The importance of individual' mental status for the true value of functional self-reported questionnaires used in medical rehabilitation.

The physical and mental health are inseparable and integral components of one's health and as such should always be addressed during the process of medical rehabilitation. It should be an obvious fact that the state of individual' mental health can influence and even more, modify, the outcomes of medical rehabilitation. Furthermore, the state of mental status has an effect in determining the reliability of functional self-reported questionnaires that are frequently used in medical rehabilitation. In conclusion, the evaluation and assessment of the individual's mental health status need to be incorporated as a regular part of the comprehensive and holistic approach to medical rehabilitation.

Extremely rare coincidence of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthropathy HLA-B27 positive and Stiff Person Syndrome--rheumatologist point of view.

Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder characterized by progressive stiffness and rigidity of truncal muscles accompanied with co-contraction of agonist-antagonist muscles. Our 51-year-old female patient was presented for the first time to physiatrists in 2006 and diagnosed with axial-spondyloarthropathy (SpA) HLA-B27 positive. SPS was diagnosed 7 years after initial symptoms. SPS should be taken into consideration in HLA-B27 positive patients if stiffness of paravertebral and abdominal muscles progresses during SpA therapy.

[NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL PAIN MANAGEMENT OF RHEUMATIC DISEASES].

Rheumatic diseases are a leading cause of chronic painful conditions, which, if not recognized and treated in a timely manner, cause inability and consequently reduce the quality of life of individuals. Chronic pain in rheumatic patients has a multifactorial background. Therefore, it is oft en accompanied by sleep and mood disturbances, fatigue, and reduced functional capacity of joints and the spine. Recent studies suggest that rheumatic pain is not exclusively nociceptive, and that in a large number of patients it may have the characteristics of neuropathic and central pain. Thus, the current approach to the treatment of rheumatic pain oft en had very modest results. For these reasons, rheumatic pain can no longer be treated only as a symptom, but should rather be viewed as a separate disease. Effective treatment of rheumatic pain requires a multidisciplinary, biopsychosocial approach taking into account the cause and nature of the pain, the disease characteristics, lifestyle, and psychological ability of an individual to deal with painful conditions. Careful selection of different modes of non-pharmacological treatment should be the fi rst step in the treatment of rheumatic pain with the use of available pharmacological interventions. A small number of systematic reviews, which included only a small number of causes and treatments for rheumatic pain with questionable quality of evidence, indicates the need to develop new high-quality randomized controlled trials, in order to enable real insight into the effectiveness of non-pharmacological methods for the treatment of rheumatic pain.

Differences in the prevalence and characteristics of metabolic syndrome in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis: a multicentric study.

The purpose of the study was to examine whether rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) than osteoarthritis (OA) patients in association with a higher level of chronic systemic inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. A total of 583 RA and 344 OA outpatients were analyzed in this multicentric study. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. A 1.6-fold higher prevalence of MetS was found in patients with OA compared with the RA patients. Among the parameters of MetS, patients with OA had significantly higher levels of waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and triglycerides, whereas HDL cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure values were similar in both groups of patients. Higher values of inflammatory markers [C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)] in MetS than in non-MetS patients and higher prevalence of MetS in patients with CRP level ≥5 mg/L in both RA and OA patients were found. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, significant predictors of MetS were type of arthritis (OA vs. RA; OR 2.5 [95 % CI 1.82-3.43]), age (OR 1.04 [95 % CI 1.03-1.06]) and ESR (OR 1.01; [95 % CI 1.00-1.01]). The significant association between OA and MetS was maintained in the regression model that controlled for body mass index (OR 1.87 [95 % CI 1.34-2.61]). The present analysis suggests that OA is associated with an increased risk of MetS, which may be due to a common underlying pathogenic mechanism.

[RETROSPECTIVE DATA ANALYSIS OF THE PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY JOINT DISEASES TREATED WITH GOLIMUMAB IN CROATIA]. / RETROSPEKTIVNA ANALIZA PODATAKA BOLESNIKA OBOLJELIH OD UPALNIH REUMATSKIH BOLESTI U HRVATSKOJ LIJECENIH GOLIMUMABOM.

Golimumab is a human monoclonal antibody which inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and is approved for the treatment of inflammatory arthritides (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis) when the conventional non-pharmacological and pharmacological therapies fail to cause remission or low disease activity. In this retrospective study there were included patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis who were treated in Croatia with golimumab, from June 2011 to June 2013. included and these retrospective data are compared with similar data from clinical trials and other available databases. Standard variables of disease activity and functional ability were observed. Results demonstrated significant efficacy of golimumab regarding lowring the disease activity and imrpving functional ability in pateints with these inflammatory rherumatic disease. In conclusion, in this retrospective study during two years treatment golimumab showed efficacy in decreasing disease activity and imrpove functional ability in patiemts with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

Primary total hip arthroplasty: health related quality of life outcomes.

PURPOSE: The health related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes of total hip arthroplasty (THA) present a pertinent and clinically important problem in modern orthopaedics. Our goal was to report and compare the health-related outcomes after THA in respect to type of fixation in patients with hip osteoarthritis (H-OA) one year after operation. METHODS: A total of 145 patients with H-OA who received THA were evaluated. Uncemented and cemented subjects were evaluated using generic measures, i.e. the EQ-5D questionnaire, and the disease-specific measures designed by the authors, i.e. the Total Hip Arthroplasty Questionnaire (THAQ). Obtained data was statistically processed at the level of pain, functionality and general health perception. Patient-reported outcomes were measured differences between pre-operative measures and those at one-year follow-up visit. RESULTS: Significant improvement in health outcomes was reached in both groups regardless of the type of fixation (p < 0.001). Uncemented fixation exhibited better results for EQ-5DINDEX, pain (p = 0.004) and self-care on EQ-5D (p = 0.043), as well as increased magnitude of change for functionality on THAQ (p = 0.002). However, additional analysis of the subset did not reveal a significant difference between cemented vs. uncemented groups with regard to function on THAQ, but the significant difference on self-care and pain dimensions of EQ-5D remained. CONCLUSIONS: Uncemented endoprosthesis generally achieved better short-term outcomes in some dimensions. However, painless mobility has been restored in most of the patients, regardless of the fixation type. Both methods reached good clinical outcomes in their respective domains; therefore, we would emphasise prevention of osteoarthritis and the quality of care as the more important predictors of good clinical outcomes.

[Therapeutic exercise for patients with chronic low-back pain]. / Medicinske vjezbe za bolesnike s kronicnom krizoboljom.

Low Back Pain (LBP) is a major medical and socio-economical problem in the industrialized countries. Exercise therapy is the keystone of conservative treatment for chronic low back pain (CLBP). Numerous randomized trials and clinical practice guidelines have supported that exercise diminishes disability and pain severity while improving fitness and occupational status in patients with CLBP, as well as decrease its recurrence rate. However, there is no significant evidence that one particular type of exercise is clearly more effective than others. Here we present a descriptive review of different types of exercise for therapeutic or prevention purposes in patients with CLBP. Studies suggest that individually tailored, supervised exercise programs are associated with the best outcomes. High quality clinical trials are needed to determine the effectiveness of specific interventions (type, time, intensity and other characteristics) aimed at individuals and/or specific target groups.

[Non-pharmacological treatment of osteoporosis: myth or reality?]. / Nefarmakolosko lijecenje osteoporoze: mit ili stvarnost?

Non-pharmacological treatment of osteoporosis is a mandatory part of all algorithms and recommendations for dealing with this disease. However, the belief that pharmacological therapy is much more superior to treating osteoporosis than non-pharmacological treatment is still common in the medical community. The probable reason is that pharmacological treatment can be measured and statistically analyzed, and that's why the abundance of data from controlled randomized trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews are available. Non-pharmacological treatment of osteoporosis is not so much represented in evidence based medicine (EBM) because there are a lot of different exercise protocols, different machines with different setups for applying the same models of physical therapy. So the main problem are inclusion criteria in meta-analyses or systematic reviews of patients whose data is collected using different protocols. Non-pharmacological treatment ofosteoporosis: myth or reality? Maybe we did not answer this question in fullness, but by analyzing data from the scientifically relevant data bases we can conclude that non-pharmacological treatment is an important factor in prevention of osteoporosis and part of all treatment protocols available today--almost as equally significant as pharmacological treatment. Cochrane library database and PEDro database provide EBM information that can help to identify the best types of ex- ercises and physical procedures for bone mineral density and prevention of falls. The best result in non-pharmaco- logical treatment of osteoporosis showed a combination of exercise programs that include muscle strengthening exercises, aerobic exercises, exercises with progressive resistance increase, and high-impact exercises. As for individual exercises, a non-weight-bearing high force exercise showed small but statistically significant increase in bone mineral density in femoral neck, in some scientific papers. Exercises for balance and coordination resulted in fewer falls, and therefore fewer fractures caused by osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Is the prevalence of arterial hypertension in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis associated with disease?

In this study, we compare the prevalence of arterial hypertension (HT) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) patients, exposed to high- and low-grade chronic inflammation, respectively, to assess the possible association between chronic inflammation and HT. A total of consecutive 627 RA and 352 OA patients were enrolled in this multicentric study. HT was defined as a systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥ 140 and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg or current use of any antihypertensive drug. Overweight/obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25, and patients ≥65 years were considered elderly. The prevalence of HT was higher in the OA group than in the RA group [73.3 % (95 % CI, 68.4, 77.7) and 59.5 % (95 % CI, 55.6, 68.4) P < 0.001, respectively]. When the results were adjusted for age and BMI, the HT prevalence was similar in both groups [RA 59 % (95 % CI, 55.1, 63.8) OA 60 % (95 % CI, 58.4, 65.0)]. In both groups, the prevalence of HT was higher in the elderly and those who were overweight than in the younger patients and those with a BMI < 25. Overweight (BMI ≥ 25) and age ≥65 were independent predictors of HT in multivariate logistic regression model, which showed no association between HT and the disease (RA or OA). The results indicate a robust association of age and BMI with HT prevalence in both RA and OA. The difference in HT prevalence between RA and OA is due rather to age and BMI than to the features of the disease, putting into question specific association of HT with RA.

[Principles of extra-articular rheumatic diseases treatment--therapeutic dilemmas and treatment algorithms]. / Nacela lijecenja izvanzglobnih reumatskih bolesti--terapijske dvojbe i postupnici lijecenja.

Soft tissue disorders are often neglected during the course of the rheumatic diseases. Extra-articular rheumatism, that includes all inflammatory clinical entities inside tendons, synovial sheaths, entheses, bursas and muscles, is a common reason of disability in patients and is accompanied by pain and loss of function in the involved region. This paper was designed to look for evidence based medicine data on recommendations in treatment of extra-articular rheumatism as well as finding scientifically validated treatment algorithms. In systematic reviews available by searching specialised medical databases such as The Cochrane Collaboration Database and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) there are no studies on comparison of different treatment algorithms on the same extra-articular disease. In systematic reviews only the studies that compare one modality of non-pharmacological treatment to another or to placebo are included, because of statistical analysis. Treatment algorithms are found only as proposals in individual papers and are different from institution to institution. The current trend is to renew the knowledge in treatment modalities of soft tissue disorders every five years due to the advancement of technological capabilities of medical equipment.

[The proposal of the Croatian Society for Rheumatology for the treatment of adult rheumatoid arthritis patients with biologics, 2013]. / Prijedlog Hrvatskog reumatoloskog drustva HLZ-a za lijecenje reumatoidnog artritisa odraslih bolesnika bioloskim lijekovima, 2013.

Standardized approach to the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the requirements of good clinical practice. Croatian Society for Rheumatology (HRD) of Croatian Medical Association (HLZ) updated the Proposed treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with biologic agents in line with recent findings in rheumatology for the last 3 years. By complying with the agreed standards of treatment we can avoid malpractice and irrational consumption, and to the most patients provide a greater chance for a favorable outcome.

Association between Nutritional Status, Lifestyle Habits, and Disease Activity in Dalmatian Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate body composition, handgrip strength, quality of life, disease duration and activity and lifestyle habits in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to evaluate possible associations between all of the abovementioned factors. Seventy-five stable RA patients were included. Data on sociodemographic data, disease activity, quality of life, nutritional risk, body mass composition, anthropometric parameters, and clinical and laboratory parameters were collected for each study participant. The results showed that the mean score of the disease activity score (DAS28) was 5.4, the mean score of the health assessment questionnaire-disability index (HAQ-DI) was 1.19, and the mean disease duration in our population was 13.9 years. Our studied population had a long disease duration and high disease activity. Positive predictors of muscle mass in RA patients were daily caloric intake, fat-free mass, bone mass, basal metabolic rate, total body water, weight, body mass index (BMI), height, and muscle strength. There were no significant negative predictors. Positive predictors of muscle strength in RA patients were daily caloric intake, basal metabolic rate, predicted muscle mass, fat-free mass, bone mass, weight, total body water, metabolic age, hemoglobin, BMI, and number of exercises per week. In contrast, negative predictors of muscle strength were number of comorbidities, number of swollen joints, DAS, number of tender joints, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and duration of RA. An association was also found between bone mineral density and both muscle mass and muscle strength. A structured nutritional approach in terms of multidisciplinary collaboration between rheumatologist, dietitian and physical medicine specialist is needed in the Dalmatian RA population.

Development of simple descriptions of the ICF Generic-30 Set in different languages: laying the foundation for an ICF-based clinical tool for Europe.

BACKGROUND: Functioning is considered a third indicator of health and a key outcome in rehabilitation. A universal practical tool for collecting functioning information is essential. This tool would be ideally based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. AIM: To report the results of the development of country/language-specific versions of an ICF-based clinical tool in six European countries. DESIGN: Consensus process. SETTING: Expert conferences. POPULATION: Multi-professional group of rehabilitation professionals in six European countries. METHODS: 1) Developed an initial proposal by translating the published English-language version of the simple descriptions into the targeted language; 2) conducted a multi-stage consensus conference to finalize the descriptions; 3) employed a three-stage multi-professional expert panel translation back to English. The consensus conference model was modified for geographically large countries. RESULTS: Croatian, Flemish/Dutch, Greek, Polish, and Turkish versions were produced. CONCLUSIONS: The creation of the country/language-specific simple descriptions is a significant part of the "system-wide implementation of the ICF" initiative that will pave the way for the implementation of the ICF in national health systems. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: The practical ICF-based clinical tool with country/language specific versions for standardized reporting of functioning will serve as a means of integrating functioning information in national health systems and additionally for monitoring the effects of rehabilitation interventions.

[Diagnosis and conservative treatment of low back pain: review and guidelines of the Croatian Vertebrologic Society]. / Dijagnostika i konzervativno lijecenje krizobolje: pregled i smjernice Hrvatskog Vertebroloskog Drustva.

Low back pain (LBP) is a very common condition with high costs of patient care. Medical doctors of various specialties from Croatia have brought an up-to-date review and guidelines for diagnosis and conservative treatment of low back pain, which should result in the application of evidence-based care and eventually better outcomes. As LBP is a multifactorial disease, it is often not possible to identify which factors may be responsible for the onset of LBP and to what extent they aggravate the patient's symptoms. In the diagnostic algorithm, patient's history and clinical examination have the key role. Furthermore, most important is to classify patients into those with nonspecific back pain, LBP associated with radiculopathy (radicular syndrome) and LBP potentially associated with suspected or confirmed severe pathology. Not solely a physical problem, LBP should be considered through psychosocial factors too. In that case, early identification of patients who will develop chronic back pain will be helpful because it determines the choice of treatment. In order to make proper assessment of a patient with LBP (i.e. pain, function), we should use validated questionnaires. Useful approach to a patient with LBP is to apply the principles of content management. Generally, acute and chronic LBP cases are treated differently. Besides providing education, in patients with acute back pain, advice seems to be crucial (especially to remain active), along with the use of drugs (primarily in terms of pain control), while in some patients spinal manipulation (performed by educated professional) or/and short-term use of lumbosacral orthotic devices can also be considered. The main goal of treating patients with chronic LBP is renewal of function, even in case of persistent pain. For chronic LBP, along with education and medical treatment, therapeutic exercise, physical therapy and massage are recommended, while in patients with a high level of disability intensive multidisciplinary biopsychosocial approach has proved to be effective.

[Clinical features and laboratory diagnostics of uric arthritis]. / Klinicka slika i laboratorijska dijagnostika uricnog artritisa.

Uric arthritis (gout) is a metabolic rheumatic diseases, which is as old as human race, with the characteristic epidemiological data, which differ with respect to climate, socio-economic life conditions and each population habits. Regardless the difference, clinical and laboratory parameters are always very similar and specific, so that their cognition and understanding, are the key criterion for the diagnosis of the disease.

Lack of Objective Measurement in the Initial Screening and Follow-Up of Patients Who Report Whiplash Injury-Is Elastography of the Trapezius Muscle an Answer?

BACKGROUND: Painfully decreased cervical range of motion accompanied by muscle spasm is a common presentation of whiplash injury of the neck. Stiffness of the cervical muscles can be assessed by ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE), expressed in kilopascals (kPa). THE HYPOTHESIS: SWE of the trapezius muscle is an objective measurement suitable for the initial screening and follow-up of patients who report whiplash injury. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 99 patients after whiplash injury were compared to 75 control participants. Mean trapezius stiffness was 82.24 ± 21.11 vs. 57.47 ± 13.82 for whiplash patients and controls, respectively. The cut-off value of SWE of 75.8 kPa showed 77% accuracy in correctly assigning patients to the whiplash or control group. To evaluate whether SWE can be used as a follow-up method of recovery after a whiplash injury, initial and endpoint SWE (after six months, n = 24) was carried out. Patients reporting no recovery showed similar SWE values as completely recovered patients. This finding refutes the second part of our hypothesis. CONCLUSIONS: SWE is a method that can be used for the initial screening of patients with whiplash injury, but we are still searching for an objective measurement that can be used in the follow-up of recovery.

Croatian version of the neck disability index can distinguish between acute, chronic and no neck pain : Results of a validation study.

OBJECTIVE: Longitudinal study to test the validity and reliability of the Croatian version of the neck disability index (NDI-CRO) for use in patients. METHODS: Three groups were given NDI-CRO on two occasions, 48 h apart: acute whiplash neck injury group (n = 30), hospital physiotherapists-professional chronic neck pain group (n = 56) and control group (n = 65). To test validity, correlation between NDI-CRO and the pain VAS and PHQ­9 questionnaire for depression was analyzed. Reliability testing was done using the test-retest experiment and item-total score correlation. RESULTS: Test-retest showed excellent correlation in all groups: whiplash 0.86, control 0.95 and physiotherapist 0.89 (Spearman r). Item-total score in the 3 analyzed groups showed positive correlation in all 10 categories, varying from 0.43-0.85. The NDI-CRO score showed significant difference between groups (median whiplash 38%, physiotherapist 12% and control 6%, p < 0.05). Validity testing showed positive correlation between NDI and pain VAS (control r = 0.63, physiotherapist r = 0.68 and whiplash r = 0.83, p < 0.05) and PHQ­9 (control r = 0.49, physiotherapist r = 0.71 and whiplash r = 0.69, p < 0.05). No correlation was found between NDI-CRO and age, gender or radiographic findings. In the whiplash injury group 75% of patients showed moderate to severe disability. The majority of physiotherapists showed mild to moderate disability due to neck pain while 40% showed no disability. In the control group two out of three people reported no disability. CONCLUSION: The NDI-CRO is a valid index for measuring the degree of neck disability in people with acute and chronic neck pain and in control group. It is strongly correlated with pain VAS and PHQ­9 index.

[The role of rehabilitation in the treatment of low back pain]. / Uloga rehabilitacije u lijecenju krizobolje.

The frequency of symptoms that manifest in low back pain (LBP), whatever if its immediate cause, makes pain back an important medical, and also an socio-economical theme. Rehabilitation is an important factor in the medical and curing process of such patients. Evaluation of the effect of medical rehabilitation is being monitored with a number of specific questionnaires, in which one of the most used is the Oswestry LBP Questionnaire, Roland-Morris Questionnaire and non-specific WHOQOL. All the already mentioned mechanisms for LBP have its disadvantages but they also fit in well in the bio-psycho-social model of treatment, for which the LBP is a good example. LBP is not only a problem for itself, but also the cause of stress, disability and reduced functional ability of each patient.

Neck Disability Index Is Better in Classification of Recovery after Whiplash Injury in Comparison with Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography of Trapezius Muscle.

A prospective observational study comparing shear wave elastography (SWE) of trapezius muscle with Neck Disability Index (NDI) in a prediction model of health status six months after a whiplash injury. Both SWE values, measured by two radiologists, and NDI scores were obtained at baseline and after physical therapy (PT) (6-month period). Those values were compared with a 3-point Likert scale (no, partial or full recovery). Twenty-two subjects completed the study. A decrease in trapezius stiffness was detected by both radiologists, statistically significant for one (Δ10.1 kPa; p = 0.04) but not for the second radiologist (Δ8.63 kPa; p = 0.07). The measurements showed excellent intra-observer (ICC 0.75-0.94) and inter-observer (ICC 0.78-0.88) reliability. After six months, fully recovered patients showed lower NDI scores than partially recovered patients (Δ22.98; p < 0.001). SWE values did not differ with the recovery status (55.6 ± 9.7 vs. 57 ± 15.8, Δ1.45; p = 0.82). The single most accurate variable in classifying health status six months after whiplash injury was the relative change of NDI, and it showed the highest accuracy (73.9%) and low Akaike information criterion (AIC = 39.2). Overall, the most accurate classification was obtained when combining NDI and SWE after physical therapy with an accuracy of 77.3% and a decrease in AIC (32.8).