| 1. |
- Englund, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Comorbidities in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis versus the general population
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 43:8, s. 1553-1558
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. To evaluate the consultation rates of selected comorbidities in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) compared with the general population in southern Sweden. Methods. We used data from a population-based cohort of patients with AAV diagnosed between 1998 and 2010 in Southern Sweden (701,000 inhabitants). For each patient we identified 4 reference subjects randomly sampled from the general population and matched for year of birth, sex, area of residence, and index year. Using the population-based Skåne Healthcare Register, we identified relevant diagnostic codes, registered between 1998 and 2011, for selected comorbidities assigned after the date of diagnosis of AAV or the index date for the reference subjects. We calculated rate ratios for comorbidities (AAV:reference subjects). Results. There were 186 patients with AAV (95 women, mean age 64.5 yrs) and 744 reference persons included in the analysis. The highest rate ratios (AAV:reference) were obtained for osteoporosis (4.6, 95% CI 3.0-7.0), followed by venous thromboembolism (4.0, 95% CI 1.9-8.3), thyroid diseases (2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.3), and diabetes mellitus (2.0, 95% CI 1.3-2.9). For ischemic heart disease, the rate ratio of 1.5 (95% CI 1.0-2.3) did not reach statistical significance. No statistically significant differences were found for cerebrovascular accidents. Conclusion. AAV is associated with increased consultation rates of several comorbidities including osteoporosis and thromboembolic and endocrine disorders. Comorbid conditions should be taken into consideration when planning and providing care for patients with AAV.
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| 2. |
- Jakobsson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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The effect of clinical features and glucocorticoids on biopsy findings in giant cell arteritis
- 2016
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Ingår i: Bmc Musculoskeletal Disorders. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2474. ; 17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: To investigate the effect of baseline clinical characteristics and glucocorticoid treatment on temporal artery biopsy (TAB) findings in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA). Methods: Individuals who developed GCA after inclusion in two population-based health surveys were identified through linkage to the local and the national patient registers. In addition, other patients diagnosed with GCA at the Departments of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at an area hospital were included. A structured review of medical records and TAB pathology reports was performed. The presence or absence of giant cells, granuloma, fragmented internal elastic lamina, fibrosis and grade of inflammatory infiltrates were recorded. Results: In 183 cases with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of GCA, 139 were biopsied after start of glucocorticoids (median treatment duration 3 days; interquartile range 2-5). Patients with a positive TAB (77 %) had significantly higher C-reactive protein (CRP; p = 0.007) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR; p = 0.03) at the time of clinical diagnosis. A positive TAB tended to more common in women, but there was no difference in the proportion of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica or visual symptoms. Patients biopsied before or on the same day as initial treatment where more likely than those biopsied 1-3 days after treatment start to have positive biopsy [odds ratio (OR) 2.86; 95 % CI 1.06-7.70] as well as inflammatory infiltrates (OR 3.30; 95 % CI 1.15-9.49). There was no significant difference in the proportions of a fragmented internal lamina (p = 0.86), giant cells (p = 0. 10), granuloma (p = 0.19), minor inflammatory infiltrates (p = 0.47), major inflammatory infiltrates (p = 0.09), or overall positive biopsy (p = 0.17) report by treatment duration comparing: <= 0 days, 1-3 days, 4-6 days, 7-28 days. Among those biopsied 7-28 days after start of treatment, 80 % of TABs were positive, and histopathology features were not substantially different from those biopsied after shorter glucocorticoid treatment. Conclusion: Biopsies were more likely to be positive and have characteristic histopathologic features in patients with high CRP and ESR, and prior to start of corticosteroid treatment TABs taken 1-4 weeks after initiation of glucocorticoid treatment reveal changes consistent with GCA and therefore still yields clinically useful information for the diagnosis.
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| 3. |
- Mohammad, Aladdin, et al.
(författare)
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Rituximab for the treatment of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss).
- 2016
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 1468-2060 .- 0003-4967. ; 75:2, s. 396-401
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conventional treatment of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) (Churg-Strauss) with glucocorticoids, with or without additional immunosuppressive drugs, is limited by partial efficacy, frequent toxicity and a high relapse rate. Rituximab is a licensed treatment for granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis and is of potential benefit to patients with EGPA.
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| 4. |
- Saleh, Muna Atallah, et al.
(författare)
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Visual complications in patients with biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis : A population-based study
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Rheumatology. - Lund : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 43:8, s. 1559-1565
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. To study the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis (GCA) with visual complications, and to evaluate the incidence rate of visual complications in GCA compared to the background population. Methods. Data from 840 patients with GCA in the county of Skane, Sweden, diagnosed between 1997 and 2010, were used for this analysis. Cases with visual complications were identified from a diagnosis registry and confirmed by a review of medical records. The rate of visual complications in patients with GCA was compared with an age-and sex-matched reference population. Results. There were 85 patients (10%) who developed ≥ 1 visual complication after the onset of GCA. Of the patients, 18 (21%) developed unilateral or bilateral complete visual loss. The mean age at diagnosis was 78 years (± 7.3); 69% were women. Compared with patients without visual complications, those with visual complication had lower C-reactive protein levels at diagnosis and were less likely to have headache, fever, and palpable abnormal temporal artery. The use of-adrenergic inhibitors was associated with visual complications. The incidence of visual complications among patients with GCA was 20.9/1000 person-years of followup compared to 6.9/1000 person-years in the reference population, resulting in a rate ratio of 3.0 (95% CI 2.3.3.8). Conclusion. Ten percent of patients with GCA developed visual complications, a rate substantially higher than that of the general population. Patients with GCA who had visual complications had lower inflammatory responses and were more likely to have been treated with 1β-adrenergic inhibitors compared with patients without visual complications.
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