Systematic review and meta-analysis on prevalence of metabolic syndrome in psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

Background: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis (PsO) are associated with systemic inflammation and increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with systemic inflammation, and conditions associated with MetS, such as obesity, are associated with difficulty in attaining minimal disease activity (MDA) in individuals with inflammatory arthritis. This systematic review aims to determine whether there is an increased prevalence of MetS in PsA populations compared with PsO and RA populations.

Cricopharyngeal bar and dermatomyositis: A cause of rapidly progressive dysphagia.

Background: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are immune-mediated conditions that affect striated muscle, and are frequently associated with dysphagia. Dysphagia in these cases can be due to weakness of the muscles involved in swallowing or the presence of restrictive pharyngeal defects, such as cricopharyngeal bars. Treatment of dysphagia in IIM revolves around immunosuppressive therapies, and procedures to disrupt cricopharyngeus muscle when immunosuppressive therapies are unsuccessful.

Systematic review of depression and anxiety in psoriatic arthritis.

Aim: To investigate the point prevalence of depression and anxiety in psoriatic arthritis and putative reductions in these comorbidities with the treatment of psoriatic arthritis.

Method: We performed a systematic review in accordance with PRISMA guidelines examining point prevalence of depression and anxiety in psoriatic arthritis as well as effects of treatment for psoriatic arthritis on these psychiatric comorbidities. MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBM Reviews and Cochrane, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to October 2017.

Improved management of acute gout during hospitalization following introduction of a protocol.

Aim: To determine whether implementation of a protocol to manage in-hospital acute gout has improved the care of patients by non-rheumatologists.

Method: Two systematic case-file reviews were performed to determine the management of acute gout in all episodes occurring in hospitalized patients before (April 2005-December 2006) and after (November 2008-September 2009) introduction of a protocol for acute gout management in a tertiary referral hospital. The protocol targeted non-rheumatologists with primary intentions to continue baseline anti-gout medications on admission, prevent inappropriate prescriptions of colchicine, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and allopurinol in the hospital, encourage invitations for assistance by rheumatology, and promote combination therapy in cases of severe gout.

Osteoporosis and fragility fractures.

The prevalence of osteoporosis is expected to increase with the ageing of the world's population. This article reviews the epidemiology, risk factors and health burden of osteoporosis. In the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2005, osteoporosis is studied as a risk factor for fracture by considering the bone-mineral-density (BMD) measurement as the continuous exposure variable.