Challenges and opportunities in the early diagnosis and optimal management of rheumatoid arthritis in Africa and the Middle East.

Early diagnosis and early initiation of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy slow the progression of joint damage and decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). According to the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) guidelines, treatment should be initiated with methotrexate and addition of biological DMARDs such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors should be considered for RA patients who respond insufficiently to methotrexate and/or other synthetic DMARDs and have poor prognostic factors. Africa and the Middle East is a large geographical region with varying treatment practices and standards of care in RA.

Molecular analysis of HumDN1 VNTR polymorphism of the human deoxyribonuclease I in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Deoxyribonuclease I (DNASE1) may be responsible for the removal of DNA from nuclear antigens at sites of high cell turnover, thus preventing the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The purpose of this study was to screen DNASE1 gene for mutations that may have an effect on susceptibility to develop SLE. DNA was extracted from 76 Kuwaiti SLE patients and 92 race-matched controls.