Entries Tagged as 'Rheumatol Int'
Giant cell arteritis.
Rheumatol Int. 2008 Nov;29(1):1-7
Authors: Wang X, Hu ZP, Lu W, Tang XQ, Yang HP, Zeng LW, Zhang J, Li T
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an immune-mediated chronic vasculitis of large- and medium-sized vessels usually occurring in White individuals aged over 50 years, in Western countries. The pathological hallmark of GCA is granulomatous inflammation of the involved vessels. Headache of new-onset is the most common clinical manifestation, and permanent vision loss is the most feared complication of GCA. The level of clinical suspicion for GCA should be based upon patient age, clinical symptoms, laboratory evaluation, and imaging findings. However, the diagnostic gold standard is achieved by histologic confirmation by temporal artery biopsy. Corticosteroids remain the only proven treatment for GCA and the prognosis for visual recovery is poor.
PMID: 18716781 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Tags: Rheumatol Int
Paget’s disease of bone: a review.
Rheumatol Int. 2008 Sep;28(11):1069-75
Authors: Colina M, La Corte R, De Leonardis F, Trotta F
Paget’s disease of bone (PDB) is a condition of unknown etiology characterized by excessive and abnormal bone remodeling. It may be localized to one or several skeletal segments. The disease seldom appears before the age of 40 years, but its prevalence tends to double each decade from the age of 50 onwards, reaching about 10% after ninth decade. PDB may virtually affect every bone in the skeleton. Affected bones are involved right away with no new involvement during the evolution. The basic symptom of the disease is bone pain, while complications depend on skeletal sites involved and range from secondary osteoarthritis to malignant degeneration. Diagnosis is usually based upon clinical features, imaging, and laboratory analyses. Therapeutic approach is currently based on second-generation bisphosphonates. Their use is recommended when bone alkaline phosphatase is high and/or when the disease localizations are highly suspected for determining complications.
PMID: 18592244 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Tags: Rheumatol Int
