The patient journey of fibromyalgia in Latin America.

Objectives: To explore the patient journey of people with fibromyalgia (FM) in Latin American countries in order to identify problems in health care and other areas that may be resolvable.

Methods: Qualitative study with phenomenological and content analysis approach through focus groups and patient journey (Ux; User Experience) methodology. Nine virtual focus groups were conducted with FM patients and healthcare professionals in Argentina, Mexico and Colombia recruited from key informants and social networks.

[Osteoarthrosis: implementation of current diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms].

In the modern world, among the different clinical presentations of osteoarthritis, gonarthrosis and coxarthrosis exhibit the highest prevalence. In this paper, the characteristics of osteoarthritis and the different scales of assessment and classification of this pathology are exposed, to provide an exhibition of current evidence generated around diagnostic algorithms and treatment of osteoarthritis, with emphasis set out in the knee and hip, as these are the most frequent; a rational procedure for monitoring patients with osteoarthritis based on characteristic symptoms and the severity of the condition is also set. Finally, reference is made to the therapeutic benefits of the recent introduction of viscosupplementation with Hylan GF-20.

Patient survival and safety with biologic therapy. Results of the Mexican National Registry Biobadamex 1.0.

This work reports patient treatment survival and adverse events related to Biologic Therapy (BT), identified by a multicenter ambispective registry of 2047 rheumatic patients undergoing BT and including a control group of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients not using BT. The most common diagnoses were: RA 79.09%, Ankylosing Spondilytis 7.

[Guidelines in RA treatment: concepts on safety and recommendations using anti-TNF-alpha inhibitors. Grupo de Estudio de Nuevas Terapias de Enfermedades reumáticas (GENTE)].

Recommendations for the use of Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARD) with both conventional and biological agents in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) must be based on their safety profile, adverse effects, risks, and advantages. With the purpose of presenting the most updated information about the safety of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) antagonists, in this article we summarize the literature published during the last three years about this sort of biological agents in specific clinical situations, such as risk of developing infections, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmunity; as well as their administration to patients who will undergo surgical procedures, pregnant and/or breast-feeding women, and patients who need immunizations. Likewise, in this analysis we offer specific recommendations, based on evidence, for the best anti-TNF-alfa management.

[Treatment guidelines for ankylosing spondylitis and its effect on Mexican rheumatology].

We describe the guidelines for the current treatment of ankylosing spondylitis with an emphasis on the role and outlook of the Mexican rheumatologic community. The topics we analyze include: epidemiological as well as professional, financial, health status, and quality of life aspects. We propose to acknowledge that axial spondyloarthritis is the earliest form of ankylosing spondylitis.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment with weekly leflunomide: an open-label study.

Objective: To assess the safety and effectiveness of leflunomide (LNF) using 100 mg/week in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients who were clinically active using the American College of Rheumatology criteria for RA were enrolled. They received a loading dose of 100 mg of LFN for 3 days, followed by 100 mg of LFN weekly.