A 30-year-old female patient with coexisting ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed and treated. The human leukocyte antigen （HLA）-B27 is a predisposing factor of ankylosing spondylitis and HL...A 30-year-old female patient with coexisting ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed and treated. The human leukocyte antigen （HLA）-B27 is a predisposing factor of ankylosing spondylitis and HLA-DR4 is a predisposing factor of rheumatoid arthritis. This patient was HLA-B27 and HLA-DR4 positive, and ankylosing spondylitis manifested before rheumatoid arthritis. After disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs successfully arrested ankylosing spondylitis activity the patient conceived and delivered a healthy baby. One year later, she developed peripheral polyarthritis and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. We hypothesized that pregnancy may be one of the environmental factors that can activate rheumatoid arthritis, and that disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs play an important role in keeping the disease under control.展开更多
Inflammation of axial and/or peripheral joints is one of the most frequent extra-intestinal manifestations complicating the clinical course and therapeutic approach in inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD).The frequency of...Inflammation of axial and/or peripheral joints is one of the most frequent extra-intestinal manifestations complicating the clinical course and therapeutic approach in inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD).The frequency of these complications seems to be similar for both diseases, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.Arthritis associated with IBD belongs to the category of spondyloarthropathies.Axial involvement ranges from isolated inflammatory back pain to ankylosing spondylitis, whereas peripheral arthritis is noted in pauciarticular and in polyarticular disease.Asymptomatic radiological involvement of the sacroiliac joints is reported to occur in up to 50% of patients.Other musculoskeletal manifestations such as buttock pain, dactylitis, calcaneal enthesitis, and thoracic pain are frequently underdiagnosed and, consequently, are not treated appropriately.Several diagnostic approaches and criteria have been proposed over the past 40 years in an attempt to correctly classify and diagnose such manifestations.The correct recognition of spondylarthropathies needs an integrated multidisciplinary approach in order to identify common therapeutic strategies, especially in the era of the new biologic therapies.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate the role of fluorine-18-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) in various rheumatic diseases and its potential in the early assessment of treatment response in a limited...AIM: To evaluate the role of fluorine-18-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) in various rheumatic diseases and its potential in the early assessment of treatment response in a limited number of patients. METHODS: This study involved 28 newly diagnosed patients, of these 17 had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 11 had seronegative spondyloarthropathy (SSA). In the SSA group, 7 patients had ankylosing spondylitis, 3 had psoriatic arthritis, and one had non-specific SSA. Patients with RA were selected as per the American College of Rheumatology criteria. One hour after FDG injection, a whole body PET scan was performed from the skull vertex to below the knee joints using a GE Advance dedicated PET scanner. Separate scans were acquired for both upper and lower limbs. Post-treatment scans were performed in 9 patients in the RA group (at 6-9 wk from baseline) and in 1 patient with psoriatic arthropathy. The pattern of FDG uptake was analysed visually and quantified as maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in a standard region of interest. Metabolic response on the scan was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively and was correlated with clinical assessment. RESULTS: The qualitative FDG uptake was in agreement with the clinically involved joints, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein values and the clinical assessment by the rheumatologist. All 17 patients in the RA group showed the highest FDG avidity in painful/swollen/tender joints. The uptake pattern was homogeneous, intense and poly-articular in distribution. Hypermetabolism in the regional nodes (axillary nodes in the case of upper limb joint involvement and inguinal nodes in lower limb joints) was a constant feature in patients with RA. Multiple other extra-articular lesions were also observed including thyroid glands (in associated thyroiditis) and in the subcutaneous nodules. Treatment response was better appreciated using SUVmax values than visual interpretation, when compared with clinical evaluation. Four pati展开更多
文摘A 30-year-old female patient with coexisting ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed and treated. The human leukocyte antigen （HLA）-B27 is a predisposing factor of ankylosing spondylitis and HLA-DR4 is a predisposing factor of rheumatoid arthritis. This patient was HLA-B27 and HLA-DR4 positive, and ankylosing spondylitis manifested before rheumatoid arthritis. After disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs successfully arrested ankylosing spondylitis activity the patient conceived and delivered a healthy baby. One year later, she developed peripheral polyarthritis and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. We hypothesized that pregnancy may be one of the environmental factors that can activate rheumatoid arthritis, and that disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs play an important role in keeping the disease under control.
文摘Inflammation of axial and/or peripheral joints is one of the most frequent extra-intestinal manifestations complicating the clinical course and therapeutic approach in inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD).The frequency of these complications seems to be similar for both diseases, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.Arthritis associated with IBD belongs to the category of spondyloarthropathies.Axial involvement ranges from isolated inflammatory back pain to ankylosing spondylitis, whereas peripheral arthritis is noted in pauciarticular and in polyarticular disease.Asymptomatic radiological involvement of the sacroiliac joints is reported to occur in up to 50% of patients.Other musculoskeletal manifestations such as buttock pain, dactylitis, calcaneal enthesitis, and thoracic pain are frequently underdiagnosed and, consequently, are not treated appropriately.Several diagnostic approaches and criteria have been proposed over the past 40 years in an attempt to correctly classify and diagnose such manifestations.The correct recognition of spondylarthropathies needs an integrated multidisciplinary approach in order to identify common therapeutic strategies, especially in the era of the new biologic therapies.
文摘AIM: To evaluate the role of fluorine-18-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) in various rheumatic diseases and its potential in the early assessment of treatment response in a limited number of patients. METHODS: This study involved 28 newly diagnosed patients, of these 17 had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 11 had seronegative spondyloarthropathy (SSA). In the SSA group, 7 patients had ankylosing spondylitis, 3 had psoriatic arthritis, and one had non-specific SSA. Patients with RA were selected as per the American College of Rheumatology criteria. One hour after FDG injection, a whole body PET scan was performed from the skull vertex to below the knee joints using a GE Advance dedicated PET scanner. Separate scans were acquired for both upper and lower limbs. Post-treatment scans were performed in 9 patients in the RA group (at 6-9 wk from baseline) and in 1 patient with psoriatic arthropathy. The pattern of FDG uptake was analysed visually and quantified as maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in a standard region of interest. Metabolic response on the scan was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively and was correlated with clinical assessment. RESULTS: The qualitative FDG uptake was in agreement with the clinically involved joints, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein values and the clinical assessment by the rheumatologist. All 17 patients in the RA group showed the highest FDG avidity in painful/swollen/tender joints. The uptake pattern was homogeneous, intense and poly-articular in distribution. Hypermetabolism in the regional nodes (axillary nodes in the case of upper limb joint involvement and inguinal nodes in lower limb joints) was a constant feature in patients with RA. Multiple other extra-articular lesions were also observed including thyroid glands (in associated thyroiditis) and in the subcutaneous nodules. Treatment response was better appreciated using SUVmax values than visual interpretation, when compared with clinical evaluation. Four pati
