[ prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and associated factors in 385 patients with rheumatoid arthritis in rheumatology clinics of Tehran University for a period of one year]

Oral lesions are one of the most important effects of autoimmune diseases. Ulcer, petechia, telangectasia and lichenoid lesions are the most common oral manifestations. Drugs used for systemic treatment can also cause the same side effects. According to the wide range of oral lesions, lack of solid status in Iran, difference in stated prevalence, treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with oral corticosteroids, cyclosporine, D-penicillamin and NSAIDs and their side effects, this project was carried out to determine the prevalence of oral lesions of rheumatoid arthritis in clinics of rheumatology of Tehran University at one year period. This descriptive-cross sectional study was performed by means of observation, clinical examination, completing questionnaire and also evaluating the 385 patients medical records in order to find oral mucosal lesions such as xerostomia and gingival hyperplasia. Sampling was made by a sequential method. After recording the finding, descriptive and analytic statistics were used to analyze the results. 156 of 385 rheumatoid arthritis patients [365 male and 20 female] had oral lesions [40.5%]. Xerostomia was the most common finding [14%] and gingiva, soft palate and vestibule were the most common sites reported. Due to the high frequency of oral lesions as a probable manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis and also as a side effect of its treatment must be emphasized for future

Evaluation of brain and cervical MRI abnormality rates in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with or without neurological manifestations

Central nervous system [CNS] involvement has been observed in 14-80% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE]. Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] is an appropriate method for evaluating CNS involvement in these patients. Clinical manifestations and MRI findings of CNS lupus should be differentiated from other mimicking diseases such as multiple sclerosis [MS]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and extent of brain and cervical cord MRI lesions of lupus patients. The relationship between neurological signs and symptoms and MRI findings were evaluated as well. Fifty SLE patients who had been referred to the rheumatology clinic of our hospital within 2009 were included in a cross sectional study. All patients fulfilled the revised 1981 American College of Rheumatology [ACR] criteria for SLE. We evaluated the neurological signs and symptoms and brain and cervical MRI findings in these patients. Forty-one patients [82%] were female and nine [18%] were male. The mean age was 30.1 +/- 9.3 years. Twenty eight [56%] patients had an abnormal brain MRI. No one showed any abnormality in the cervical MRI. The lesions in 20 patients were similar to demyelinative plaques. Seventeen patients with abnormal brain MRI were neurologically asymptomatic. There was only a significant relationship between neurological motor manifestations and brain MRI abnormal findings. Unlike the brain, cervical MRI abnormality and especially asymptomatic cord involvement in MRI is quite rare in SLE patients. This finding may be helpful to differentiate SLE from other CNS disorders such as MS