Presence Of Inflammatory Arthritis Research Articles

Effects of Ankle Arthrodesis vs Total Ankle Arthroplasty on Patient’s Shoe-Wear: What Fits Better?

Category: Ankle Arthritis; Ankle Introduction/Purpose: Currently there are two major surgical options for the treatment of end-stage ankle arthritis (ESAA), namely total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) and ankle arthrodesis (AA). Many patients inquire about what shoes they can expect to wear after surgery. Shoes should fit to the patient’s feet, help shielding pathological joints, be comfortable, but also fashionable, as they are part of personal style and fashion. The impact ESAA surgery has on choice of shoes and consecutively on quality of life, has not been studied. Potentially maintenance of ankle range of motion and improved gait mechanics with TAA could also improve the ability to comfortably wear different styles of shoes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of either AA and TAA on shoe-wear. Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of a cohort of ESAA patients surgically treated with AA or TAA from the COFAS (Canadian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society) database. Patient’s shoe wear comfort was obtained from the Musculoskeletal Outcomes Data Evaluation and Management Scale questionnaire, completed pre-operatively and post-operatively two and five years following surgery. The relationship between ankle-related quality of life and shoe-wear comfort, adjusting for patient factors was evaluated. A linear regression model adjusted for age, gender, BMI, smoking status, presence of inflammatory arthritis and baseline score was calculated. Additionally, differences within each pre-operative COFAS grades were analyzed. Results: 104 patients after AA and 106 following TAR have been included. The mean pre-operative baseline score did not differ between the cohorts (39.36 for AA and 38.94 for TAA, respectively; p= 0.74). Comparing AA patients with TAA patient scores over a 5-year period, there was no difference in shoe-wear comfort after 2 years, but after 5 years scores significantly improved for TAA patients (p= 0.02). Subgroup analysis showed that COFAS 4 patients improved the most with significant changes already after 2 years (mean difference 5.4, p=0.05), which further improved after 5 years of follow-up (mean difference 10.7, p=0.001). Conclusion: This study is the first study to elucidate patient experience after ankle arthrodesis and total ankle arthroplasty with regards to their shoe-wear. Patients undergoing TAR have better shoe-wear scores by five years post-operatively than those undergoing AA. Especially patients with a COFAS 4 grade, which represents a patient population with adjacent joint arthritis, show significant improvement already 2 years after surgery. This data is useful when counselling patients preoperatively, and further provides support for TAA over AA after appropriate patient selection.

Vaccination Coverage and Associated Factors of COVID-19 Uptake in Adult Primary Health Care Users in Greece.

In our study, attitudes and perceptions of adult primary health care users regarding COVID-19 vaccination were evaluated. A single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted during a 1-year period (March 2021-March 2022) in a rural area in Crete, Greece. A sample of 626 self-reported questionnaires was collected at the end of the study period. Overall, 78% of respondents stated that they had received the COVID-19 vaccine. The reasons behind vaccine uptake were mainly personal beliefs and the desire to avoid professional constraints. The presence of diabetes type 2, fear of infection, and high perceived efficacy of vaccine previous flu vaccination, living with vulnerable persons, and the influence of scientific information were all significant predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake. On the contrary, unwillingness and/or uncertainty to be vaccinated was associated with fear of vaccine side effects, information insufficiency, media/internet information, older age, the presence of inflammatory arthritis, previous COVID-19 infection, the belief that infection confers much greater immunity than the vaccine, and attitudes against vaccinations in general were predictors against COVID-19 vaccination. In conclusion, taking into account all of the above predictors and particularly those regarding safety and vaccine effectiveness may guide future strategies appropriately tailored to specific characteristics and needs of different geographic populations.

P148 ANA and Anti-dsDNA antibody enabling the prediction of inflammatory arthritis in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract Background Inflammatory arthritis is frequent as an extraintestinal manifestation of IBD, as well as a paradoxical reaction to biological treatment. Anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) and Anti-dsDNA antibody have been associated with inflammatory arthritis. We aim to assess the correlation between the presence of ANA and Anti-dsDNA antibody and the diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis in patients with IBD under biological treatment. Methods We present a cohort study, including IBD patients under biological treatment, presenting at least a treatment session in the first 2 months of 2020. Data was gathered from medical records, laboratorial analysis, namely ANA and Anti-dsDNA, were collected in the treatment session, and every patient posteriorly answered telephonically validated questionnaires to assess the presence of inflammatory arthritis, the outcome variable. A univariate analysis followed by a multivariate logistic regression, including statistically significant variables, tested the correlation towards inflammatory arthritis. A ROC curve tested the performance of the final model. Results We included 122 patients, 64 (52.5%) were women, and the mean age was 39 years old. Eighty-six (70.5%) patients presented Crohn’s Disease and 36 (29.5%) Ulcerative Colitis. A hundred (82%) patients were under Infliximab, 21 under Vedolizumab (17.2%) and only 1(0.8%) under Adalimumab. Thirty-three patients (27%) met questionnaire criteria for inflammatory arthritis, either peripheric or axial. The variables age, ANA and ANA’s title, age at IBD diagnosis and number of symptomatic articulations involved were associated with the presence of inflammatory arthritis. The multivariate model including ANA (OR 4.149 [1.03–16.711] p=0.045); number of articulations involved (OR 2.683 [1.783–4.038] p<0.001) and higher age at IBD diagnosis, accurately identified patients with diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis (ROC AUC 0.957 [0.926–0.987] p<0.001). A sub-analysis correlating ANA and the presence of inflammatory arthritis after biological initiation showed a statistical tendency (OR 2.231 [0.908–5.478] p<0.08). Conclusion The presence of ANA antibodies and a higher number of symptomatic articulations involved independently increased the rate of inflammatory arthritis diagnosis in up to 4 times, in a cohort of patients with IBD under biological treatment. The inclusion in a multivariate model displayed an excellent accuracy and performance towards the diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis. ANA antibodies together with validated questionaries may aid in the identification of IBD patients suffering from inflammatory arthritis.

Evaluation of the Risk Factors for a Rotator Cuff Retear After Repair Surgery

Background: A retear is a significant clinical problem after rotator cuff repair. However, no study has evaluated the retear rate with regard to the extent of footprint coverage. Purpose: To evaluate the preoperative and intraoperative factors for a retear after rotator cuff repair, and to confirm the relationship with the extent of footprint coverage. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from 693 patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair between January 2006 and December 2014. All repairs were classified into 4 types of completeness of repair according to the amount of footprint coverage at the end of surgery. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after a mean postoperative duration of 5.4 months. Preoperative demographic data, functional scores, range of motion, and global fatty degeneration on preoperative MRI and intraoperative variables including the tear size, completeness of rotator cuff repair, concomitant subscapularis repair, number of suture anchors used, repair technique (single-row or transosseous-equivalent double-row repair), and surgical duration were evaluated. Furthermore, the factors associated with failure using the single-row technique and transosseous-equivalent double-row technique were analyzed separately. Results: The retear rate was 7.22%. Univariate analysis revealed that rotator cuff retears were affected by age; the presence of inflammatory arthritis; the completeness of rotator cuff repair; the initial tear size; the number of suture anchors; mean operative time; functional visual analog scale scores; Simple Shoulder Test findings; American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores; and fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and subscapularis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed patient age, initial tear size, and fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus as independent risk factors for a rotator cuff retear. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the single-row group revealed patient age and fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus as independent risk factors for a rotator cuff retear. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the transosseous-equivalent double-row group revealed a frozen shoulder as an independent risk factor for a rotator cuff retear. Conclusion: Our results suggest that patient age, initial tear size, and fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus are independent risk factors for a rotator cuff retear, whereas the completeness of rotator cuff repair based on the extent of footprint coverage and repair technique are not.

Correlation of Periodontal Disease With Inflammatory Arthritis in the Time Before Modern Medical Intervention.

Controversy exists regarding possible correlation of periodontal disease with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Confounding factors may relate to stringency of inflammatory disease diagnosis and the effect of therapeutic intervention for RA on periodontal disease. These factors are investigated in this study. Forty-five individuals with documented RA (n = 15), spondyloarthropathy (n = 15), and calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD) (n = 15), from the Hamann-Todd collection of human skeletons compiled from 1912 to 1938, and 15 individuals contemporarily incorporated in the collection were examined for tooth loss, cavity occurrence, average and maximum lingual and buccal depth of space between tooth and bone, periosteal reaction, serpentine bone resorption, abscess formation, and root penetration of the bone surface and analyzed by analysis of variance. Tooth loss was common, but actual number of teeth lost, cavity occurrence, average and maximum lingual and buccal depth of space between tooth and bone, periosteal reaction, serpentine grooving surrounding teeth (considered a sign of inflammation), abscess formation, and root exposure (penetration of bone surface) were indistinguishable among controls and individuals with RA, spondyloarthropathy, and CPPD. Although many factors can affect periodontal disease, presence of inflammatory arthritis does not appear to be one of them. The implication is that dental disease was common in the general population and not necessarily associated with arthritis, at least before the advent of modern rheumatologic medications. As specific diagnosis did not affect prevalence, perhaps current prevalence controversy may relate to current intervention, a subject for further study.

Preoperative prediction of anterior cruciate ligament tibial footprint size by anthropometric variables.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the ACL tibial footprint size can be predicted by anthropometric variables including height, weight, leg length, femur length, tibia length, and anteroposterior and mediolateral diameters of proximal tibia. This study included 209 out of the 378 eligible patients. The inclusion criterion was ACL with normal gross appearance. Patients with conditions that could have affected the measurement were excluded: torn ACL, osteophyte formation around the ACL tibial attachment, presence of inflammatory arthritis, or history of knee joint infection. According to the above criteria, 169 patients were excluded from this study; 138 had torn ACL, 24 had osteophyte around the ACL footprint, 5 had history of rheumatoid arthritis, and 2 had history of previous knee joint infection. The ACL tibial footprint was carefully dissected and measured during total knee arthroplasty. Anthropometric variables regarding bone lengths were measured on radiography. The association of the ACL tibial footprint size (length and width) with anthropometric variables was analysed using simple and multiple linear regression analyses. The height, weight, leg length, femur length, tibia length, and the size of proximal tibia were associated with the ACL tibial footprint length and width. The ACL tibial footprint length could be predicted by the equation using tibia length: ACL tibial footprint length=-9.361+0.759 * (tibia length in cm) (R 2=0.44, P<0.001) and width by the equation using weight and tibia length: ACL tibial footprint width=-0.5615+0.279 * (tibia length in cm)+0.0333 * (weight in kgs) (R 2=0.17, P<0.001). The concordance correlation coefficient for the measured and predicted values of ACL tibial footprint length and width showed moderate and low agreement, respectively (0.61, 95% CI 0.53-0.68; 0.30, 95% CI 0.21-0.38). The ACL tibial footprint length and width are associated with anthropometric variables, especially with tibial length. The predictive equation developed from this study can serve as supplementary guides to determine the surgical techniques and graft options in preoperative planning of an individual ACL reconstruction. IV.

The Relationship between Cardiovascular Disease and Inflammatory Arthritis, and the Potential Role of Exercise on the Burden of Illness: a Scoping Review

Inflammatory arthritis has been identified as a source of increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and patients with inflammatory arthritis face higher mortality compared to the general population. Hence, patients with inflammatory arthritis may require management of CVD that is different from the general population. Exercise has been described as a primary strategy for CVD risk management in the general population. However, it is unclear whether the presence of inflammatory arthritis and CVD risk factors requires different approaches to CVD risk management and in which aspects risk is changed (clinical or physiological). We conducted a scoping review of the literature to determine the association between inflammatory arthritis and CVD risk factors including prevention and treatment; specifically exercise treatment. Medical literature extracted using the databases SPORTDiscus, SCOPUS, and PUBMED, to determine the effect of exercise on the relationship between inflammatory arthritis and CVD was sought. We found 64 articles with relevant abstracts of studies and followed that by independent review by 2 reviewers. The majority of studies were excluded if the abstracts addressed an irrelevant study population, addressed only one of cardiovascular disease or inflammatory arthritis in isolation, did not provide a study design, or were lacking a complete abstract.

The Need to Define Musculoskeletal Inflammation: A Report from the GRAPPA 2010 Annual Meeting

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a form of spondyloarthritis, a group of conditions that share a spectrum of components including arthritis, enthesitis, dactylitis, and spine inflammation. In PsA, however, the unpredictable, heterogeneous, and often insidious involvement of joints or juxtaarticular tendons and ligaments can sometimes make clinical recognition of the disease a challenge. Underrecognition of PsA may be due to the absence of a single sensitive and specific diagnostic measure. Although the ClASsification of Psoriatic ARthritis (CASPAR) criteria introduced in 2006 have improved disease classification, they are designed to be applied to cases already diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis. Therefore, in order for these criteria to be applied, the clinician is required to recognize the presence of inflammatory arthritis, enthesitis, or spondylitis. At the 2010 annual meeting of GRAPPA (Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis), the need to define inflammatory arthritis, enthesitis, dactylitis, and spondylitis, especially for nonrheumatologists, was discussed. Conclusions from breakout group discussions are summarized.

Dermatite granulomateuse interstitielle avec arthrites : quatre cas

Interstitial granulomatous dermatitis with arthritis, or Ackerman's syndrome, is characterized by inflammatory articular flares of potentially destructive outcome and cutaneous lesions of varied patterns: cord-like lesions on the flanks or violaceous plaques on the trunk and limbs. Histologically, the main features are histiocytes laminated between collagen fibres, sometimes organized in rosettes comprising tiny granulomas surrounding fibres of homogeneous aspect. Four patients fitting this description were investigated. Cutaneous lesions displayed various patterns: cord-like lesions (one patient), brown plaques on the flanks edged with papules (one patient), grossly annular violaceous plaques on the back (one patient), and infiltrated plaques on the palms and thighs (one patient). Joint symptoms were present in all cases (one seropositive rheumatoid arthritis and one seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, both already known; acute rheumatoid arthritis in two cases). The histological pattern was quite similar in all cases, with laminated histiocytes in palisading layers mixed with swollen collagen fibres; "rosette" figures were present in two cases. Autoimmune response was seen with antinuclear antibodies (two cases) and/or rheumatoid factor (two cases). The short-term outcome of cutaneous lesions was rapidly favourable in most cases with systemic steroids (one case) or Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (one case), and spontaneously in one case. This entity, defined by the presence of inflammatory arthritis and cutaneous lesions of various clinical types, either more specific but infrequent (cord-like), or less specific but more frequent (plaque-like), and featuring a peculiar histological pattern, chiefly affects women aged between 30 and 80 years. Pathophysiological mechanisms and nosological borders are debatable and authors consider this condition as either an autonomous disease or else a mere subset of vasculitis with palisading granulomas in collagen vascular disorders, despite the rarity of authentic vasculitis. A setting of autoimmunity is frequently present. Furthermore, a fairly similar histological pattern is sometimes seen in some lesions forming a subset of cutaneous side-effects of drugs. Articular outcome may be unfavourable with joint destruction in more than half of patients, whether or not in a setting of rheumatoid arthritis. Spontaneous resorption can occur. Treatment has not yet been codified and is based primarily on anti-inflammatory drugs.