Somatometric characteristic of hypermobile patients with coxarthrosis.

Different body build has been observed in hypermobile women with coxarthrosis as compared with other hypermobile individuals. The study summarizes results of somatometric measurements in 38 hypermobile women with coxarthrosis based on congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH) and the same number of hypermobile controls. The following differences were found: Patients with coxarthrosis were heavier, shorter, more robust and had a larger quantity of fat tissue. In the control group ten out of 38 (26%) showed arachnodactyly, whereas in the coxarthrosis group no arachnodactyly was found. In Heath-Carter anthropometric somatotype the samples differed in all three somatotype components (endomorphy, mosomorphy, ectomorphy), the greatest difference being in ectomorphy. The results obtained are recommended for use in the primary preventive care of coxarthrosis.

Monoclonal immunoglobulinaemia in rheumatological practice.

Monoclonal immunoglobulinaemia is the manifestation of a number of diseases with a quite different prognosis. In some instances in can be associated with articular symptomatology. The authors present an analysis of case-records of four patients where monoclonal immunoglobulinaemia was associated with signs of rheumatic disease--oligoarthritis or polyarthritis of the rheumatoid type. In one instance Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia with Sjögren's syndrome and hyperviscosity syndrome was involved. In another patient a myeloma was diagnosed. In the remaining two patients a more benign type of monoclonal immunoglobulinaemia was involved.

[Thermography with liquid crystal in scleroderma]. / Thermographic mit flüssigen Kristallen bei Sklerodermie.

The typical thermographic pictures of hands of patients with progressive systemic sclerosis are described. The pictures were made with liquid crystals. Thermography with liquid crystals is also suitable for the evaluation of changes in temperature during treatment.

[Recurrent polychondritis]. / Recidivujúca polychondritída.

Clinical and histological findings are presented as occurring in a male aged 24 years suffering from relapsing polychondritis (r. p.) of 7 years duration. The presenting symptoms were fever, ataxia, vertigo and vomiting. During the later relapses there also occurred episcleritis, paresis of the glottic muscle and hypertrophic bronchitis. At the age of 22 the patient had had a tracheostomy because of acute respiratory insufficiency. The patient has a typical saddle nose and drooping auricles. Tissues obtained from the auricles showed destructive alterations of the cartilage with fragmentation and homobenization of the elestic fibres. The perichondrium showed fibrosis and a massive round-celled inflammatory infiltration.

[Arthropathy in the Weber-Christian disease]. / Arthropathie beim Weber-Christian-Syndrom.

It is reported on five cases of Weber-Christian's syndrome which were observed in our institute during the last years due to difficulties involving motion organs. In three of the cases short-term arthritis was found and in one of the cases erosion arthritis of rheumatoid type was found, too. As far as the last case is concerned detailed information on the system manifestation of the patient is given; the disease started in her young days with regular relapses and visceral manifestation. At the same time typical morphologic changes in the subcutaneous fatty tissue and in the liver as well as clinical findings of diabetes, pericarditis and focal myocarditis were observed which proved a general disorder of the lipid metabolism.

Amyloidosis in rheumatoid arthritis. A study of 48 histologically confirmed cases.

In a group of 269 patients with rheumatoid arthritis histological examination demonstrated amyloidosis in 48 cases, viz. in 7 post mortem cases, in 28 rectal biopsies, in 12 renal biopsies and in one liver biopsy. Examination for amyloidosis was carried out in all patients who had proteinuria, otherwise in non-selected patients with definite rheumatoid arthritis. Even through rectal biopsy is a valuable screening method, it should not be overestimated, because in 12 patients with renal biopsy positive for amyloid, the foregoing rectal biopsies had been negative. According to our experience the most valuable method for diagnosis of amyloidosis in rheumatoid patients is renal biopsy, whereas synovial biopsy is the least conclusive. This paper, according to our knowledge, is the first report on observations of a regression of the inflammatory activity of rheumatoid arthritis and nephrotic syndrome as well as a complete morphological regression of amyloidosis.

Correlation between the results of the migration inhibitory factor production test with DNA and the severity of the disease in the systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

A correlation was made between the severity of clinical symptoms of SLE and the results of the migration inhibitory factor (MIF) production test. For this purpose 10 patients with various manifestations of SLE were examined by MIF production test before and after the immunosuppressive therapy. A good correlation between the actual clinical stage and the results of the MIF production test was found. The successful immunosuppressive therapy turned the positive MIF production into the negative one in most of the observed patients. The MIF production test is therefore recommended as a good complementary test for the estimation of the actual state of the SLE.