Giant cell arteritis in Mumbai.

Objective: To study the clinical profile of patients with giant cell arteritis in Mumbai.

Methods: From our database, patients with a diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) over a fifteen year period (January 1990 to December 2005) were included. Clinical manifestations, temporal artery biopsy, treatment, and follow-up data of these patients were analyzed.

Evaluation of the knee pathology by ultrasonography.

Fourteen patients undergoing total knee replacement for the arthritic conditions of the knee were evaluated by ultrasonography (USG) prior to surgery. USG findings (synovium, fluid, femoral cartilage, cyst and loose bodies) were compared with surgical findings. USG and surgical findings matched for synovial pathology in 57%, for presence fluid in 71% and for cartilage damage in 45%.

The spectrum of chronic autoimmune hepatitis.

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is characterised by the presence of periportal hepatitis coupled with the presence of autoantibodies in the serum. We report our experience with 10 cases (females--8, males--2) who presented to the rheumatology clinic with either articular or extra-articular manifestations. Three patients (1 SLE, 1 Sjogren's and 1 RA), satisfied the criteria for an underlying rheumatic disease (secondary AIH) while, others had primary AIH.

The sternoclavicular syndrome: experience from a district general hospital and results of a national postal survey.

Objective: To report our local experience of the sternoclavicular syndrome and sample the experience of other rheumatologists in the UK.

Methods: We studied case records of 23 patients referred to the Southend rheumatology clinic and data obtained from a postal questionnaire survey of British rheumatologists.

Results: We describe 58 cases (20 males and 38 females, mean age 47.

Clinical trial of benidipine in mild to moderate hypertension.

Thirty four patients with mild to moderate hypertension, were put on benidipine 4 mg/day after two weeks of placebo therapy. Twenty five patients completed the trial successfully for 4 mg benidipine. The blood pressure of 20 patients was controlled with benidipine 4 mg/day (effective rate 80%).

A study of the health assessment questionnaire to evaluate functional status in polymyalgia rheumatica.

Objective: To evaluate the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) in the assessment of functional status, its responsiveness to change with treatment and its correlation with conventional disease activity indices in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).

Methods: Newly diagnosed patients with PMR, satisfying modified Jones and Hazleman criteria, were recruited to the study. The clinical assessments, including early morning stiffness (EMS), pain measured on a horizontal 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS), C-reactive protein (CRP) and the HAQ, were carried out 0, 6, 12 and 24 weeks after treatment had been started.

Echocardiography in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Two dimensional echocardiography with doppler examination was performed in 54 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Nine (17%) had significant cardiac involvement (four left ventricular hypertrophy, one moderate pericardial effusion, one severe aortic regurgitation, and three ventricular systolic dysfunction). We further studied diastolic function in 45 patients who did not have a major abnormality in echo.