International journal of rheumatic diseases
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Gout is a common condition which is mainly treated with the hypo-uricemic agent, allopurinol. Although allopurinol is generally a well-tolerated drug, there is a small risk of developing potentially fatal complications, such as allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome. Recent advances in pharmacogenomics have made possible the identification of genes which confer susceptibility to specific drugs. ⋯ The allele frequency of HLA-B*5801 is highest in the South East Asian population. Since other hypo-uricemic agents are available, patients may wish to have HLA-B*5801 testing before being started on allopurinol. As the test for HLA-B*5801 is expensive, time-consuming and only available in selected laboratories, there is a need to evaluate the utility and cost-effectiveness of this test in our region.
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Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. It is a less frequently diagnosed disease in China, thus Chinese rheumatologists may have lower awareness of FM compared with colleagues in Western countries. The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of FM in Chinese rheumatologists and analyze their therapeutic approach in clinical practice. ⋯ The awareness and perception of FM are still low among Chinese rheumatologists. CME on FM is needed for improving the quality of health care in China.
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Recent studies report that cardiovascular mortality is more common in patients with spondyloarthropathy (SpA) compared with the normal population. In this study, we aimed to determine left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions using tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) in addition to conventional methods in undifferentiated SpA (uSpA) patients. ⋯ In this study we determined that left ventricular systolic function is preserved in patients with uSpA. Although frequency of diastolic dysfunction was similar in both groups, deterioration of some diastolic parameters in the uSpA group might be considered for possible cardiac involvement in patients with uSpA.
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Several studies have reported STAT4 polymorphism is strongly associated with increased susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, a study from China showed no association between STAT4 and RA susceptibility in a Chinese Han subpopulation. Since the northern Hans are known to be genetically different from the southern Hans, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of STAT4 polymorphism with RA in a large cohort of a northern Chinese Han subpopulation. ⋯ STAT4 rs7574865 is significantly associated with RA susceptibility in northern Chinese Han subpopulations. The genetic differences of Han subpopulations should be considered when genetic susceptibility for diseases is studied.