Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity plays a central role in causing disability both directly and via indirect effects mediated through joint damage. Evaluation of RA disease activity is therefore important to predict the outcome and effectiveness of therapeutic interventions during follow-up. Clinical disease activity index (CDAI) is new simple tool for measurement of disease activity.
Objectives: To assess validity and reliability of CDAI in comparison to disease activity score-28 joints (DAS28) in Iraqi patients with active RA.
Patients and Methods: Sixty nine Iraqi RA patients were included in this study. All patients were fulfilling the ACR classification criteria and active. Full history was taken and complete clinical examination was done for all patients. Patients’ age, sex, duration of the disease, number of tender joints, number of swollen joints, patient’s and physician’s (evaluator) global assessment by visual analogue scale (VAS) (0–10 cm) were recorded. Laboratory analysis included erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). CDAI and DAS28 were measured to assess disease activity.
Results: Of 69 patients included in this study, there were 58 women and 11 men. Mean age of the patients was 45.65±12.26 years and mean duration of disease was 7.75±7.85 years. Mean DAS28 and CDAI were 5.86±1.24 and 30.07±14.07respectively.There was direct significant correlation between CDAI and DAS28 (r= 0.879, P< 0.001). Also we found good agreement between CDAI and DAS28 (Kappa = 0.795, P < 0.001). CDAI had sensitivity 90%, specificity 92%, Likelihood ratio (LR) 45.67, Area under the curve (AUC) 0.983 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.933-1.000] (P value < 0.001).
Conclusions: CDAI is a valid and reliable measure for assessment of Iraqi patients with active RA in comparison to DAS28.
Background: Pulmonary involvement in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a serious extra articular manifestation.
Patients and Methods: 82 patients with RA and 40 control subjects were included in this prospective study. They were submitted to medical history, physical measurements (height, weight and BMI) and spirometric evaluation for FVC, FEV1, FEV1%, PEFR and FMF (FEF25-75%).Objective: The aim of the study is to detect pulmonary involvement, classify the type of involvement (whether obstructive, restrictive or mixed), and to find out whether pulmonary system was involved in the early stage of the disease and is asymptomatic and to determine the as
... Show MoreBackground: Fibromyalgia syndrome and psoriasis share various soft problems. In addition, patients with psoriasis can experience subjective joint swelling and pain (Fibromyalgia syndrome) and objective swelling (Psoriatic arthritis) with the latter requiring systemic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs while the former requires anti-fibromyalgia measures.
Objective: To assess the rate of fibromyalgia syndrome in a sample of Iraqi patients with psoriasis.
Patients and Method: A sample of one hundred and twenty Iraqi patients with psoriasis and another one hundred and twenty healthy individuals matched for age and sex, serving as control group were studied. Full history was taken and complete clinical examination was done and vario
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systematic autoimmune disorder with chronic inflammation changes of unknown etiology. Various synovial inflammatory and proliferative alterations may contribute to the cartilaginous tissues and invasive bony tissues, leading to destructive joints and malformed bones. This disease is mostly due to infective microorganisms or genetic susceptibility causing immune system disturbances through triggering both T-cells and B-cells. Furthermore, different immune cells may secret cytokines, which are responsible for some RA pathogenesis activity. From ninety individuals, serum sample was collected; thirty of them were normal and sixty cases were patients with RA attended a privet medical clin
... Show MoreObjective To detect the changes in serum Lipids among Iraqi patients with active Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and the effects of drug therapy.
Patients and methods Fifty Iraqi patients with untreated active Rheumatoid Arthritis and 50 matched healthy control were studied with concentration on estimation of fasting serum Lipid profile which is repeated after 3month treatment with different disease modifying anti Rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) regimens.
Results Fifty Iraqi patients were included in this prospective study 47 females (94%) and 3 males (6%). The mean age of patients was (45±3.20).
fifty healthy individuals were included in this study as a control group 45 females (90%) and 5 males (10%) the mean age of the control group was
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Background: Dystrophinopathies are the commonest forms of muscular dystrophy and comprise clinically recognized forms, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD). Mutations in the dystrophin gene which consist of large gene deletions (65%), duplications (5%) and point mutations (30%) are responsible for reducing the amount of functional dystrophin protein in skeletal muscle fibers. This study concentrate mainly at the spectrum of deletions in the 'distal hot spot' region of the DMD/BMD gene in Iraqi DMD/BMD patients using multiplex PCR technique
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the rate, and distribution of deletions in 10 exons of Dystrophin
... Show MoreThe present study aims at assessing the effects of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on thyroid hormone and leptin by evaluating the level of: leptin hormone along with thyroid hormone in CKD patients. The study has been conducted on 70 subjects, 50 patients with an age range between 20-50 years (25 males and 25 females) who were diagnosed to have CKD stage-5, and 20 normal controls whose ages ranged between 20-48 years (10 males and 10 females), who attended the Nephrology and Transplant Center in Medical City of Baghdad- Iraq from April 2018 to July 2018. The study showed a highly significant (P<0.01) increase in TSH level in CKD patients in comparison with controls. While T3 and T4 levels observed highly significant decrea
... Show MoreBackground: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic synovial inflammation. The insufficient immune clearance of the apoptotic cell results into the formation of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies which may play a critical role in the initiations of inflammatory responses. These antibodies together with Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 play an important role in joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis disease.
Objectives: to study the value of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies, and Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 in differentiation between active and inactive rheumatoid arthritis.
Patients and Methods: A cross- sectional study was conducted on 60 Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis (16
Background: Cytokines have an essential contribution to the inflammatory response and the development of chronic inflammation. Therefore, it has a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Interleukins are closely related to RA, and the exact role of some interleukins in the pathogenesis of RA is not yet known.
Objectives: To evaluate the levels of interleukins and their ratio, since the levels of interleukins 35 and 39 in RA patients have not yet been determined in Iraq.
Patients and methods: An ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) was used to measure the levels of interleukins in the blood of 56 patients with RA and 44 healthy volunteers who were enrolled in the study from November 2021 to March 2022.