| 1. |
- Ajeganova, S, et al.
(författare)
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Carotid atherosclerosis, disease measures, oxidized low-density lipoproteins, and atheroprotective natural antibodies for cardiovascular disease in early rheumatoid arthritis -- an inception cohort study
- 2012
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Ingår i: The Journal of rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 39:6, s. 1146-1154
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although an enhanced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is well established, the mechanisms behind it remain unclear. We studied whether carotid atherosclerosis, RA disease measures, or potential cardiovascular biomarkers influenced the incidence of CVD in an RA inception cohort.Methods.RA disease measures and CVD biomarkers were assessed at 0, 3, 12, 24, and 60 months after disease onset, and carotid ultrasonography after 5 years. The study outcome was incident CVD events — acute myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, congestive heart failure, or ischemic cerebrovascular event. Survival analysis and Cox and longitudinal regressions were used for statistical analyses.Results.A total of 105 patients, without CVD events prior to RA onset, experienced 17 CVD events, an incidence rate of 1.35 events per 100 person-years (95% CI 0.71–2.0). The rate of CVD events did not differ with regard to measures of carotid intima-media thickness, but it was higher for patients with bilateral carotid plaques than for those without (p = 0.012). Improvement in Disease Activity Score for 28 joints, visual analog scale for pain, and Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire score over the first year, as well as usage of methotrexate (MTX), was associated, independent of age, with reduction of risk of CVD event [hazard ratios 0.68 (95% CI 0.5–0.97), 0.97 (95% CI 0.95–0.99), 0.35 (95% CI 0.15–0.82), and 0.34 (95% CI 0.12–0.91), respectively]. In longitudinal analyses, increasing oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and probability for low antiphosphorylcholine antibodies (anti-PC) were observed in those who experienced a subsequent CVD event.Conclusion.Bilateral carotid plaques were associated with poor CVD-free survival. Early reductions of inflammation, pain, and disability as well as MTX usage were associated with better CVD outcome. Elevated oxLDL and low IgM anti-PC levels may link chronic inflammation in RA to enhanced risk of CVD events.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Ajeganova, S, et al.
(författare)
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Dr. Ajeganova and Dr. Hafström reply
- 2013
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Ingår i: The Journal of rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 40:3, s. 337-338
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 4. |
- Alexanderson, H, et al.
(författare)
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Patient-reported outcomes and adult patients' disease experience in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. report from the OMERACT 11 Myositis Special Interest Group
- 2014
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Ingår i: The Journal of rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 41:3, s. 581-592
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The newly formed Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Myositis Special Interest Group (SIG) was established to examine patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) in myositis. At OMERACT 11, a literature review of PROM used in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and other neuromuscular conditions was presented. The group examined in more detail 2 PROM more extensively evaluated in patients with IIM, the Myositis Activities Profile, and the McMaster-Toronto Arthritis Patient Preference Disability Questionnaire, through the OMERACT filter of truth, discrimination, and feasibility. Preliminary results from a qualitative study of patients with myositis regarding their symptoms were discussed that emphasized the range of symptoms experienced: pain, physical tightness/stiffness, fatigue, disease effect on emotional life and relationships, and treatment-related side effects. Following discussion of these results and following additional discussions since OMERACT 11, a research agenda was developed. The next step in evaluating PROM in IIM will require additional focus groups with a spectrum of patients with different myositis disease phenotypes and manifestations across a range of disease activity, and from multiple international settings. The group will initially focus on dermatomyositis and polymyositis in adults. Qualitative analysis will facilitate the identification of commonalities and divergent patient-relevant aspects of disease, insights that are critical given the heterogeneous manifestations of these diseases. Based on these qualitative studies, existing myositis PROM can be examined to more thoroughly assess content validity, and will be important to identify gaps in domain measurement that will be required to develop a preliminary core set of patient-relevant domains for IIM.
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| 5. |
- Alexanderson, H, et al.
(författare)
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Resistive home exercise in patients with recent-onset polymyositis and dermatomyositis -- a randomized controlled single-blinded study with a 2-year followup
- 2014
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Ingår i: The Journal of rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 41:6, s. 1124-1132
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To evaluate the outcome of resistive home exercise and its possible longterm influence on health, disability, and disease activity in patients with active polymyositis (PM) or dermatomyositis (DM).Methods.Nineteen patients with recent-onset PM/DM were included after introduction of high-dose prednisolone. They were assessed by independent assessors as to perceived health, muscle performance, aerobic capacity, and serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) at baseline and after 24 weeks, including repeated muscle biopsies at 24 weeks (single-blinded randomized controlled study), and in an open-label followup at 52, 78, and 104 weeks. Patients were randomized to 12 weeks, 5 days/week resistive home exercise with telephone support and encouragement for another 12 weeks of twice-a-week home or gym exercise (EG, n = 10) or to 24 weeks, 5 days/week range of motion exercise (CG, n = 9). Patients in the CG group without inflammatory infiltrates in muscle biopsies at 24 weeks were invited to the 12-week resistive home exercises.Results.At baseline, the EG had poorer perceived health, but otherwise the groups were comparable. At 24 weeks, both groups improved in muscle performance and aerobic capacity (p < 0.001 to < 0.05) with no signs of increased inflammation assessed by CPK levels or muscle biopsies. Both groups improved in muscle performance and aerobic capacity up to 52 weeks (p < 0.05) lasting to 104 weeks in the EG (p < 0.05) and presented minor improvements in perceived health.Conclusion.Our study supports the safety of resistive exercise in patients with active PM/DM but did not reveal any between-group differences in exercise effects. An individually adapted physical therapist–supervised home exercise program might be recommended in early active PM/DM, with regular evaluation of muscle performance and health.
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| 6. |
- Alexanderson, H, et al.
(författare)
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The Myositis Activities Profile -- initial validation for assessment of polymyositis/dermatomyositis in the USA
- 2012
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Ingår i: The Journal of rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 39:11, s. 2134-2141
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To evaluate some measurement properties of the Myositis Activities Profile (MAP) in adult patients with polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) in the United States.Methods.To assess content validity, patients with PM/DM rated difficulty and importance of items of the MAP using a visual analog scale (VAS), range 0–10. For construct validity, consecutive patients with PM/DM performed the 6-item core set for disease activity including the manual muscle test (MMT) and the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), the Functional Index-2 (FI-2; muscle endurance), and the MAP plus disease effect on well-being on a VAS. Item fit within subscales was analyzed by Cronbach’s alpha. Patients with stable disease activity filled out the MAP again 1 week later.Results.The median combined difficulty and importance, 0–10, of the 31 items was 5.00 (range 2.10–5.95). One item was added, giving a 32-item MAP. Correlations between the median of subscales/single items of the MAP and the HAQ and disease effect on well-being were rs = 0.69 and rs = 0.68, respectively, with lower correlations to the MMT (rs = −0.35), and the FI-2 (rs = −0.29 to −0.47) and disease activity measures (rs = 0.36–0.41). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the 4 subscales varied between 0.85 and 0.95. Weighted kappa coefficients (Kw) ranged between 0.77 and 0.93 for the 4 subscales and between 0.74 and 0.83 for the 4 single items without systematic variations (p > 0.05).Conclusion.This initial validation of the MAP indicates promising measurement properties for assessing limitations in activities of daily living and participation in patients with PM/DM in the United States.
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| 7. |
- Alizadeh, Behrooz Z, et al.
(författare)
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Functional Variants of Fc Gamma Receptor (FCGR2A) and FCGR3A Are Not Associated with Susceptibility to Systemic Sclerosis in a Large European Study (EUSTAR).
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; Jul 1, s. 1673-1679
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible role of FCGR2A 519A>G and FCGR3A 559A>C functional polymorphisms in the genetic predisposition to susceptibility to systemic sclerosis (SSc) or clinical phenotype. METHODS: A total of 1566 patients with SSc and 2271 geographically matched controls were included in our study. We analyzed the genotype and allele frequencies of the FCGR2A 519A>G and FCGR3A 559A>C functional variants in 6 independent European cohorts of white patients with SSc, and white controls. The cohorts comprised 165 Dutch patients with SSc and 1326 controls, 236 Spanish patients with SSc and 257 controls, 267 German patients with SSc and 270 controls, 202 Swedish patients with SSc and 261 controls, 416 Italian patients with SSc and 157 controls, and additionally 280 English patients with SSc. Genotyping was performed using Taqman 5' allelic discrimination assay. The study reached a 99% power to detect the effect of a polymorphism at an OR of 1.3. RESULTS: Neither FCGR2A 519A>G nor FCGR3A 559A>C was significantly associated with susceptibility to SSc. We did not find an association with specific disease phenotypes, limited or diffuse cutaneous involvement, autoantibody profiles, or pulmonary involvement. CONCLUSION: Our study strongly suggests the lack of a role for the FCGR2A 519A>G and FCGR3A 559A>C polymorphisms in SSc susceptibility or clinical phenotype in 6 independent European cohorts.
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| 8. |
- Andersson, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Chronic widespread pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and the relation between pain and disease activity measures over the first 5 years
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Rheumatology. - Toronto, ON : Journal of Rheumatology Publishing. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 40:12, s. 1977-1985
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of chronic widespread pain (ChWP), chronic regional pain (ChRP), and fibromyalgia in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed for 5 years after inclusion, and to study the effect of pain on measures of disease activity and function.METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 1910 patients participating in the Better Anti-Rheumatic Pharmacotherapy study. The responders (73%) were divided into 3 groups according to the reported pain duration and distribution - patients having no chronic pain (NChP), ChWP, and ChRP. Outcome measures were the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28), the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and C-reactive protein (CRP).RESULTS: Thirty-four percent of respondents reported ChWP, 46% ChRP, and 20% NChP. Patients reporting ChWP were more often women and had more pain and tender joints at inclusion. From 6 months to 5 years of followup, mean DAS28, visual analog scale (VAS) pain, VAS global health, and HAQ were significantly higher in the ChWP group than in the other groups. However, all groups showed a similar pattern in swollen joint count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and CRP. From 12 months the ChWP group was treated with prednisolone to a greater extent than the ChRP group, and it had a rate of treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs similar to that of the ChRP group.CONCLUSION: ChWP is a common feature in RA, more associated with high values for variables related to pain such as the DAS28 and HAQ than to indicators of ongoing inflammation such as swollen joint count, ESR, and CRP. Patients with ChWP should be identified so that adequate treatment also of the noninflammatory pain may be instituted.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Berntson, Lillemor, 1957-, et al.
(författare)
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HLA-B27 Predicts a More Chronic Disease Course in an 8-year Followup Cohort of Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 40:5, s. 725-731
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. We investigated associations of HLA-B27 with clinical manifestations and longterm outcome in a near population-based setting among patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods. We studied clinical and serological data from 410 patients with HLA-B27 results among 440 prospectively collected patients with JIA with 8-year followup data in a Nordic database. The study was structured to be as close to a population-based study as possible. Results. HLA-B27 was analyzed in 93% of patients, and was positive in 21% of the cohort, in 18.4% of the girls and in 25.9% of the boys. Boys who were HLA-B27-positive had significantly higher age at onset compared to HLA-B27-negative boys and compared to both HLA-B27-negative and positive girls. This difference in onset age in relation to HLA-B27 was not found in girls. HLA-B27 was associated with clinical signs of sacroiliitis, enthesitis, and tenosynovitis in boys, but not in girls. After 8 years of disease, 46 children (11.2%) were classified as having enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA). Boys with ERA had clinical signs of sacroiliitis more often than girls with ERA. HLA-B27-positive children, as well as children with clinical signs of sacroiliitis, enthesitis, and hip arthritis, had higher odds of not being in remission off medication after 8 years of disease. Conclusion. In this near population-based Nordic JIA cohort we found significant differences between HLA-B27-positive boys and girls in age at disease onset, clinical signs of sacroiliitis, and ERA classification. HLA-B27 was negatively associated with longterm remission status, possibly because of its association with clinical disease characteristics, such as sacroiliitis, rather than being a general marker of persistent disease.
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