0000000000149492
AUTHOR
S. Sallì
Fibromyalgia and arthritides
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome that affects at least 2% of the adult population. It is characterised by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep alterations and distress, and emerging evidence suggests a central nervous system (CNS) malfunction that increases pain transmission and perception. FM is often associated with other diseases that act as confounding and aggravating factors, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritides (SpA), osteoarthritis (OA) and thyroid disease. Mechanism-based FM management should consider both peripheral and central pain, including effects due to cerebral input and that come from the descending inhibitory pathways. Rheumatologists should be able…
Different effects of biological drugs in rheumatoid arthritis
Biological drugs have brought new hope to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in whom previously existing treatments could not control inflammation, joint destruction, or the progression of disability. The five currently available TNF blockers are approved for treating RA patients, but they have different structures, morphology, pharmacokinetic properties, and activity. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) have shown that they improve the signs and symptoms of both early and long-standing RA and other inflammatory arthritides, prevent radiographic progression, and improve the patients' health-related quality of life. However, they are more effective in combination with methotrexate (MTX) t…
AB0427 Clinical and laboratory findings in patients with late-onset sle and correlations with il6 concentrations
Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune rheumatic disease that usually develops in women aged 18-50 years. It is known that age at onset modifies the clinical manifestations of SLE, and so the elderly may form a specific patient subgroup. It is now well established that the serum levels of the cytokines interleukin (IL) 6 and IL10 are increased in patients with SLE (1). Objectives The primary aim was to compare the type of clinical involvement and autoantibodies in patients with late-onset (LO) or early-onset (EO) SLE. The second aim was to compare IL6 levels in the two patient groups and their possible correlations with clinical and immunological manifestations. Meth…
Lung involvement and drug-induced lung disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Usual interstitial pneumonia and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia seem to be the most frequent patterns in RA patients with ILD, although the proportion of patients with usual interstitial pneumonia is higher than among patients with other systemic rheumatic autoimmune diseases. RA patients with ILD most frequently present with chronic symptoms of cough and dyspnea when climbing stairs or walking uphill. A physical examination may reveal inhalatory crackles and a pulmonary function test demonstrates restrictive physiology, often with re…