RESUMO
UNLABELLED: Our purpose was to assess the impact of a secondary prevention program for osteoporotic fractures in patients with fragility fracture and to determine its effect on long-term compliance with bisphosphonate treatment. Persistence with bisphosphonate use was 71%. Attending follow-up visits was the only variable significantly associated with adherence to bisphosphonates. INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to assess the impact a secondary prevention program for osteoporotic fractures in a prospective cohort of patients with at least one fragility fracture and to determine the effect of this intervention on long-term compliance with bisphosphonate treatment. METHODS: All patients older than 50 years with a fragility fracture attended at the emergency department over a 2-year period were appointed for a clinical visit through a telephone call. Two follow-up controls at 4 and 12 months were scheduled. After a mean of 4 years, a telephone survey was conducted to assess compliance with treatment. RESULTS: Of 683 eligible patients, 380 (55.6%) were visited at the hospital. Previous treatment with bisphosphonates was recorded in 17.9% of patients. DXA scan was considered normal in 61 patients and revealed osteopenia in 184 and osteoporosis in 135. Pharmacological treatment was indicated in 90% of patients (alendronate in 76%). Among 241 patients who participated in the survey, eight patients had new fractures (four were on treatment with bisphosphonates and four had discontinued treatment). Of 187 patients in which bisphosphonates were prescribed at the initial visit, 133 (71.1%) continued using bisphosphonates. Attendance of scheduled visits was associated with adherence to bisphosphonates (odds ratio, 3.33; 95% confidence interval, 2.99-3.67). CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of the program to recruit patients was 55%. In patients visited at the hospital, treatment with bisphosphonates increased from 17.9% to 76%. Persistence with bisphosphonate use after a mean of 4 years was 71%. Attending follow-up visits was significantly associated with adherence to bisphosphonates.
Assuntos
Conservadores da Densidade Óssea/uso terapêutico , Difosfonatos/uso terapêutico , Adesão à Medicação/estatística & dados numéricos , Fraturas por Osteoporose/prevenção & controle , Prevenção Secundária , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência , Feminino , Seguimentos , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Osteoporose/tratamento farmacológico , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde , Estudos Prospectivos , EspanhaRESUMO
A 35 year-old-man diagnosed with polyarteritis nodosa developed papillophlebitis on his left eye. Throughout the evolution of the disease, he had a macular oedema treated with intravitreal injections of aflibercept, with adequate recovery of visual acuity. He also had episcleritis on the other eye. Papillophlebitis is a non-ischaemic central retinal vein occlusion of inflammatory cause. Polyarteritis nodosa is a systemic necrotising vasculitis characterised by lesions of small and medium sized arteries. Ocular involvement occurs in 10-20% of patients, and typically affects the choroidal arteries. Only arteries are usually affected, but in very rare cases adjacent veins may be involved due to the adjacent inflammation.
Assuntos
Poliarterite Nodosa/complicações , Vasculite Retiniana/etiologia , Oclusão da Veia Retiniana/etiologia , Adulto , Humanos , Masculino , Poliarterite Nodosa/diagnósticoRESUMO
UNLABELLED: Rheumatoid factor (RF) is one of the most characteristic laboratory parameters in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and its specificity for this disease increases when the titer is high. We investigated the diagnoses associated with high titers of RF and whether they are associated with a poor prognosis of RA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with RF titers higher than 300 IU/ml were studied (nephelometry) during a three-year period in a general hospital. Patients with RA were compared with other group of patients with RA and RF lower than 300 IU/ml regarding functional capacity, presence of nodules, HLA-DR4 and radiologic status, in a retrospective cohort study. RESULTS: RF was quantitated in 2,181 patients and was higher than 300 IU/ml in 79 cases; 63 among patients in this group (80%) had RA, and the remaining patients inflammatory diseases of the connective tissue (four patients), palindromic rheumatism (two), liver disease (two), infection (one) and neoplasm (one). In two cases the diagnosis was arthrosis and in one case arthralgia of unknown origin. RA with RF higher than 300 IU/ml had a higher frequency of rheumatoid nodules than RA with RF lower than 300 IU/ml (p = 0.01; RR: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.18-4.35). The index of functional capacity and rate of HLA-DR4 and erosions was similar in both RA groups. CONCLUSIONS: In a patient with a high RF titer, RA should be first ruled out, followed by other inflammatory diseases, collagenosis and liver diseases. The likelihood of finding a healthy patient with arthrosis or soft tissue rheumatism was very low. In RA, rheumatoid nodules were significantly associated with RF with titers higher than 300 IU/ml.