The relationship between work, mental health, physical health, and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study.

To evaluate the relationship between work, mental health, physical health, and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the data of 282 participants were drawn from baseline. The results of structural equation modeling showed that among rheumatoid arthritis patients, those who were engaged in occupational activity had lower levels of fatigue compared to those who did not work and that this relationship was mediated by better mental health, not by physical health.

Complex rehabilitation and the clinical condition of working rheumatoid arthritis patients: does cryotherapy always overtop traditional rehabilitation?

Aim: Rehabilitation slows the progress of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and prevents progression of disability. This study aimed to compare the impact of two rehabilitation programmes on pain, disease activity, locomotor function, global health and work ability forecast in RA patients.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-four employed women aged 24-65 years participated in the study.

Treat-to-target in systemic lupus erythematosus: recommendations from an international task force.

The principle of treating-to-target has been successfully applied to many diseases outside rheumatology and more recently to rheumatoid arthritis. Identifying appropriate therapeutic targets and pursuing these systematically has led to improved care for patients with these diseases and useful guidance for healthcare providers and administrators. Thus, an initiative to evaluate possible therapeutic targets and develop treat-to-target guidance was believed to be highly appropriate in the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients as well.

Psychological factors at work and musculoskeletal disorders: a one year prospective study.

The etiology of musculoskeletal disorders is complex, with physical and psychosocial working conditions playing an important role. This study aimed to determine the relationship between psychosocial work conditions, such as psychological job demands, decision latitude, social support and job insecurity and musculoskeletal complains (MSCs) and (repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) in a 1-year prospective study. The job content questionnaire, the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire and provocation tests were used to study 725 employees aged 20-70 years.

Analysis of conditions and organization of work of notebook computer users.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate working conditions with a notebook computer (notebook) as a potential cause of musculoskeletal disorders.

Material And Methods: The study had 2 stages. The first one was a questionnaire survey among 300 notebook users.

[The role of psychosocial work factors in the development of musculoskeletal disorders in workers].

The aim of the study was to determine the role of psychosocial work factors in the development of musculoskeletal disorders in workers. It should be stressed that over a decade these disorders have been the subject of studies because of complaints reported not only by workers performing heavy physical work or working in awkward, forced body posture. It has also been acknowledged that stress at work caused by various psychosocial work factors can significantly influence their development.

[Acquired musculoskeletal dysfunction syndromes in workers in the light of epidemiological studies].

Acquired musculoskeletal dysfunction syndromes (overload syndromes) that cause limitation of the system efficiency belong nowadays to the most serious problems in the medical care of workers. The etiology of overload syndromes is multifactorial, which means that occupational factors constitute only one of many causes fostering the development of those disorders. Occupational factors which increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders include physical factors related to the work environment or the way the work is performed, such as body posture, value of exerted forces, movement repetitiveness, load handling, mechanical vibration or microclimate as well as psychosocial factors, such as quantitative and qualitative overload, lack of control, lack of social support or work insecurity.

Job strain, overtime, life style, and cardiovascular risk in managers and physical workers.

The purpose of the study was to determine the relation between overtime, job strain and life style, and cardiovascular risk (CVR) in 97 managers and 98 physical workers. CVR was measured with the Framingham method. Information about job strain, overtime, life style and extra-occupational activities was obtained with a self-administered questionnaire.

[Psychologic stress and its predictors in rheumatoid arthritis].

This article presents the current conceptualization of stress with particular attention focused on psychologic stress in rheumatic diseases: its sources, pathophysiology, and techniques of coping. Predictors, i.e.

Psychological stress in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a comparative Polish-German study: summary of the current conceptualization of the role of stress in rheumatoid arthritis.

Cultural differences in experiencing individual stress in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients might be observed. The aim of the study was to assess quality of life and psychological stress (distress) in RA patients, and to evaluate socio-demographic and disease specific variables predicting stress of patients. The study covered 300 Polish and 137 German RA patients.

Coronary heart disease risk factors and cardiovascular risk in physical workers and managers.

This study aimed to assess the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors and cardiovascular risk in physical workers and managers in Poland. There were 232 male subjects: 123 managers (48.9 +/- 11.

Perceived work-related stress and early atherosclerotic changes in healthy employees.

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between perceived work-related stress and preclinical atherosclerosis.

Methods: A total of 100 managers and 50 office workers aged 35-65 participated in a questionnaire study. Individual, family and work-related stress risk factors and coping were evaluated in all the studied individuals.

Carpal tunnel syndrome in occupational medicine practice.

Work-related overload syndromes are chiefly associated with the upper limbs, where carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) plays a leading role. This article analyses methods of diagnosing CTS, with special emphasis on those that can be used by physicians in early diagnosis of CTS in workers doing monotonous work. It also discusses occupational (e.

Occupational work and quality of life in osteoarthritis patients.

The ageing European population suffers from chronic diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to investigate the work activity/ability, the quality of life and reciprocal interaction between both in OA patients. A total of 750 OA outpatients were evaluated by a questionnaire study.

Risk factors for atherosclerosis in healthy employees-a multidisciplinary approach.

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of early atherosclerosis in healthy workers and the relationship between classical, psychological, and immunological risk factors and atherosclerosis, as well as their predictive value.

Methods: One hundred healthy managers and 50 office workers aged 35-65 were studied. In all subjects, individual, family, and occupational stress/coping risk factors were evaluated, including plasma levels of biochemical (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, TG, glucose) and inflammatory-immunological (aCL, anti-beta(2) GPI, oxLDL, HSP, HSCRP) parameters.

Work ability in ageing workers suffering from chronic diseases.

The aim of this study was to investigate the work ability in ageing workers suffering from osteoarthritis (OA), coronary heart disease (CHD) or hypertension (H). One hundred and sixty-six OA and 355 CHD/H outpatients were evaluated. The Work Ability Index (WAI) served for work ability assessment.

Systemic lupus erythematosus in Europe at the change of the millennium: lessons from the "Euro-Lupus Project".

The "Euro-Lupus Cohort" is composed by 1000 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that have been followed prospectively since 1991. These patients have been gathered by a European consortium--the "Euro-Lupus Project Group". This consortium was originated as part of the network promoted by the "European Working Party on SLE", a working group created in 1990 in order to promote research in Europe on the different problems related to this disease.

Self-rated emotional functioning of patients with neurological or asymptomatic form of Wilson's disease.

Psychopathology was assessed in 50 patients with the neurological form of Wilson's disease (WD-N) and in 17 asymptomatic patients (WD-A) compared to matched healthy controls and to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) control patients using The Hopkins Symptom Checklist. As hypothesized, WD-N patients had significantly lower interpersonal sensitivity and aggression/hostility scores than had healthy controls, but did not differ from them either in depression or anxiety levels. Retarded depression and anxiety were higher among RA patients than in WD-N patients.

Stress--where are we now? Does immunity play an intrinsic role?

The whole world experiences progress and development, however it is the human being who pays the price in stress--an inevitable part of modern life. When encountering stress, an individual reacts at the level of both the micro- and macroenvironment. Nowadays, stress is defined as a real or interpreted threat to the physiological or psychological integrity of an individual, which results in a physiological and/or behavioral response.

Lessons from the "Euro-Lupus Cohort".

The "Euro-Lupus Cohort" is composed by 1,000 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that have been followed prospectively since 1991. These patients have been gathered by a European consortium - the "Euro-Lupus Project Group". This consortium was originated as part of the network promoted by the "European Working Party on SLE", a working group created in 1990 in order to promote research in Europe on the different problems related to this disease.

[Neurological and psychiatric symptoms in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus].

Sixty patients (51 women/9 men) with diagnosis of SLE were studied for finding out the frequency of nervous system involvement in SLE, the time of of appearance of neurological involvement after diagnosis establishing, the coexistence of the antiphospholipid syndrome, and the character of changes in MR, CT and CSF. Nervous system involvement was found in 40 cases (67%), with 34 cases (56%) had involvement of the CNS, 6 patients (10%) had symptoms of peripheral nervous system dysfunction, and 3 (5%) had involvement of both systems. In 4 cases polineuropathy and transverse spinal cord lesion, and in 3 cases psychiatric symptoms were the first manifestations of SLE.

Evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid for the presense of anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) in NP-SLE patients.

Many neurological or psychiatric manifestations of SLE (NP-SLE) are related to the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) in the patient's sera. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of aCL in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in SLE patients with NP features. Fifteen SLE patients were studied, all with NP features.

HLA class II alleles associations of anticardiolipin and anti-beta2GPI antibodies in a large series of European patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The objective of this study was to determine the HLA class II associations of the anticardiolipin (aCL) and anti-beta2GPI (abeta2GPI) antibodies in a large series of European patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A cohort of 577 European SLE patients was enrolled. aCL and abeta2GPI were measured by ELISA methods.