ARP Rheumatology最新文献

Objectives: To characterize patients evaluated in our Early Arthritis Clinic (EAC) in the first ten years; to assess diagnostic delay and its underlying causes; and to evaluate the level of agreement between the referring physician and the rheumatologist regarding the presence of referral criteria.

Methods: Cross-sectional study including patients attending EAC between 2012 and 2021. Demographic data, provenience, final diagnosis, referral criteria and time related to diagnosis delay were retrieved from clinical files and the Portuguese Registry of Rheumatic Patients (reuma.pt). Characteristics of the patients and the time variables were analysed with descriptive statistical analysis. The agreement between the referring physician and rheumatologist regarding the referral criteria was evaluated using Cohen's Kappa.

Results: A total of 440 patients (68.9% females, mean age of 54±16.7 years) were referred, mostly from primary care (71.6%). Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease was diagnosed in 65.7% of the patients, with 58.9% classified as early arthritis. The median time from onset of symptoms to referral for EAC was 76 days (IQR 33.5-144.0); the median time from referral to the first EAC was 34 (IQR 19.0-46.0) days, and the median time from onset of symptoms to first EAC was 114.5 (IQR 66.8-190.3) days (16.3 weeks). Only about 10% were observed by a Rheumatologist before six weeks after symptom onset. The level of agreement between the referring physician and the rheumatologist was slight to fair to clinical criteria and moderate to substantial to laboratory criteria.

Conclusions: A significant delay still is observed in patients with early arthritis suspicion, being the time from onset of symptoms to referral is the most relevant. A low agreement between referral and Rheumatologists suggests that non-rheumatologists education/training is needed. Identifying the barriers that prevent the adequate referral of patients is necessary to define strategies to improve it.

Salmonella is still observed as an infectious agent in developing countries, often causing gastrointestinal infections. Extra-gastrointestinal infections are rare and spinal infections are even rarer. This case report describes a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who is actively receiving biologic therapy, presented with dysphagia, recurrent fevers, back and arm pain, weight loss and weakness and was diagnosed with retropharyngeal and epidural Salmonella infection.

Aim: In this study, our primary aim was to compare ultrasound (US) findings of the median nerve between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) (RA(+)CTS), RA without CTS (RA(-)CTS) and healthy controls (HC) and to determine the optimal US parameters to detect the presence of CTS in RA patients.

Methods: 65 RA patients and 25 HC patients were included in this study. The diagnosis of CTS was made according to the clinical history and physical examination of the participants. Median nerve cross-sectional area(CSA) was measured at the carpal tunnel inlet(CTI), outlet(CTO), and forearm level by the US. In addition, anteroposterior(AP) and mediolateral(ML) diameters of the median nerve were measured. After the measurements, wrist-to-forearm ratio, wrist-to-forearm difference, and flattening ratio were calculated. The presence of tenosynovitis was investigated.

Results: CTS was detected in 26(40.0%) of 65 RA patients who participated in the study. CTS was detected in 43(35.2%) of 122 wrists of 65 RA patients. CTI CSA, CTO CSA, forearm CSA, anteroposterior/mediolateral diameter, wrist-to-forearm ratio, wrist-to-forearm difference, and flattening ratio were significantly higher in RA(+)CTS than in RA(-)CTS and HC(p<0.01). In addition, CDAI and CTI CSA(r=0.322, p<0.01), CTO CSA(r=0.301, p<0.01), CTI-to-forearm ratio(r=0.345, p<0.001), CTI-to-forearm difference(r=0.362, p<0.01) and CTO-Forearm difference(r=0.304, p<0.01) moderate correlation was found between. The frequency of tenosynovitis was higher in wrists with CTS than in wrists without CTS (p<0.05).

Conclusion: While the presence of CTS in RA patients is sonographically evaluated, it may be useful to evaluate parameters such as CTI-to-forearm difference, ratio, and CTI ML diameter rather than just sticking to CTI CSA during diagnosis. Correlations of these parameters with disease activity can also be noted.