ArthritisDigest2013
Kids with juvenile idiopathic arthritis waiting too long for diagnosis
Over one-third of diagnoses of juvenile idiopathic arthritis are delayed – by up to two years after the onset of symptoms – by GPs or paediatricians, outlines a report from the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.
JIA is an inflammatory disease which causes chronic arthritis in children and young people and affects approximately 12,000 children (1 in 1000) under the age of 16 years. The severity of arthritis can vary from mild to extremely disabling and symptoms include stiff, painful and swollen joints. JIA is associated with other complications such as blindness which results from uncontrolled inflammation around the lens of the eye and can also significantly delay physical development in the very young, cause permanent joint damage and deformity and delay puberty. Continue reading
Smoking reduces success of osteoporosis treatment
Older women who smoke have a lower chance of being successfully treated for osteoporosis, says research published in Osteoporosis International.
Experts examined 97 postmenopausal women with primary osteoporosis, who took supplements of calcium and vitamin D, and adhered to their three-year bisphosphonate treatment (for osteoporosis).
Bone mineral density was assessed by X-ray and fractures by radiographs. Continue reading
Stem cell generation breakthrough for older people
A new technique has been developed for harvesting stem cells from older people with arthritis undergoing hip replacement surgery, says research published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine.
The team from the University of New South Wales in Australia has found that that certain tissue usually discarded during routine hip replacements (periosteum-derived stem cells) may be a rich source of adult stem cells, which could then be used in various regenerative medicine applications. “Remarkable similarities” were found between them and commercial bone marrow stem cells. Continue reading
Hand osteoarthritis influenced by fat distribution as well as obesity
Obesity is a known risk factor for hand osteoarthritis but a team looked at if fat tissue and distribution made a difference too.
They studied 5,315 people aged an average of 56 years. Hand osteoarthritis affected 8% of men and 20% of women. And it was associated with fat percentage, fat mass and waist-hip ratio, concludes the research published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.
To read more visit http://arthritis-research.com/content/16/1/R19/abstract.
The effects of gout on cardiovascular events: the heart of the matter
Gout seems to increase the risk of two particular heart problems, says new research published in Rhematology, which outlines that people with gout have worse left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and increased left atrial volume compared to those without the disease.
“Left atrial dysfunction and enlargement can predict the occurrence of cardiovascular events, especially atrial fibrillation and diastolic heart failure,” says Dr Kuo-Li Pan. “In our study (of 173 people), we found the more severity of gout, the larger left atrial volume.” Continue reading
