Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increases the risk of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, including a 50–60% increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Arterial hypertension (HT) is considered the ...major contributing risk factor for CVD development in RA patients. In this investigation, we compared the incidence and prevalence of HT between RA and osteoarthritis (OA) and the influence of HT on CVD development in CVD-naive patients in both groups. This was a prospective clinical cohort investigation with an 8-year follow-up period. A total of 201 participants, 124 with RA (investigation group) and 77 with OA (control group), without diagnosed CVD or symptomatic heart failure were included. After selection according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, both groups underwent initial and final visits, and the investigation group underwent annual visits to assess disease activity. Case report forms were completed for each visit. The obtained data were analyzed by a statistician. No difference in the incidence or prevalence of HT was found between the investigation and control groups. No difference in the prevalence of HT was reported between the study groups and age-standardized data from the general population. The investigation group had a higher incidence of CVD than the control group. RA participants with long-term remission had a marginally lower HT prevalence. Although previous studies reported a higher HT prevalence in RA than in OA and the general population, our findings did not support this. The RA group had a higher incidence of CVD, but it is possible that optimal disease control with long-term remission could reduce HT incidence and prevalence while also having beneficial effects on other cardiovascular risk factors (CV) and, consequently, CVD occurrence.
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare disease characterized with recurrent swelling of subcutaneous or mucosal tissue that resolves in approximately 3 days. It can be presented with peripheral edema, ...abdominal and life-threatening laryngeal angioedema. A variety of triggers are known to cause episodes of angioedema including estrogen exposure. There are different reports regarding the effect of pregnancy on HAE attacks, and in some patients, the pregnancy is a recognized triggering factor.
We present a female Caucasian patient with pre-existing HAE and disease exacerbations during pregnancy, requiring prophylactic use of plasma-derived C1 inhibitor concentrate. She was treated with Cinryze® replacement therapy throughout the pregnancy 1000 IU i.v. 48 times. She gave birth to a healthy male infant, via C-section. After the delivery, the patient was symptom-free for 6 months and required no treatment for HAE.
In the case presented, the angioedema attacks worsened as the pregnancy progressed. The treatment with Cinryze® replacement therapy was effective and safe during pregnancy, with no adverse effects on the infant.
Behçet’s disease (BD) is vasculitis affecting vessels of variable sizes characterized with recurrent oral and/or genital aphthous ulcers accompanied by cutaneous, ocular, articular, gastrointestinal, ...and/or central nervous system inflammatory lesions. The disease is characterized by recurrent attacks and remissions of different durations, which is one of the reasons why the diagnosis is, in most cases, made several years after the onset of first symptoms. We present a 24-year old male, with South Eastern European heritage, with relapsing bilateral optic neuritis as a first symptom of the disease, followed by aseptic meningitis 2 years, and vascular manifestation 3 years after onset, which finally led to the diagnosis of Behçet’s disease. Vascular symptoms were thromboembolism of the right leg and aneurism of the right popliteal artery that due to the size required surgical treatment. The patient was treated with glucocorticoids, azathioprine and anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy, that proved to be the best treatment options for all manifestations of the disease. Based on our literature review, optic neuritis is a known and rare clinical feature of BD. To our knowledge, there are only several literature reports in which optic neuritis is the initial symptom of BD. Our case report and literature review emphasize the importance of recognizing optic neuritis without inflammatory eye disease as a possible presenting symptom of BD and accentuate detailed medical history review at each patient’s visit.
The aim of this study was to develop a Croatian Delphi-based expert consensus for screening interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with connective tissue disease (CTD). A systematic literature ...review was conducted on risk factors for the development of ILD, prevalence and incidence of ILD, diagnostic and screening methods for ILD, and prognosis of ILD in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM), mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and systemic sclerosis (SSc) were performed. Based on the evidence found, experts developed questionnaires for screening and monitoring ILD in each CTD, which were provided via an online survey. Following the electronic survey, two screening algorithms were developed based on the consensus opinions. The detection strategy for ILD included high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in addition to pulmonary function testing for IIM, MCTD, and SSc. and pulmonary function testing for newly diagnosed pSS, RA and SLE. However, in patients with identified risk factors for ILD HRCT, these tests should also be performed. A screening strategy for early identification of patients with various CTD-ILD was first developed by a multidisciplinary team of rheumatologists, pulmonologists, and radiologists to identify early CTD patients at risk of ILD, a severe extra-articular manifestation of CTD.
The purpose of the study was to examine whether rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) than osteoarthritis (OA) patients in association with a higher ...level of chronic systemic inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. A total of 583 RA and 344 OA outpatients were analyzed in this multicentric study. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. A 1.6-fold higher prevalence of MetS was found in patients with OA compared with the RA patients. Among the parameters of MetS, patients with OA had significantly higher levels of waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and triglycerides, whereas HDL cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure values were similar in both groups of patients. Higher values of inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in MetS than in non-MetS patients and higher prevalence of MetS in patients with CRP level ≥5 mg/L in both RA and OA patients were found. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, significant predictors of MetS were type of arthritis (OA vs. RA; OR 2.5 95 % CI 1.82–3.43), age (OR 1.04 95 % CI 1.03–1.06) and ESR (OR 1.01; 95 % CI 1.00–1.01). The significant association between OA and MetS was maintained in the regression model that controlled for body mass index (OR 1.87 95 % CI 1.34–2.61). The present analysis suggests that OA is associated with an increased risk of MetS, which may be due to a common underlying pathogenic mechanism.
In this study, we compare the prevalence of arterial hypertension (HT) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) patients, exposed to high- and low-grade chronic inflammation, ...respectively, to assess the possible association between chronic inflammation and HT. A total of consecutive 627 RA and 352 OA patients were enrolled in this multicentric study. HT was defined as a systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥ 140 and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg or current use of any antihypertensive drug. Overweight/obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25, and patients ≥65 years were considered elderly. The prevalence of HT was higher in the OA group than in the RA group 73.3 % (95 % CI, 68.4, 77.7) and 59.5 % (95 % CI, 55.6, 68.4) P < 0.001, respectively. When the results were adjusted for age and BMI, the HT prevalence was similar in both groups RA 59 % (95 % CI, 55.1, 63.8) OA 60 % (95 % CI, 58.4, 65.0). In both groups, the prevalence of HT was higher in the elderly and those who were overweight than in the younger patients and those with a BMI < 25. Overweight (BMI ≥ 25) and age ≥65 were independent predictors of HT in multivariate logistic regression model, which showed no association between HT and the disease (RA or OA). The results indicate a robust association of age and BMI with HT prevalence in both RA and OA. The difference in HT prevalence between RA and OA is due rather to age and BMI than to the features of the disease, putting into question specific association of HT with RA.
Arteritis divovskih stanica Perković, Dijana; Grazio, Simeon; Kehler, Tatjana ...
Liječnički vjesnik,
04/2021, Letnik:
143, Številka:
3-4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Arteritis divovskih stanica ili gigantocelularni arteritis (engl. Giant Cell Arteritis – GCA) najčešći je vaskulitis starije životne dobi. Obično zahvaća ogranke karotidnih arterija, poglavito ...temporalnu i oftalmičku arteriju. Nastanku bolesti uz genetsku predispoziciju doprinose i okolišni čimbenici. Interleukin 6 (IL-6), čija razina korelira s upalnom aktivnošću, jedan je od ključnih citokina u patogenezi bolesti. Sterilna upala stijenke arterije uz hiperplaziju intime i razvoj okluzije dovodi do ishemije koja je odgovorna za nastanak simptoma. U kliničkoj slici dominira glavobolja uz opće simptome. Može nastati i nagli gubitak vida zbog anteriorne ishemičke optičke neuropatije (engl. anterior ischemic optic neuropathy – AION). Nerijetko su prisutni i znakovi reumatske polimijalgije (polymyalgia rheumatica – PMR). U laboratorijskim nalazima tipična je izrazito ubrzana sedimentacija eritrocita (SE) i povišen C reaktivni protein (CRP). Dijagnoza se temelji na kliničkoj slici, laboratorijskim nalazima, patohistološkoj analizi bioptata temporalne arterije te radiološkim slikovnim prikazima. Brzo postavljanje dijagnoze ključno je za pravodobno i adekvatno liječenje i sprječavanje nastanka ranih i kasnih komplikacija (sljepoće, aneurizme i disekcije arterija). Liječenje je donedavno bilo ograničeno na primjenu glukokortikoida (GK) i konvencionalnih imunomodulatora. U ovom preglednom radu navedene su nove terapijske mogućnosti proizašle iz boljeg poznavanja patofiziologije bolesti. Recentna istraživanja rezultirala su korekcijama smjernica za liječenje GCA (što je 2018. godine učinilo i Hrvatsko reumatološko društvo) preporukom primjene IL-6 inhibitora, tocilizumaba u bolesnika s refraktornom ili relapsnom bolešću, a inicijalno u bolesnika s povišenim rizikom za razvoj komplikacija. U tijeku su klinička istraživanja koja otvaraju i druge terapijske opcije u skoroj budućnosti.
SAŽETAK
Hereditarni (nasljedni) angioedem (HAE) je rijetka nasljedna bolest obilježena ponavljajućim napadajima bolnog oticanja potkožnog i submukoznog tkiva. Ponavljajući napadaji angioedema dovode ...do funkcionalnih oštećenja, smanjenja kvalitete života (engl. Quality of Life, QoL) i povećane smrtnosti. Na temelju koncentracije i funkcije inhibitora esteraze komponente 1 (C1) komplementa (C1-INH) HAE je podijeljen u tri tipa. Tip 1 HAE (HAE-1) obilježen je niskom koncentracijom C1-INH i obuhvaća oko 85% svih slučajeva HAE. Oko 15% bolesnika s HAE ima normalnu koncentraciju C1-INH, dok je aktivnost enzima smanjena, što je obilježje tipa 2 HAE (HAE-2). Tip 3 HAE ima normalnu koncentraciju C1-INH (HAE nC1-INH). Terapija HAE uključuju liječenje akutnih napada, kratkotrajnu profilaksu (engl. short term prophylaxis, STP) i dugotrajnu profilaksu (engl. long term prophylaxis, LTP). LTP podrazumijeva primjenu terapije za smanjenje učestalosti i ozbiljnosti napadaja te poboljšanje kvalitete života u bolesnika koji imaju učestale i ozbiljne napade. U Hrvatskoj su za LTP dostupni atenuirani androgeni koji su opterećeni štetnim učincima. No, za dugoročnu profilaksu napadaja HAE moguće je primijeniti i lanadelumab. To je potpuno ljudsko monoklonsko protutijelo i vrlo je snažan i specifičan inhibitor kalikreina u plazmi, a odobren je u više zemalja EU.
Digitalne ulceracije opisuju se u više od 50% oboljelih s lokaliziranom i sistemskom sklerozom. Teška su komplikacija bolesti koja izrazito narušava kvalitetu života bolesnika zbog intenzivne boli, ...poremećene funkcije, sklonosti lokalnim infekcijama, a u teškim slučajevima i gangrenama, te amputacijama. Posljedica su vaskulopatije i angiopatije koje u konačnici dovode do obliteracije digitalnih arterija i ishemije tkiva. Liječe se nefarmakološkim postupcima i primjenom farmakoloških pripravaka. Rana dijagnoza bolesti u pretkliničkoj fazi omogućila bi preventivno liječenje dok nastala oštećenja nisu ireverzibilna.
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