Current Rheumatology Reviews - Volume 9, Issue 1, 2013

The prevalence of psoriasis is 2-3% in European Countries, therefore psoriasis is one of the most frequently occurring inflammatory skin diseases. Psoriasis results from an interaction of genetic factors and environmental conditions such as infections, smoking or intake of certain drugs. Psoriatic arthritis is diagnosed in about 20% of patients with psoriasis. Pustular forms are much more rarely seen and have a genetic background Read More

SAPHO and its relative CMRO are uncommon but not rare chronic conditions with unknown etiology. Environmental factors, perhaps related to microorganisms, may be important triggers, but there is no support for a septic nature. The monogenic animal models called cmo and Lupo with autosomal recessive transmission have not been replicated in human diease. Interesting but unconfirmed studies indicate impaired p53 Read More

The pathophysiology of SAPHO syndrome still remains to be determined. However, like in other forms of spondylarthritides, this rare condition seems to result from the combination of genetic, environmental and immunological factors. Surely, SAPHO syndrome cannot be simply regarded as the adult form of the ‘caricatural’ DIRA (deficiency in interleukin-1 receptor antagonist) syndrome, although this purely genetic diseas Read More

In the early seventies isolated Sternocostoclavicular Hyperostosis (SCCH) was described as a persistent painful swelling of the sternum, clavicles and upper ribs. A few years later associations with skin lesions were reported and SCCH was suggested as a part of psoriatic spondylarthritis. Then, different terms such as pustulotic arthro-osteitis and others were used. In 1987 a French national survey proposed the term SAPHO synd Read More

The clinical picture of childhood chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is characterized by an aseptic chronic osteomyelitis, most often affecting the metaphyses of the long bones. Skin inflammation (palmoplantar pustulosis, psoriatic lesions, acne) and inflammatory bowel disease may be associated with CRMO and therefore subsume this disease into the entity of SAPHO syndrome. Deregulated cytokine/chemokine Read More

The peculiar bone involvement, represented by osteitis, is the common denominator of SAPHO syndrome. Hyperostosis and osteitis are chronic inflammatory reactions involving the cortical and trabecular bone respectively; both are characterised by increased sclerosis. Hyperostosis appears radiologically as chronic endosteal and periosteal thickening with narrowing of the medullary canal, but areas of ostelysis may also be pr Read More

The interventional studies with bone biopsy of the SAPHO lesions and microbiological investigation are a significant addition to a long range of publications showing an association of SAPHO with Propionibacterium acnes. Infectious agents isolated from SAPHO patients have merited special attention for many years. Their possible etiological role is supported by the pathogen isolation from different sites: anterior chest wall, s Read More

SLE is characterized by overproduction of various types of autoantibodies. Under certain circumstances, antibodies targeting some of the neoepitopes of the complement system can be seen. The most studied among antibodies directed against a component of the complement system is anti-C1q. Anti-C1q antibodies are present in approximately one third of the patients with lupus, who often have high clinical disease ac Read More

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are 4-aminoquinoline compounds commonly employed as anti-malarial drugs. Chloroquine and its synthetic analogue, hydroxychloroquine also belong to the disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug class because these drugs are immunosuppressive. The immunosuppressive activity of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine is likely to account for their capacity to reduce T-cell and B-cell hype Read More

Objective: To examine whether vitamin D deficiency is a determinant risk factor of chronic low back pain (LBP) in Moroccan postmenopausal women. Methods: A biochemical assay of serum calcium, phosphate, 25(OH)D, and parathormone (PTH) was performed for 105 patients complaining from a chronic LBP with no obvious causes and compared to those of 45 healthy patients. All participants were postmenopa Read More

Background: A number of children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) got admitted in the pediatrics ward of a medical college hospital. However, burden and clinical pattern of JIA have not been studied in our country. Objectives: To estimate the burden of JIA admitted in the pediatric department of medical college hospital of Bangladesh and to observe the status of active JIA in respect to magnitude, clinical profile and Read More