Rheumatology at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

The Rheumatology Division in the Department of Internal Medicine at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences] [former Pahlavi University] was established by Dr. Ali-Asghar Eghtedari in 1970. Drs. Mohammad Salami and Hadi Hedayati joined this division in 1973 and 1974, respectively. Since 1980, Dr. Akbar Rajaee has been in charge of this division. In 1986, the rheumatology subspeciality training program at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences was approved by the Ministry of health

Anticardiolipin antibody in patients with Behcet's disease with and without vascular thrombosis

The clinical value of IgG anticardiolipin antibody in patients with Behcet's disease with or without vascular thrombosis was evaluated. IgG isotype of anticardiolipin [aCL] antibody was assessed in 40 Behcet's disease [BD] patients with venous or arterial thrombosis, 40 BD patients without venous or arterial thrombosis and 80 healthy subjects as controls. The levels of IgG aCL were determined by an indirect ELISA method. Color Doppler Sonography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and conventional angiography were the procedures used for other clinical evaluations. Out of 40 patients with vascular thrombosis, 20[50%] were positive for low to moderate level of IgG aCL. In patients without thrombosis 22[55%] were positive for low to moderate level of IgG aCL while in none [0%] of the healthy subjects the IgGaCL was positive, neither low nor moderate. The number of patients with headache but having a normal cerebral magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], was higher in anticardiolipin positive patients without vascular thrombosis as compared to those with vascular thrombosis, [P = 0.001].Arthritis was noticed in both patents groups. 15% of aCL positive patients without thrombosis had arthritis as compared to none in aCL negative patients without thrombosis [P = 0.02]. The results of this study indicate that although the frequency of IgG aCL was found to be higher in Iranian patients with BDin comparison with the previous reports, except in arthritis the observed elevated IgG aCL does not correlate with clinical disease manifestations, or vascular thrombotic complications