Rheumatology international
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Clinical Trial
A manual therapy intervention improves symptoms in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: a pilot study.
In carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), manual therapy interventions (MTI) reduce tissue adhesion and increase wrist mobility. We evaluated the efficacy of a MTI in relieving CTS signs and symptoms. Twenty-two CTS patients (pts) (41 hands) were treated with a MTI, consisting in 6 treatments (2/week for 3 weeks) of soft tissues of wrist and hands and of carpal bones. ⋯ No changes in SNCV, DML and CTS scoring were shown. MTI improved CTS signs and symptoms, with benefits maintained at follow-up. Thus, it may be valid as a conservative therapy.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have inflammatory back pain (IBP) and meet the existing classification criteria for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and spondyloarthritis (SpA). We included 167 patients fulfilling the ACR 1987 revised criteria for RA. After obtaining a medical history and performing a physical examination, standard pelvic X-rays for examination of the sacroiliac joints (SIJ) were ordered in all patients. ⋯ Three patients (1.8 %) fulfilled the mNY criteria for AS, 31 (18.6 %) ESSG and 26 (15.6 %) Amor criteria for SpA. Nine patients (five with MRI sacroiliitis) (5.3 %) were classified as having axial SpA according to new ASAS classification criteria. This study suggests that the prevalence of SpA features in patients with RA may be much higher than expected.
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Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic disorder characterized by mucocutaneous and multisystem manifestations. Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and may be present concomitantly with several rheumatic diseases. Our aims were to investigate the prevalence of FM in patients with BD and to evaluate the possible relation of FM presence with BD disease activity. ⋯ Also, there were significant correlations between BDCAF and FIQ items that refer pain and fatigue (p < 0.01). FM is a common and important clinical problem that may represent an additional factor that worsens pain and physical limitations in patients with BD. The higher prevalence of FM in patients with BD seems to be affected by BD itself, rather than its severity.
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Multicenter Study
Sexuality of men with fibromyalgia: what are the factors that cause sexual dysfunction?
The purpose of the present study is to compare male patients with the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) with healthy individuals in terms of the sexual function. For the purposes of this study, 37 sexually active male FMS patients and 30 healthy controls were enrolled. The demographic data of the patients were recorded, and the widespread pain observed in FMS was graded with the help of the visual analogue scale (VAS 0-100 mm). ⋯ The SF-36 scores (physical functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, pain and general health perception) were observed to be positively correlated with the IIEF scores (p < 0.05). No significant relationship has been observed between the scores obtained from the domains of IIEF and the psychological status (p > 0.05). FMS leads to an impairment in the sexual function in male patients, which is especially strongly associated with the age, widespread pain and the quality of life.
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The aim of this study is to investigate sleep quality in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to evaluate the relationship of the disease parameters with sleep disturbance. Eighty AS patients (60 males and 20 females) fulfilling the modified New York criteria, and 52 age- and gender-matched controls (33 males and 19 females) were enrolled in the study. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). ⋯ Pain was also an independent contributor to poorer sleep quality (p = 0.002). The sleep quality is disturbed in patients with AS. The lower quality of sleep is greatly associated with the pain, disease activity, depression, quality of life and increased limitation of mobility.