Correlations among enthesitis, clinical, radiographic and quality of life parameters in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between enthesitis and disease activity, functional status, fatigue, joint mobility, radiological damage, laboratory parameter and quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: A total of 421 patients with AS (323 male and 98 female) who were included in the Turkish League Against Rheumatism Registry were enrolled in the study. The Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), fatigue, the Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI), the Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI), the Maastricht AS Enthesitis Score (MASES), AS quality of life (ASQoL), the Bath AS Radiology Index (BASRI) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were evaluated. RESULTS: Enthesitis was detected in 27.3% of patients. There were positive correlations between MASES and BASDAI, BASFI and fatigue (p < 0.05). MASES was not correlated with BASRI, BASMI, ASQoL and ESR. The mean MASES score was 1.1 ± 2.4. The most frequent regions of enthesopathies were right iliac crest, spinous process of L5 and proximal to the insertion of left achilles tendon, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Enthesitis was found to be associated with higher disease activity, higher fatigue, worse functional status and lower disease duration. As enthesitis was correlated with BASDAI, we conclude that enthesitis can reflect the disease activity in patients with AS.

Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy complicated with paraplegia.

Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy is characterized by short stature resulting from platyspondylia and progressive arthropathy. This disorder may cause a predisposition to disk herniations, which may rarely lead to spastic paraplegia. We report a 21-yr-old male patient with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy who developed spastic paraplegia because of spinal stenosis caused by thoracic disk herniations.

Quality of life and related variables in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate quality of life (QoL) and related variables in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a chronic inflammatory disease of the spine. METHODS: Nine-hundred and sixty-two patients with AS from the Turkish League Against Rheumatism AS Registry, who fulfilled the modified New York criteria, were enrolled. The patients were evaluated using the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society core outcome domains including Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), fatigue (BASDAI-question 1), pain (last week/spine/due to AS), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiology Index (BASRI), Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score (MASES) and two QoL questionnaires (the disease-specific ASQoL and generic the Short Form-36 [SF-36]). RESULTS: The mean ASQoL score was 7.1 ± 5.7. SF-36 subscales of general health, physical role and bodily pain had the poorest scores. ASQoL was strongly correlated with disease duration, BASDAI, fatigue, BASFI, BASMI, BASRI, MASES, pain and SF-36 subscales (P < 0.001). SF-36 subscales were also strongly correlated with BASDAI and BASFI. Advanced educational status and regular exercise habits positively affected QoL, while smoking negatively affected QoL. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AS, the most significant variables associated with QoL were BASDAI, BASFI, fatigue and pain. ASQoL was noted to be a short, rapid and simple patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument and strongly correlated with SF-36 subscales.

Association of macroscopic gut inflammation with disease activity, functional status and quality of life in ankylosing spondylitis.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the frequency of intestinal inflammation and its association with disease activity, functional status and quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). A total of 25 patients with AS had undergone ileocolonoscopy and concomitant histological study. Clinical and demographical parameters, BASDAI, BASFI, and SF-36 scores were compared between patients with and without macroscopic gut inflammation (MGI). Colonoscopic study revealed MGI in 9 patients and macroscopically normal gut mucosa in 16 patients. On histological examination, of 25 patients 20 had gut inflammation, mostly in ileum. BASDAI score was higher (P < 0.05), SF-36 pain and physical scores, and chest expansion measurement were lower (P = 0.00, P = 0.01, P = 0.01), duration of morning stiffness was longer (P = 0.01) in patients with MGI. Serum C-reactive protein, erytrocyte sedimentation rate levels were similar between groups (P > 0.05). There is high prevalence of histological gut inflammation in AS patients. More active disease should suggest gut inflammation in AS patients.

Serum leptin levels in rheumatoid arthritis and relationship with disease activity.

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to evaluate serum leptin levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and investigate the correlation with serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) levels and clinical and laboratory parameters of disease activity. METHODS: Fifty patients with RA and 34 control subjects were included. Disease activity score 28 (DAS28) was calculated for each patient. Laboratory activity was assessed by examining erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Immunoradiometric assay was used for measuring serum leptin levels (ng/mL). Serum TNF-alpha levels (pg/mL) were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method in 41 of 50 RA patients and in 24 control subjects. RESULTS: Age, sex and body mass index (BMI) did not show a statistically significant difference between RA and control subjects (P > 0.05). Serum leptin levels were higher in RA (P = 0.000). In RA patients, there were no correlations between serum leptin levels and disease duration, swollen and tender joint counts, DAS28, CRP, ESR, serum TNF-alpha levels, oral glucocorticoid and methotrexate usage (P > 0.05). There was no statistically significant serum leptin level difference between patients with high disease activity and mild and low disease activity (P = 0.892). Serum leptin levels positively correlated with BMI in both patient and control groups (P < 0.05). In both groups, mean serum leptin levels were higher in women than men. CONCLUSIONS: Even though serum leptin levels were found to be significantly higher in RA patients than in control subjects in this study, there was no correlation between serum leptin levels and TNF-alpha levels, clinical and laboratory parameters of disease activity. However serum leptin levels positively correlated with BMI in both patient and control groups. In RA, circulating leptin levels do not seem to reflect disease activity.

Differential diagnosis of polyuria and polydipsia in a patient with spinal cord injury.

We report the case of a 35-yr-old tetraplegic man who experienced increased water intake, constant thirst, and a copious amount of urine excretion after his spinal cord injury and in whom an intermittent catheterization program was unmanageable. Laboratory evaluation revealed low serum and urine osmolality, which were suggestive of psychogenic polydipsia, and hypokalemia, which might lead to polyuria with a compensatory polydipsia. His water intake was reduced with antidepressant therapy and potassium supplementation and normalized on the third month of the treatment. Physicians should be aware of the differential diagnosis of polyuria and polydipsia, which interfere with neurogenic bladder management in patients with spinal cord injury.

Segmental zoster paresis of the upper extremity: a case report.

Segmental zoster paresis, a rare complication of herpes zoster, is characterized by focal, asymmetric motor weakness in the myotome that corresponds to the dermatome of the rash. The pathogenesis of segmental zoster paresis is inflammation caused by the spread of the herpes virus. Motor damage may affect the root, plexus, or peripheral nerve. A woman in her early seventies with right shoulder pain and shoulder girdle muscle weakness was diagnosed with involvement of the C5-7 motor roots and upper truncus of the brachial plexus as a complication of herpes zoster. Recognition of herpes zoster as a cause of acute motor weakness is important in avoiding unnecessary interventions as well as in determining the treatment and outcome of the patient. This case is presented to emphasize that herpes zoster infection may be complicated by segmental paresis, which should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute painful motor weakness of the upper extremity.

Intra- and interobserver variability of Kleerekoper's method in vertebral fracture assessment.

Radiographically detected vertebral fractures (VF) are a hallmark of osteoporosis. Several approaches to describe VF have been proposed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intra- and interobserver variability of semiquantitative Kleerekoper's method in osteoporotic VF assessment. Sixty-seven postmenopausal osteoporotic (L2-4 T-score < or =-2.5) women with a mean age of 65.2+/-7.51 years were included into the study. Lateral radiographs of thoracic and lumbar spine were evaluated in all patients. Kleerekoper's method was used to define VF. Two observers evaluated all radiographs independently. To investigate intraobserver reproducibility, the first observer reevaluated all radiographs a month later on a separate occasion. Intra- and interobserver agreement was calculated using the kappa statistic. The agreement between two readings for the first observer was 86.3% with a corresponding kappa score of 0.573 (95% confidence limits of kappa score were 0.505-0.642). Interobserver agreement was 87.7% with a corresponding kappa score of 0.660 (95% confidence limits were 0.602-0.718). We observed a moderate agreement for Kleerekoper's method in vertebral fracture assessment. There is no gold standard or standardized measurement or description for VF. Quantitative assessment of VF is essential in epidemiologic studies and in clinical drug trials, but a semiquantitative technique, which is done by experienced observers, should also be added to evaluate the entire spectrum of visible features that are helpful in identifying deformities.

Osteogenesis imperfecta: a case with hand deformities.

In a 51-year-old woman with a history of fractures and dislocations after low intensity trauma in childhood, intensive blue sclera, short stature, and hearing loss, the diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) was suspected. She was referred to our clinic with hand deformities and left knee pain and stiffness. She had difficulty in walking and reported a history of immobilization for 6 months because of knee pain. She had bilateral flexion contracture of the elbows which occurred following dislocations of the elbows in childhood. She had Z deformity of the first phalanges, reducible swan-neck deformity of the third finger of the left and the second finger of the right hand, flexion contracture of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the fifth finger of the left hand, and syndactyly of the third and fourth fingers of the right hand. Flexion contractures of both knees were observed. Pes planus and short toes were the deformities of the feet. Acute phase reactants of the patient were normal. She had no history of arthritis or morning stiffness. Bone mineral density evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) showed severe osteoporosis of the femur and lumbar vertebrae. She had radiographic evidence of healed fractures of the left fibula, the third metacarpal, and the fourth and fifth middle phalanges of the right hand. OI, affecting the type I collagen tissue of the sclera, skin, ligaments, and skeleton, presenting with ligament laxity resulting in subluxations and hand deformities may be misdiagnosed as hand deformities of rheumatoid arthritis.