Eficacia del tratamiento con alendronato en una población española de mujeres posmenopáusicas con masa ósea baja. Resultados en España del ensayo multinacional fosit / Efficacy of alendronate in treatment of a Spanish population of postmenopausal women with low bone mass. Spanish results in the international fosit trial

Fundamento. El alendronato es un potente inhibidor de la resorción ósea que normaliza la tasa de recambio óseo a niveles premenopáusicos. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar la eficacia sobre la densidad mineral ósea y la tolerabilidad de alendronato en mujeres posmenopáusicas con baja masa ósea en España. Métodos. Ensayo clínico controlado y doble ciego del tratamiento con alendronato (10 mg/ día) frente a placebo durante un año con una fase de extensión de un año de duración en la que todas las pacientes recibieron alendronato. Resultados. En las pacientes tratadas con alendronato se comprobó un aumento significativo y progresivo de la densidad mineral ósea en todas las localizaciones y en todos los tiempos estudiados. A los 12 meses de tratamiento, la diferencia entre los grupos de alendronato y placebo en el porcentaje medio de aumento de la densidad mineral ósea fue de 4,75 por ciento en la columna lumbar, de 1,12 por ciento en el cuello femoral, 3,95 por ciento en el trocánter y 3,09 por ciento en cadera total. En las pacientes que recibieron placebo en el primer año y alendronato en el segundo, la diferencia en el segundo año fue de 4,54 por ciento en la columna lumbar; 1,92 por ciento en cuello femoral; 3,41 por ciento en trocánter y 2,43 por ciento en cadera total, todas ellas significativas. Conclusiones. Este estudio muestra que en una población española de mujeres postmenopáusicas con masa ósea baja, el tratamiento durante dos años con alendronato incrementa la densidad mineral ósea de forma rápida en el primer año y que continúa sin alcanzar una meseta en el segundo. La consistencia del efecto de alendronato se evidencia al comparar los incrementos de masa ósea después de un año de tratamiento con alendronato entre aquellos pacientes asignados al brazo tratado y los que inicialmente recibieron placebo y posteriormente alendronato (AU)

Tratamiento de la osteoporosis. Del empirismo a la evidencia / Treatment of osteoporosis. From empiricism to evidence

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Temporal arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica in north-eastern Spain: clinical spectrum and relationship over a 15 year period.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical spectrum of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and temporal arteritis (TA) and their relationship over a period of 15 years in an area of north-eastern Spain. METHODS: We undertook a descriptive study of an unselected population of 163 patients with PMR and/or TA diagnosed from 1985 to 1999. RESULTS: Of the 163 patients included, 90 had isolated PMR, 41 had PMR associated with TA, and 32 had isolated TA. The clinical spectrum of both conditions in our area was similar to that reported in other populations, including a marked female predominance. However, in our series, no patient developed permanent blindness or other major ischemic complications. PMR was observed in 56% of patients with TA. Conversely, 7% of patients originally suffering from PMR without clinical evidence of arteritis at presentation developed later symptoms of TA, and there were no predictive features for this. Interestingly, none of these patients suffered visual loss or other ischemic complications. The low risk of major complications in these cases does not support the need for systematic arterial biopsy in all patients with symptoms of PMR alone. On comparing patients with isolated TA with patients with PMR associated with TA, no differences were observed, thus discarding the possibility that the second constitutes a distinct and independent subgroup of TA. In contrast, when comparing patients with isolated PMR with patients with PMR associated with TA, we found significant differences between both the groups, with greater abnormality of clinical and laboratory markers of inflammation in patients with PMR associated with TA. These differences seem to reflect a greater degree of systemic inflammation linked to the presence of TA. CONCLUSION: In our area, TA appears nowadays as a benign disease which infrequently presents blindness or other major complications. Our experience confirms that even after a good clinical response with normalization of a high ESR in PMR, the patient is at risk for clinical development of TA. Finally, our study also shows that isolated TA and PMR associated with TA seem to be the same condition, different from isolated PMR.

Usefulness of bone densitometry in postmenopausal women with clinically diagnosed vertebral fractures.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse whether bone mineral density (BMD) assessment is required in postmenopausal women presenting with low trauma vertebral fracture. METHODS: Women with vertebral fracture diagnosed over a 10 year period were recruited from our database. The following were excluded: (a) patients with high energy trauma; (b) patients with malignancies; (c) patients with a metabolic bone disease other than osteoporosis. All postmenopausal women were included in whom BMD had been evaluated at both the lumbar spine and femoral neck by dual energy x ray absorptiometry during the six months after the diagnosis. Patients with a potential cause of osteoporosis other than age and menopause were not considered. A total of 215 patients were identified. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of the patients was 65.9 (6.9) years. BMD at the lumbar spine was 0.725 (0.128) g/cm(2) and the T score was -2.94 (1.22); BMD at the femoral neck was 0.598 (0.095) g/cm(2) and the T score was -2.22 (0.89). The BMD of the patients was significantly lower than that of the general population at both the lumbar spine and femoral neck. When the lowest value of the two analysed zones was considered, six patients (3%) showed a normal BMD, 51 (23.5%) osteopenia, and 158 (73.5%) osteoporosis. The prevalence of osteoporosis at the femoral neck increased with age; it was 25% in patients under 60, 35% in patients aged 60-70, and 60% in patients over 70. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that bone densitometry is not required in postmenopausal women with clinically diagnosed vertebral fractures if it is performed only to confirm the existence of a low BMD.

Nutritional status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Some chronic diseases have been associated to an impairment of nutritional status. OBJECTIVE: To analyze nutritional status and its relation to dietary intake, disease activity and treatment in rheumatoid arthritis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We have included 93 patients (43 men and 50 women) and 93 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The assessment of nutritional status included anthropometric (body mass index, tricipital skin fold and midarm muscular circumference) and biochemical (serum albumin, prealbumin and retinol binding protein) parameters. Dietary intake was calculated from a food frequency questionnaire. As a measure of disease activity, we used the Health Assessment Questionnaire, Ritchie index, tender and swollen joint count and C-reactive protein. Statistical analysis was performed in the whole series and in every functional class. RESULTS: In the whole series, midarm muscular circumference and serum albumin were significantly lower in patients than in controls. All anthropometric parameters and serum albumin were significantly lower in patients in functional class IV than in their respective controls. The dietary intake of energy, carbohydrates, vegetal proteins and lipids was higher in patients than in controls. Midarm muscular circumference and serum albumin had a significant inverse relation with disease activity parameters; body mass index, midarm muscular circumference and serum albumin correlated inversely with the cumulative dose of glucocorticoids. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis in functional class IV have an impairment of nutritional status without a deficient dietary intake. The differences found in other functional classes are explained by rheumatoid arthritis itself. Nutritional parameters are related to disease activity and glucocorticoid treatment.

Osteoporotic vertebral fracture in clinical practice. 669 Patients diagnosed over a 10 year period.

OBJECTIVE: Few data are available on clinically diagnosed vertebral fracture. Information about osteoporotic vertebral fracture has mainly been obtained via inferences from epidemiological studies of vertebral deformity. We evaluated the characteristics of patients with osteoporotic vertebral fracture diagnosed in a rheumatology department over a 10 year period. METHODS: Patients with back pain and vertebral fracture diagnosed between January 1990 and December 1999 were recruited from our data base. Patients with high energy trauma, malignancies, and metabolic bone diseases other than osteoporosis were excluded. These variables were analyzed: sex, age at diagnosis, type of osteoporosis (primary vs secondary), number of fractures at diagnosis (single vs multiple), and percentage of admissions and length of stay. RESULTS: Of the 669 patients, 534 (80%) were women and 135 (20%) were men. Age at diagnosis ranged from 30 to 91 yrs, mean 67.1 +/- 9.1. Secondary osteoporosis was diagnosed in 177 (26%) patients and the frequency was significantly higher in men than women (55% vs 19%; p < 0.001); the most common associations for secondary osteoporosis were oral corticosteroids, chronic obstructive airway disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. At diagnosis, half of the patients presented with multiple fractures. One hundred twenty (18%) patients were admitted; length of stay ranged from 5 to 56 days, mean 15.9 +/- 7.7. The frequency of admissions was higher in men than women (27% vs 16%; p < 0.001), higher in patients with secondary osteoporosis than in those with primary osteoporosis (33% vs 12%; p < 0.001), and higher in patients with multiple fractures than in those with single fractures (27% vs 8%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Characteristics of patients recruited from a clinical setting differ significantly from those of subjects included in the epidemiological studies. In a rheumatology practice, frequency of secondary osteoporosis, mainly associated with corticosteroid treatment, is notably high. Admission is by no means a rare event.

Musculoskeletal manifestations in polymyalgia rheumatica and temporal arteritis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence and characteristics of musculoskeletal manifestations in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and temporal arteritis (TA). METHODS: The records of 163 cases of PMR or TA diagnosed over a 15 year period in one area of Spain were reviewed for the presence and type of musculoskeletal manifestations. RESULTS: Of 163 patients, 90 had isolated PMR and 73 had TA. Eighteen of the 90 patients (20%) with isolated PMR developed distal peripheral arthritis either at diagnosis or during the course of the disease. When it occurred, synovitis was mild, monoarticular or pauci-articular, asymmetrical, transient, and not destructive. Other distal manifestations observed in these patients were carpal tunnel syndrome and distal extremity swelling with pitting oedema. In all cases these manifestations occurred in conjunction with active PMR. As expected, PMR was the most frequent musculoskeletal manifestation in patients with TA, occurring in 56% of cases. On the contrary, only 11% of patients with TA developed peripheral arthritis. An important finding was that peripheral arthritis in these patients appears to be linked only temporally to the presence of simultaneous PMR and is not observed in its absence. Distal extremity swelling or defined polyarthritis were not observed. CONCLUSION: The spectrum of distal musculoskeletal manifestations of PMR in our series is similar to that reported in other populations. By contrast, distal musculoskeletal symptoms are uncommon in TA. The almost complete absence of distal musculoskeletal manifestations in patients with pure TA suggests different mechanisms of disease in PMR and TA, supporting the view of two separate conditions or one common disease in which host susceptibility influences the clinical expression.

A comparative study of computed digital absorptiometry and conventional dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in postmenopausal women.

The aim of the study was to evaluate whether computed digital absorptiometry (CDA) of the hand might be a useful screening technique for identifying patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis and to compare the results of CDA with those of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the lumbar spine and femoral neck. We studied 230 postmenopausal women (mean age 58.4 + 7.9 years). For CDA, bone mineral density (BMD) was measured with an AccuDEXA Schick densitometer in the third middle phalanx of the nondominant hand. For DXA, BMD of the lumbar spine and upper femur was assessed using a DXA Hologic QDR-1000 densitometer. We did a comparative analysis (ANOVA) and linear correlation tests. Sensitivity and specificity of CDA and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the diagnosis of osteoporosis were calculated. The mean BMD with CDA was 0.445 +/- 0.084 (T-score: -1.27 +/- 1.29). The mean BMD (g/cm2) with DXA at the lumbar spine was 0.877 +/- 0.166 (T-score: -1.52 +/- 1.59) and 0.708 +/- 0.127 at the femoral neck (T-score: -1.12 +/- 1.25). BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck correlated positively with CDA of the hand (r = 0.66 and r = 0.65 respectively, p<0.001). When using as cut-off a T-score of -2.5, according to WHO criteria, 76 women (33%) had osteoporosis of the lumbar spine and/or femoral neck with DXA and 42 (18%) with CDA (p<0.001). The kappa score for osteoporosis was 0.33 for CDA versus spinal DXA and 0.35 for CDA versus femoral DXA. With the cut-off level used, sensitivity and specificity of CDA in detecting osteoporosis at the lumbar spine were 0.39 and 0.90, respectively; sensitivity and specificity of CDA in identifying osteoporosis at the femoral neck were 0.58 and 0.87, respectively. The positive predictive value of CDA for osteoporosis was 69% and the negative predictive value was 75%. The area under the ROC curve for osteoporosis was 0.822 +/- 0.028. We conclude that: (a) CDA assessment has a moderate correlation with BMD measured by DXA at the lumbar spine and femoral neck; (b) CDA has a low sensitivity for the diagnosis of osteoporosis compared with spinal and femoral DXA; and (c) predictive values for osteoporosis at both the lumbar spine and femoral neck are acceptable.

Value of clinical factors in selecting postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis for bone densitometry.

OBJECTIVE: Criteria to decide which patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) should be examined by dual energy x ray absorptiometry (DXA) are currently not available. The rheumatologists from Amsterdam have proposed preliminary criteria based on clinical risk factors (age, disease activity, and functional status). These criteria are preliminary and not widely accepted but might be helpful in practice. The value of the proposal in a group of Spanish postmenopausal women with RA is analysed. METHODS: DXA (lumbar spine and femoral neck) was performed in 128 patients recruited from a clinical setting, and the proposed criteria were applied. T and Z scores were established for a Spanish reference population. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of the patients was 61.3 (10.7) and mean duration of the postmenopausal period 14.5 (10.1) years. Mean duration of RA was 13.7 (7.7) years. Mean C reactive protein was 22 (21) mg/l; mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate 26 (18) mm/1st h; and mean Health Assessment Questionnaire score 1.25 (0.79). Ninety (70%) patients fulfilled the proposed criteria. Their sensitivity for the diagnosis of osteoporosis (T score < or =-2.5 SD) was 86% and their specificity, 43%. Positive predictive value was 54% and negative predictive value, 79%. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed criteria seem a good screening method for the selection of those patients with RA whose bone mineral density should be assessed as the sensitivity and negative predictive value are acceptable.

Documento de la sociedad española de reumatología sobre la osteoporosis posmenopáusica . Panel de expertos / Postmenopausal osteoporosis: Expert's opinion on diagnostic, prevention and treatment

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Pyarthrosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a detailed analysis of 10 cases and literature review.

OBJECTIVES: 1) To analyze the clinical features and outcome of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and pyarthrosis seen in a rheumatology department during a 9-year period; 2) To review the available literature about this association in the last decade. METHODS: From the database of our department, we collected all hospitalized cases of infectious arthritis in native joints between January 1990 and December 1998. In 10 cases (27%), pyarthrosis occurred in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A detailed analysis of each patient was performed. The literature was reviewed by using MEDLINE from 1990 to 1999. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 63.2 years; six were female. Most patients had long-standing disease and poor functional class, and all received glucocorticoid treatment. Mean diagnostic delay was 7.3 days. Causative organisms were Staphylococcus aureus (4 cases), gram-negative bacilli (3 cases), anaerobic bacteria (2 cases), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 1). Two patients died. In all but two patients who survived, joint function worsened. CONCLUSIONS: Rheumatoid arthritis is a relevant host-related risk factor for septic arthritis. Pyarthrosis in these patients is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality.

Osteonecrosis of the knee: differences among idiopathic and secondary types.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and imaging features of patients with osteonecrosis of the knee, emphasizing the differences among idiopathic and secondary types. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 37 consecutive patients (41 knees) with osteonecrosis of the knee confirmed by bone scintigraphy and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a comparison of idiopathic and secondary types of osteonecrosis. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients had idiopathic osteonecrosis, and in 13 patients one or more predisposing factors were identified (secondary osteonecrosis). Idiopathic osteonecrosis of the knee was typically a disease of the elderly, characterized by severe knee pain of sudden onset, unilateral involvement, and restriction of the lesions generally to one femoral condyle or tibial plateau, with predilection for the medial compartment of the joint. Secondary osteonecrosis generally occurred in younger patients and frequently had an insidious onset with mild or vague pain, the lateral compartment of the knee was often involved, and the lesions were generally larger than lesions arising spontaneously; in the great majority of cases they involved the femoral condyles and/or tibial plateaus. Bilateral distribution and multifocal involvement was also seen in these forms. Magnetic resonance imaging was helpful in confirming the suspected diagnosis when conventional radiographs were normal or equivocal, and demonstrated different patterns of abnormalities in idiopathic and secondary types. CONCLUSION: There are significant differences between idiopathic and secondary osteonecrosis, especially in regard to clinical presentation and the location, extent and MRI appearance of the lesions. These differences are probably due to a difference in the pathogenetic mechanism.

Prevalencia de mujeres postmenopáusicas con criterios para la indicación de densitometría ósea / Prevalence of postmenopausal women with criteria for bone densitometry screening

El intento de racionalización del uso de la densitometría ósea en el estudio de la osteoporosis ha llevado a proponer criterios basados en factores de riesgo. El objetivo del estudio es evaluar el impacto que sobre una consulta de Reumatología tiene la utilización de los criterios del International Committee for Osteoporosis Clinical Guidelines (ICOCG). Se encuestó a 341 mujeres postmenopáusicas que acudieron a una consulta de Reumatología de Asistencia Primaria durante 2 meses. El 68,6 por ciento (234) tenían algún factor de riesgo que indicaba la necesidad de hacer una densitometría ósea, siendo la edad el factor de riesgo más frecuente.La aplicación de estos criterios parece poco útil en la práctica diaria (AU)

Suitability of the T-score for establishing bone mineral density categories.

The use of different reference ranges may give rise to different T-score values for the same bone mineral density (BMD) value. This study was designed to quantify the differences in the classification of a particular population on the basis of normal ranges obtained from other reference databases. The T-scores obtained in a sample of 148 women by applying the Spanish normal range were compared with the normal range obtained in NHANES III for femoral neck. Significant differences were found when T-scores were compared, but there were no differences in categorizations using the WHO criteria. The application of these reference ranges to a female population aged older than 45 years with known BMD showed significant differences in classification. In conclusion, the T-score can vary according to the normal range used as reference, but it has little influence on the categorization of individual patients. However, it may be important when applied to a general population.

Weak androgen levels, glucocorticoid therapy, and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To study dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and androstenedione (AND) status in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the effects of glucocorticoid therapy on DHEAS and AND levels, and their relationship with bone mineral density (BMD). METHODS: Forty-six postmenopausal women with RA were separated into two groups based on whether they had a negative history for glucocorticoid therapy (n = 24) or were currently on glucocorticoid therapy (n = 22). The control group was composed of 39 postmenopausal women who had never received hormone replacement therapy. Serum DHEAS and AND levels were measured using a radioimmunoassay. BMD was determined at the lumbar spine (L2-L4) and femoral neck using a DEXA Hologic QDR-1000 densitometer. Results. RA patients and controls were similar in age, weight, body mass index, and years since menopause. DHEAS and AND levels were lower in the glucocorticoid-treated RA group than in the other two groups. The glucocorticoid-treated RA group also had a significantly lower femoral BMD value than the nonglucocorticoid-treated RA group. Lumbar BMD was similar in the two RA groups and in the controls. CONCLUSION: Decreases in DHEAS and AND levels in postmenopausal women with RA are probably related to glucocorticoid therapy rather than to the disease itself.

Bone mineral density in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Although osteopenia is often reported as a complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus, its frequency and severity remain unclear, and studies of bone mineral density in type 1 diabetics have yielded conflicting results. We measured bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and femoral neck in 88 Spanish adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus responsible for moderately severe complications. Mean age (+/- SD) was 28.9 +/- 8.8 years, and mean disease duration was 11.2 +/- 6.4 years. As compared to normal Spanish adults, bone mineral density was decreased in the patients at the lumbar spine (Z-score, -0.32 +/- 1.08; P < 0.001) but not at the femoral neck (Z-score, -0.21 +/- 1.03; P non-significant). The magnitude of bone loss in the diabetics was small (T-score, -0.38 +/- 1.13 at the lumbar spine and -0.37 +/- 1.08 at the femoral neck). Only three patients met WHO criteria for osteoporosis at one or both measurement sites. Patients with retinopathy (n = 37) had lower lumbar spine bone mineral density values than patients without retinopathy; however, this difference was no longer present after adjustment for age and disease duration. Bone mineral density values were similar in patients with (n = 13) and without microalbuminuria. Our findings suggest that bone loss is not a major problem in younger type 1 diabetics with short disease durations and no severe diabetic complications.

Septic arthiritis due to Prevotella bivia in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Prevotella bivia is a gram-negative anaerobic bacteria traditionally classified in the genus Bacteroides, and usually reported in obstetric and gynecologic infections. To date, there has been only one description of infectious arthritis secondary to this germ. We report the first case of septic arthritis due to Prevotella bivia in a patient with severe, long-lasting rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with low doses of corticosteroids. RA is a well-known predisposing factor to septic arthritis, whose causes are multifactorial (general immunosuppression induced by the disease and its therapy, presence of prosthetic joints, etc.). However, infectious arthritis due to anaerobic bacteria is rarely observed. In general, clinical presentation varies widely: insidious onset, apyrexia, and lack of inflammatory signs or systemic disturbance are frequent features. Joint infection is generally secondary to hematogenous spread, the Bacteroides fragilis group being the most commonly isolated pathogens. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment, with drainage and debridement of the affected joint and specific antimicrobial treatment with Metronidazole are essential for a successful outcome.

[Study of bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis treated with low dose glucocorticoids]. / Estudio densitométrico en mujeres posmenopáusicas con artritis reumatoide tratadas con dosis bajas de glucocorticoides.

BACKGROUND: To study bone mineral density (BMD) in a group of postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with low doses of corticosteroids. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and eleven patients were included. Mean age (SD) was 63.8 (8.8) years, mean duration of postmenopausal period was 16.4 (10.1) years and the mean disease duration was 12.5 (8.2) years. RESULTS: A significant reduction of lumbar BMD (p < 0.05) and femoral BMD (p < 0.0001) was observed. The prevalence of osteoporosis was of 47%. CONCLUSIONS: The study supports, in the Spanish population, that postmenopausal women with RA treated with low doses of corticosteroids, have low BMD. We consider that the prevalence of osteoporosis in these patients is high.