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 comple

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

            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

Background: Patients on maintenance hemodialysis are at increased risk of infection with parentally transmitted viral agents. In recent years a high prevalence of hepatitis G virus infection among end stage renal diseases and chronic hemodialysis patients has been well documented.
Objectives: To assess the percentage and risk factors of HGV in hemodialysis patients, and to evaluate the clinical consequences of HGV in this population.
Patients and methods: Fifty (50) patients with chronic renal failure who underwent maintenance hemodialysis. Patients were currently attending hemodialysis department of Baghdad teaching hospital during the period of October 2011 to January 2012, compared to forty one (41) healthy blood donors who unde

Background: Rheumatiod factor in patients with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) could be of IgM, IgG, or IgG isotypes.
Aim: To study the occurance of each or all these isotypes in RA patients .
Methods: Enzyme linked Immune Sorbent Assay (ELISA) & Latex agglutination test were used to asses RF in 74 patients with RA.
Results: Using ELISA, 58 (78.4%) patients had positive RF (IgM 48.6%, IgG in 47.3% & IgA in 54.1% ), while only 43 (58.1) patients were positive by AG .
Conclusion All RF isotypes should be assessed in patients with RA.

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.

This study was conducted to investigate thyroid function and Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in (Chronic kidney disease) CKD patients by evaluating their levels in CKD patients, 50 patients were diagnosed to have CKD stage-5, their ages ranged between 20-50 years (25 males and 25 females) who attended the Nephrology and Transplant Center in Medical City of Baghdad- Iraq, they were recruited from April 2018 to July 2018 and were enrolled into the study. The control group consisted of 20 healthy individuals, their ages ranged between 20-48 years (10 males and 10 females). The study showed non-significant (p>0.05) increase in AMH level in CKD patients compared to the control group. On the other hand, TSH was recorded a highly significant (

Chitinase-3-like 1 protein (YKL-40) is a glycoprotein primarily produced in the arthritic joint and plays a crucial role in inflammatory processes. The aim of the study is to establish the role of YKL-40 as a biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to proinflammatory biomarkers and disease activity. The study included 58 patients and 18 control. Diseases activity score (DAS-28) and clinical disease activity index (CDAI) were measured. Serum level of YKL-40, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1B (IL-1β), erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) were assessed. The results showed that the median serum YKL-40 level which was 5.42 

Background: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease which is initiated by an infection of the oral microorganisms and it involves the humoral and cellular characteristics of the host response. The periodontal disease is found to develop due to a series of interactions among the periodontotrophic herpes viruses, the periodontopathic bacteria and the host immune reactions.Recent studies have demonstrated that various human viruses, especially human cytomegalovirus seems to play a part in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Periodontitis is an infectious disease involving specific bacteria and viruses.
Objectives: The present study was initiated to evaluate the percentage of human cytomegalovirus in periodontitis patients and dete

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease of unknown etiology characterized by joint inflammation and the presence of autoantibodies, mostly Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACCP) which are released when the body loses its ability to distinguish between self and foreign molecules. Serum amyloid A2 (SAA2) is an acute phase protein produced in response to inflammatory conditions including RA.

Objectives: To investigate the prognostic ability of SAA2 in comparison with ACCP and the prediction of disease activity and response to treatment by Methotrexate and Etanercept in Iraqi RA patients.  

Patients and methods: A case control study, on a to