Sjögren's syndrome.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is characterised as keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eyes), xerostomia (dry mouth) commonly associated with salivary gland enlargement, and is referred to as Primary Sjögren's syndrome. It is known as Secondary Sjögren's syndrome when it occurs in patients, with connective tissue disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, polyarthritis nodosa, polymyositis, and systemic sclerosis. SS has also been associated with chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, human immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis C infection (HCV), chronic biliary cirrhosis, neoplastic and myeloplastic syndromes, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

[Helping reintegration of patients suffering from chronic musculoskeletal diseases with decreased working ability in the National Institute of Rheumatology and Physiotherapy, Budapest, Hungary]. / Csökkent munkaképességu krónikus mozgásszervi betegek reintegrációjának elosegítése.

INTRODUCTION: An important task of our institute is to support social reintegration: including occupational rehabilitation of patients suffering from chronic musculoskeletal diseases with decreased working ability. AIM: The aim of the authors was to provide informations of their daily practice, how they perform patient education, giving information for their patients about their disease, the rehabilitation possibilities, how they support the patients with decreased working ability to take part in their own rehabilitation. METHOD: Patients taking part in in-patient rehabilitation received teaching and education about their disease and rehabilitation options in groups. Patients interested in part-time jobs were individually interviewed by a 30-120 minutes talk about their educational level and training, social conditions and about the available part time jobs. The part time jobs were available with the help of the Motivation Foundation of the National Association of the Societies of Motion Disabled, and the Alfa Rehabilitation Nonprofit Rt. The data of patients receiving in-patient rehabilitation betwen the 1st of January 2009 and 31st of December 2014 were analyzed. RESULTS: Out of the 230 patients seeking our help for part time job, our social service could organise jobs for 180 disabled persons, all town-inhabitants, but was unsuccesful in getting jobs for patients living in villages and separated farms. CONCLUSION: Part time jobs can be organized for musculoskeletal disabled living in cities and towns. For village-dwellers there are no suitable jobs and working places. It is necessary to organize rehabilitation working possibitities for musculoskeletal disabled patients living in villages. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(17): 662-667.

[Peroral and transdermal application of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the treatment of regional musculoskeletal pain syndromes]. / Nem szteroid gyulladáscsökkentok peroralis és transdermalis alkalmazása regionális mozgásszervi fájdalmi szindrómákban.

In this review the available evidences regarding the most frequently applied medication (peroral and transdermal non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents) for the most frequent musculoskeletal complaints (regional pain syndromes) have been collected for the appropriate medical professionals who are most frequently faced with these conditions (general practitioners, rheumatologists, orthopedics, occupational and sports medicine experts). The special population at risk (with repeated and high energy overuse because of occupational or sport activities) and the pathology of their syndromes are identified. Mode of action, pharmacological properties of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the unwanted effects of their application especially in infants and elderly are highlighted. Recommendations of the general and specific pain management guidelines have been selected and listed in the review. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(Suppl. 3): 3-30.

Polymyalgia rheumatica: 125 years of epidemiological progress?

OBJECTIVES: On the 125th anniversary of the first recognised publication on polymyalgia rheumatica, a review of the literature was undertaken to assess what progress has been made from the point of view of the epidemiology of this disease and whether such studies have advanced our knowledge of its aetiopathogenesis and management. METHODS: The authors searched Medline and PubMed using the search terms 'polymyalgia rheumatica', 'giant cell arteritis' and 'temporal arteritis'. As much as possible, efforts were made to focus on studies where polymyalgia and giant cell arteritis were treated as separate entities. The selection of articles was influenced by the authors' bias that polymyalgia rheumatica is a separate clinical condition from giant cell arteritis and that, as yet, the diagnosis is a clinical one. RESULTS: This review has shown that, following the recognition of polymyalgia as a distinct clinical problem of the elderly, the results of a considerable amount of research efforts investigating the populations susceptible, the geographic distribution of these affected populations and the associated sociological and genetic elements that might contribute to its occurrence, polymyalgia rheumatica remains a difficult problem for the public health services of the developed world. CONCLUSIONS: Polymyalgia rheumatica remains a clinical enigma and its relationship to giant cell arteritis is no clearer now than it has been for the past 125 years. Diagnosing this disease is still almost exclusively dependent on the clinical acumen of a patient's medical attendant. Until an objective method of identifying it clearly in the clinical setting is available, uncovering the aetiology is still unlikely. Until then, clear guidelines on the future incidence and prevalence of polymyalgia rheumatica and the public health problems of the disease and its management, especially in relation to the use of long term corticosteroids, will be difficult to provide.

Effects of laser treatment on the expression of cytosolic proteins in the synovium of patients with osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Low level laser therapy (LLLT) has been developed for non-invasive treatment of joint diseases. We have previously shown that LLLT influenced synovial protein expression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to assess the effects of laser irradiation on osteoarthritic (OA) synovial protein expression. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: The synovial membrane samples removed from the knees of 6 OA patients were irradiated ex vivo using near infrared diode laser (807-811 nm; 25 J/cm(2) ). An untreated sample taken from the same patient served as control. Synovial protein separation and identification were performed by two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, respectively. RESULTS: Eleven proteins showing altered expression due to laser irradiation were identified. There were three patients whose tissue samples demonstrated a significant increase (P < 0.05) in mitochondrial heat shock 60 kD protein 1 variant 1. The expression of the other proteins (calpain small subunit 1, tubulin alpha-1C and beta 2, vimentin variant 3, annexin A1, annexin A5, cofilin 1, transgelin, and collagen type VI alpha 2 chain precursor) significantly decreased (P < 0.05) compared to the control samples. CONCLUSIONS: A single diode laser irradiation of the synovial samples of patients with osteoarthritis can statistically significantly alter the expression of some proteins in vitro. These findings provide some more evidence for biological efficacy of LLLT treatment, used for osteoarthritis.

Polymyalgia rheumatica: 125 years of progress?

OBJECTIVES: On the 125th anniversary of the first recognised publication on polymyalgia rheumatica, a review of the literature was undertaken to assess what progress has been made from the point of view of the clinical care of affected patients. METHODS: The authors searched Medline and PubMed using the search terms 'polymyalgia rheumatica', 'giant cell arteritis' and 'temporal arteritis'. As much as possible, efforts were made to focus on studies where polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis were treated as separate entities. The selection of articles was influenced by the authors' bias that polymyalgia rheumatica is a separate clinical condition from giant cell arteritis and that, as yet, the diagnosis is a clinical one. Apart from the elevation of circulating acute phase proteins, which has been recognised as a feature of polymyalgia rheumatica for over 60 years, the diagnosis receives no significant help from the laboratory or from diagnostic imaging. RESULTS: This review has shown that, following the recognition of polymyalgia as a distinct clinical problem of the elderly, the results of a considerable amount of research efforts including those using the advances in clinical imaging technology over the past 60 years, have done little to change the ability of clinicians to define the disease more accurately. Since the introduction of corticosteroids in the 1950s, there has been also very little change in the clinical management of the condition. CONCLUSIONS: Polymyalgia rheumatica remains a clinical enigma, and its relationship to giant cell arteritis is no clearer now than it has been for the past 125 years. Diagnosing this disease is still almost exclusively dependent on the clinical acumen of a patient's medical attendant. Until an objective method of identifying it clearly in the clinical setting is available, uncovering the aetiology is still unlikely, and until then, preventing the pain and stiffness of the disease while avoiding the problems of prolonged exoposure to corticosteroids is likely to remain elusive or serendipitous.

The effect of Neydharting mud-pack therapy on knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, controlled, double-blind follow-up pilot study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Neydharting mud-pack therapy on the clinical parameters and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis. In this double-blind, randomized, follow-up study on 53 patients with knee osteoarthritis, one group received hot mud-pack therapy, whereas the other (control) group was treated with hot packs of a substance manufactured on 10 occasions for 2 weeks. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), EuroQoL-5D quality-of-life measure and need for analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were recorded before treatment, at the end of treatment (at Week 2), and at Weeks 6 and 12. The WOMAC and the EQ5D quality-of-life scores improved from the baseline to the end of treatment in both groups, and further improvement was observed during the follow-up period (p < 0.001, respectively, in both groups). The need for medications for knee joint pain improved in both groups, and these changes were significant only in the mud-treated group (p < 0.001), but not in the control group (p = 0.106) compared to baseline. The number of patients requiring medications for knee joint pain showed a continuous downward trend at the subsequent post-treatment visits by the mud-treated group, and these changes became significant by Visit 4 compared to baseline (p = 0.016). The control group showed only temporary and not significant decrease. The difference was not significant between the groups in any of the outcome parameters at any visits. The Neydharting mud pack has a favorable effect on the clinical parameters, quality of life, and need for medications in patients with knee osteoarthritis. To evaluate the chemical effect, the number of patients should be increased.

[The use of physiotherapy tools in medical treatment. The use of heat, light, electric, magnetic, ultrasound and shock wave therapy as well as medical massage in Hungarian medical practice]. / A fizikoterápia eszköztárának felhasználása a gyógyításban. Ho-, fény-, elektromos, mágneses, ultrahang- és lökéshullám-kezelés, valamint az orvosi masszázs alkalmazása a hazai klinikai gyakorlatban.

The authors overview the possible use of different modalities of passive physiotherapy in the Hungarian medical practice. These modalities can be used in most of the medical specialities as well as family practice, not only in the treatment of the musculoskeletal disorders and medical rehabilitation.

[Survey of quality of life of rheumatoid arthritis patients admitted to rehabilitation centres in Hungary]. / Hazai kórházakban rehabilitált rheumatoid arthritises betegek életminosége.

INTRODUCTION: There are limited data about the quality of life of rheumatoid arthritis patients admitted to rehabilitation centres in Hungary. AIM: The aim of the authors was to assess demographic data, social status, health related quality of life, and needs for assistance and disease-related information of 239 rheumatoid arthritis patients (169 women and 7 men) admitted to four rehabilitation centres in Hungary. METHOD: For the assessment of demographic, social and other data the authors developed questionnaires. The health related quality of life was evaluated using the validated Short Form 36 questionnaire. RESULTS: The authors found that rheumatoid arthritis patients require in-patient rehabilitation relatively early in their disease course. 80.4% of the patients were over 50 years of age, and their social status was low as compared to the average of the Hungarian population. The health related quality of life of patients was significantly lower than that of the average population, but it was similar to the quality of life of patients with osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and low back pain. Among domains of the quality of life, the scores for physical function and pain were the lowest. The most common accompanying diseases included hypertension and osteoporosis. In case of knee and hip surgeries, postoperative rehabilitation was performed in due time. Patients were not satisfied with disease-related information and education given by health care providers. CONCLUSIONS: There is poor quality of life of rheumatoid arthritis patients admitted to rehabilitation centres in Hungary. More efforts should be done to provide disease-related information and education for patients.

[Quality of life of osteoporotic patients treated in rheumatology rehabilitation in-patient units]. / Reumatológiai rehabilitációs osztályokon kezelt osteoporosisos betegek életminosége.

UNLABELLED: There has been no report on demographic, social and quality of life data of osteoporotic patients attending rheumatology rehabilitation in-patient units in Hungary. AIM: The authors analyzed the data of osteoporotic patients treated in rheumatology rehabilitation departments as in-patients in four hospitals in Hungary. METHODS: Demographic and social data were obtained by using a questionnaire developed by the authors, and quality of life was assessed with the use of the SF-36 questionnaire. The quality of life data of osteoporotic patients were compared to that obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthrosis and chronic low back pain who were treated in the same department at the same time. RESULTS: Of the 253 patients who were asked to participate in the study, 211 patients filled out the questionnaires. 25.6% of the patients were male. 58% of the patients were younger than 60 years of age, and 40% of them were heavy physical workers earlier. More than 50% of the patients did not complete secondary school education, and only 6.7% of the patients had a per capita monthly income higher than 100 000 HUF. The quality of life of the osteoporotic patients assessed by SF-36 scored 34.7, which was significantly lower than that of the mean of the Hungarian population scoring 70-90. The SF-36 scores of osteoporotic patients were lower in all domains compared to the scores of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and low back pain, although the difference was significant only in the domain of physical activity. The affective role of patients with osteoporosis was significantly lower than those with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. CONCLUSIONS: Osteoporotic patients attending in-patient rheumatology in-patient rehabilitation units in Hungary have poor quality of life comparable, even worse than that found in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain.

Augmentation of the vertical bone defects of the mandible and maxilla with autogenous bone block / A mandibula és a maxilla vertikális csonthiányainak autológ csontblokkal végzett augmentációja. Utánkövetéses retrospektív tanulmány

Introduction: Vertical augmentation of the alveolar process for dental implantation is a well-established approach. The literature suggests that vertical ridge augmentation is associated with an elevated risk of complications and bone resorption compared to lateral bone augmentation or sinus elevation. Objective: We sought to retrospectively analyze the long-term success of vertical augmentation in terms of bone stability and complications. Method: We reviewed the medical records of 186 patients who underwent monocortical bone augmentation and nar-rowed them down to two smaller groups. Patients in one group were treated by sinus elevation, while patients in the other group were treated by vertical ridge augmentation. In both groups, the treatment was carried out utilizing autogenous monocortical bone blocks. Only those files were selected for analysis where follow-up documentation of a minimum of 3 years with panoramic X-ray images was available. We analyzed the frequency and degree of bone resorption and the frequency of implant loss and complications. Results: 72% of the augmentation cases and 92% of the implants in the sinus elevation group were free of bone resorp-tion in contrast to the vertical ridge augmentation group where only 46% of the augmentation cases and 24% of the implants were free of bone resorption. No implant loss or peri-implant complications were observed in either group. Conclusion: The results support the literature in that the risk of bone resorption is higher in cases of vertical ridge augmentation. However, this was not accompanied by functional alterations, peri-implant complications, or inflam-matory phenomena and neither did it lead to implant loss, even in cases with more than a decade of follow-up.

The effect of multimorbidity on functional and quality of life outcomes in women with generalized osteoarthritis / A multimorbiditás hatása a funkcionális és életminoség-eredményekre generalizált osteoarthrosisban

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis (OA) as the most common joint disease is a major public health concern. AIM: To investigate the effect of multimorbidity on functional and quality of life outcomes in women with generalized osteoathritis (hand and knee arthritis, GOA). METHOD: In this cross-sectional study, patients according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for OA were invited. The control group consisted of subjects without any musculoskeletal symptoms, osteoarthritis or inflammatory rheumatic disease. Comorbidity count was calculated from the investigated comorbidities. In the GOA group, the function was assessed by Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), Cochin Hand Scale, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), while quality of life was measured in both groups with the EuroQol-5D Scale. Interaction between summarized comorbidity count, age, body mass index (BMI) and scores were analysed. Descriptive statistics, two-sample t-test and Pearson's correlation test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The study groups included 200-200 participants with a similar age spread. Significant correlation was demonstrated in both study groups between higher comorbidity count and older age (0.37, p<0.001, and 0.24, p<0.001 in the GOA and the control group, respectively) and higher BMI (0.18, p: 0.01, and 0.45, p<0.001 in the GOA and the control group, respectively). In GOA, the increasing comorbidity number had a negative effect on the measured outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Age and BMI showed strong correlation with multimorbidity in both groups. The lower correlation between BMI and comorbidity count in the GOA group requires further investigation and may suggest different interactions. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(32): 1332-1340.

Fermented wheat germ extract (avemar) inhibits adjuvant arthritis.

Anti-inflammatory efficacy of the fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE, Avemar) in the rat adjuvant arthritis (AA) model was examined. To Wistar rats with AA, different doses of FWGE and anti-inflammatory drugs (indomethacin, dexamethasone) as monotherapies were administered and FWGE and either diclofenac or dexamethasone were also given in combination. Besides plethysmographies of the paws, histological investigations of synovial tissues were also performed along with detection of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. Gene expressions of COX-1 and 2 were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). FWGE monotherapy significantly inhibited the development of the secondary (immune-mediated) response in AA, and dexamethasone and indomethacin exerted inhibitory effects in a degree comparable to that of FWGE. Histological analysis of the affected joints confirmed the results. FWGE inhibited COX-1 and -2, while indomethacin enhanced COX-2 gene expressions. FWGE had an additive interaction with diclofenac. It is concluded that FWGE has significant anti-inflammatory efficacy confirmed by plethysmography, histology, and real-time PCR.

The effect of the thermal mineral water of Nagybaracska on patients with knee joint osteoarthritis--a double blind study.

To study the effect of thermal mineral water of Nagybaracska (Hungary) on patients with primary knee osteoarthritis in a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, 64 patients with nonsurgical knee joint osteoarthritis were randomly selected either into the thermal mineral water or into the tap water group in a non-spa resort village. The patients of both groups received 30-min sessions of bathing, 5 days a week for four consecutive weeks. The patients were evaluated by a blind observer immediately before and at the end of the trial using Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) indices and follow-up assessment 3 months later. Twenty-seven patients of the 32 patients who received thermal mineral water and 25 of the 32 of those treated with tap water completed the trial. The WOMAC activity, pain, and total scores improved significantly in the thermal mineral-water-treated group. The improvement remained also at the end of the 3-month follow-up. The WOMAC activity, pain, and total scores improved significantly also in the tap water group at the end of the treatment course, but no improvement was detected at the end of the 3-month follow-up period. The treatment with the thermal mineral water of Nagybaracska significantly improved activity, pain, and total WOMAC scores of patients with nonsurgical OA of the knee. Even after 3 months, significant improvement was observed compared to the scores before the treatment or to tap water treatment.

Felty's syndrome.

Felty's syndrome (FS) comprises a triad of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), neutropenia and splenomegaly, occurring in less than 1% of RA patients. Clinically it is characterized by severe joint destruction contrasting with moderate or absent joint inflammation and severe extra-articular disease, including a high frequency of rheumatoid nodules, lymphadenopathy, hepatopathy, vasculitis, leg ulcers, skin pigmentation etc. Recurrent bacterial infections are mostly due to the severe, otherwise unexplained neutropenia. The cause of neutropenia lies in both decreased granulopoiesis and increased peripheral destruction of granulocytes. Recurrent infections may lead to increased mortality. Spontaneous remission of the syndrome also occurs. Over 95% of FS patients are positive for rheumatoid factor (RF), 47-100% are positive for antinuclear antibody (ANA), and 78% of patients have the HLA-DR4*0401 antigen. Some 30% of FS patients have large granular lymphocyte (LGL) expansion. LGL expansion associated with uncomplicated RA is immunogenetically and phenotypically very similar to but clinically different from FS. Neutropenia of FS can be effectively treated with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), the widest experience being with methotrexate (MTX). Results of treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) are encouraging, but there is no experience with other biological agents. Splenectomy results in immediate improvement of neutropenia in 80% of the patients, but the rate of infection decreases to a lesser degree.

When to consult the podiatrist.

Mechanical, infectious and neurovascular foot complications are common in rheumatic diseases, partly because disabled rheumatic patients are unable to do their own daily foot-care. Proper diagnosis and treatment needs the close cooperation of the rheumatologist, podiatrist, physiotherapist and occupational therapist; the podiatrist is an important member of this multidisciplinary team.

Regional musculoskeletal conditions: foot and ankle disorders.

Foot pain is very common, especially in women, owing to inappropriate footwear. Overuse, repetitive strain and minor, easily forgettable injuries may result in chronic foot and ankle pain. Rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathies and gout frequently affect the foot, often as a first presentation. Charcot's joints and foot infections are not rare in diabetes. The rheumatologist should be familiar with foot disorders, either localized or as manifestations of generalized disease. History taking, physical examination, identification of the source of pain by intra-articularly given local anaesthetics and imaging methods should be used to reveal the underlying disorder. Correct diagnosis and efficient therapy-including local steroid injections, physiotherapy, orthoses, surgery-are necessary not only for treatment but also for preventing biomechanical chain reactions. This chapter gives an overview of the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of foot pain and foot disorders caused by both local and generalized diseases.

Adaptation and crosscultural validation of the Foot Impact Scale for Rheumatoid Arthritis using Rasch analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To adapt and crossculturally validate the Foot Impact Scale for Rheumatoid Arthritis (FIS-RA) using Rasch analysis. METHODS: The FIS-RA was translated from English to German, Hungarian, and Dutch target languages and administered to 653 rheumatoid arthritis patients. Rasch analysis was undertaken on the impairment/footwear (FIS-RA(IF) ) and activity limitation/participation restriction subscales for each language version separately and for pooled data. Overall fit to the Rasch model, item and person fit, unidimensionality, differential item function (DIF), and local response dependency were tested. To meet Rasch model assumptions, item deletion, subtests analysis, and item-splitting strategies were adopted. RESULTS: With the exception of the Hungarian FIS-RA(IF) subscale, preliminary fit to the Rasch model was unsuccessful for all target languages individually and for pooled data. Multidimensionality, misfitting items, local dependency, and DIF by age, sex, disease duration, and language were observed. With adjustment, fit to the Rasch model was satisfactorily achieved for all language versions. For the pooled data, the Rasch model assumptions for crosscultural validity were met following item deletion, subtest analysis, and item splitting for language DIF. CONCLUSION: With adaptations, the FIS-RA was successfully translated and crossculturally validated for use in 4 European languages. The 2 subscales can be used at the individual level for patient assessment and at the group level for research purposes.