Systemic lupus erythematosus. Disease outcome in patients with a disease duration of at least 10 years: second evaluation.

Data related to the disease course of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with special attention to the persistence of disease activity in the long term are scarce. At this moment reliable figures are only known about the survival rate as a measure of outcome. The aim of this multicenter study was to describe the outcome of SLE patients with a disease duration of greater than 10 y.

Incomplete lupus erythematosus: results of a multicentre study under the supervision of the EULAR Standing Committee on International Clinical Studies Including Therapeutic Trials (ESCISIT).

Objective: Patients characterized with antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and disease symptoms related to one organ system can be described as having incomplete systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this multicentre study was to describe the outcome of these so-called incomplete SLE patients. Two aspects of the outcome were studied: (i) the disease course, defined by the presence or absence of clinical symptoms; and (ii) the number of patients that eventually developed full SLE.

Systemic lupus erythematosus: clinical features in patients with a disease duration of over 10 years, first evaluation.

Objective: Most information available about the disease course of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is restricted to the first 5 yr after disease onset. Data about the disease course 10 yr after disease onset are rare. The aim of this multicentre study was to describe the outcome of SLE patients with a disease duration of >10 yr.

Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients with active and severe RA (disease duration <8 years) were recruited into a 24-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. Doses of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and/or oral corticosteroids (< or =10 mg prednisolone daily) remained constant throughout the study.

Safety and effectiveness of leflunomide in the treatment of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase II study.

Objective: To assess the safety and effectiveness of leflunomide versus placebo in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated for 6 months.

Methods: Four hundred two patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo or leflunomide at 5 mg, 10 mg, or 25 mg daily. A washout period of 6-12 weeks from prior second-line therapy was required.

Cervicobrachial syndrome--work and disability.

The subjects in the study were 114 persons receiving a disability pension or referred for disability assessment. They were placed in two groups of 57 persons each, one with marked cervicobrachial syndrome and the other without. The latter group was chosen by the method of equivalent pairs with regard to sex and age.

A double-blind trial of ademetionine vs naproxen in activated gonarthrosis.

The efficacy and safety of ademetionine (A) vs naproxen (N) were tested in a double-blind trial carried out in 20 patients, each with activated gonarthrosis. The trial lasted 6 weeks. During the first week, A was administered at a daily dose of 3 x 400 mg and afterwards at a dose of 2 x 400 mg, whereas the daily dose of N during the first week was 3 x 250 mg and subsequently 2 x 250 mg.

[The value of individual laboratory tests in the evaluation of inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis].

In 65 patients with definite or classical rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to ARA criteria, and the active disease, we studied the correlation of the clinical status (the number of the swollen and tender joints) with the following laboratory parameters: sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, serum iron level, haemoglobin content and the number of erythrocytes, leucocytes and thrombocytes in the peripheral blood. All patients received nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; 25,5% of them were on small daily doses of corticosteroids, and most of them (76,5%) were receiving some of the second-line drugs. The acceleration of the sedimentation rate was the most useful laboratory parameter and was found in 96,9% of the patients, followed by an increased quantity of the alpha-2 globulin, sideropenia and a decreased level of haemoglobin.

Effect of imaging time on the values of the sacroiliac index.

Quantitative scintigraphy of the sacroiliac joints was performed in a group of normal subjects and a group of subjects with unilateral and bilateral sacroiliitis. The aim of the study was to determine whether the time intervals of imaging had any effect on the values of the sacroiliac index. Imaging was performed every 30 min up to 300 min and the indices were calculated at the time intervals mentioned.

The value of early and late 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate scintigrams of hands in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

Scintigrams of hands performed immediately after injection of 555 MBq 99mTc-methylene disphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) have been found to be the same and to have the same diagnostic value as those performed with 99mTcO4 both in persons without arthritic changes and in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Increased accumulation at this point is caused by hypervascularity due to inflammation, bone accretion being still negligible. Additional exposure to radiation from 99mTcO4 scintigraphy can therefore be avoided.

Double-blind crossover comparison of piroxicam and indomethacin in rheumatoid arthritis.

This 10-week, double-blind, crossover study compared piroxicam (20 mg administered once daily) and indomethacin (25 mg administered three times daily) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In the 30 patients evaluated, both drugs produced statistically significant improvement after 4 weeks compared to placebo in all parameters measured with the exception of joint swelling and 10 m walking time. Piroxicam provided greater improvement with respect to the severity of pain, joint tenderness and restoration of motion, and was significantly more effective than indomethacin in reducing the consumption of paracetamol and in improving morning stiffness.

Influence of age on quantitative sacro-iliac joint imaging.

Computer processing of sacro-iliac (S-I) joint scintigrams represents a significant contribution to the diagnostic workup of this area. The S-I index is calculated as the ratio between the total number of counts in the region of interest placed on the S-I joint and an identical region placed on the sacrum. S-I indexes were determined in a group of 70 patients aged 13-77 years to establish the influence of age on normal index values.