR) antibodies, with statin use potentially inducing statin-associated IMNM (SAIMNM) due to HMGCR targeting. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors may offer a safer alternative for...
SERENA is a recently completed, non-interventional, multinational, 5-year study evaluating retention, effectiveness, patient-reported outcomes and safety of secukinumab in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) treated in real-world settings. Three-year interim data from PsA and AS patients treated in...
Reduced quality of life in patients with myositis is partly due to impairments in muscle strength, muscle endurance and functional capacity. In a recent randomised controlled trial (RCT) (NCT04486261) we showed that high-intensity resistance training improved quality of life, muscle strength, and endurance. This follow-up study aimed to investigate if these improvements remained...
The aim of this study was to explore the link between fear of falling and factors that may contribute to falls in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS). Our study included a total of 67 patients with pSS, aged between 18 and 65. The following tests were performed on each of them by the same researcher: (I) Pain Quality Assessment Scale (PQAS); (II) Berg Balance Scale...
Invalidation, both discounting (overt negative social responses) and lack of understanding (absence of positive social responses), is a common problem in fibromyalgia. The ‘Fibromyalgia Imbalance of Threat and Soothing Systems’ (FITSS) model indicates that different neuropsychological processes may underlie these two components of invalidation. Guided by this model, the aim of...
To analyse the types and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to predict treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA). A comprehensive search in Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases (up to August 2024) identified studies using AI to predict treatment response in RA and SpA. Data on study design, AI methodologies, data sources...
This study explored yoga providers’ clinical knowledge of arthritis, experiences of delivering yoga to people with arthritis, their perceived role in arthritis treatment, and perceived yoga training needs. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 20 United Kingdom (UK)—based yoga providers were conducted. The interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and...
To compare immune cell subsets and interferon (IFN) expression in placentas from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), primary Sjögren’s disease (pSjD), antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), healthy controls (HC) and of women with adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) without these systemic rheumatic diseases (SRD). Placenta biopsies from HC, SLE, pSjD, APS, and patients with...
Fibromyalgia is a complex condition characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, and various other symptoms. The symptoms of fibromyalgia overlap with numerous other disorders (e.g., infections, chronic fatigue syndrome), which makes diagnosis challenging. Existing diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia rely particularly on subjective patient reports. Such a limitation may lead to...
Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is the most common connective tissue disorder. However, few studies exist on psychiatric and sleep disorders in pediatric patients with hEDS. This study aims to describe psychiatric and sleep disorders and evaluate their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in pediatric patients with hEDS. As part of a longitudinal study, a...
VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome is an autoinflammatory disorder characterized by somatic mutations in the UBA1 gene in hematopoietic stem cells and associated with diffuse inflammation and myelodysplastic changes amongst others. Due to unspecific symptoms the diagnosis is challenging, and there is an unmet need for clinical markers to...
Due to YouTube’s meteoric rise in popularity, the quality and reliability of health-related videos on YouTube are being questioned, particularly in specialized fields like stroke rehabilitation. This research aimed to assess the quality and reliability of YouTube videos relevant to stroke rehabilitation. Video listing was conducted on December 17, 2024, using the keywords “Stroke...
Objective: The Duruöz Hand Index (DHI) is a self-report questionnaire originally developed to assess hand function in rheumatoid arthritis patients and validated for various rheumatic conditions. The aim of the study is to evaluate the validity and psychometric features of the DHI in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods: SSc patients diagnosed using EULAR/ACR 2013...