ABSTRACT
Takayasu arteritis (TA) is an extremely uncommon vasculitis that primarily affects the aorta and its branches. Due to the genetic and ethnicity effect, a diverse array of TA clinical manifestations has been reported worldwide. The purpose of the present study was to compare the clinicodemographic characteristics and pattern of vascular involvement of Iranian and Turkish TA patients. This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional investigation of 126 TA patients in Iran and Turkey. All of the variables analyzed were extracted from historical medical records. In 126 TA patients, the ratio of females to males was 8.6:1, and the average age at onset of disease was 30.5±11.1 years. Fatigue (49.2%) and a weak or absent pulse (79.4%) were the most prevalent symptoms and signs, respectively. The most prevalent angiographic classifications were types V and I in Iranian patients (41.09%) and type I in the Turkish population (47.7%) The left subclavian artery was the vessel most frequently affected by TA (66.6%). Our findings indicated that there were no significant differences between the two countries in terms of clinicodemographic characteristics or vascular involvement. Some clinical manifestations, such as claudication, were more prevalent in the Turkish population due to a higher incidence of occlusive lesions in the right subclavian artery.
Subject(s)
Takayasu Arteritis , Male , Female , Humans , Young Adult , Adult , Takayasu Arteritis/complications , Takayasu Arteritis/diagnostic imaging , Takayasu Arteritis/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Iran/epidemiology , Turkey/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between xerostomia and oral health-related quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Two hundred patients with rheumatoid arthritis were assessed using Fox and OHIP-14 questionnaires concerning xerostomia and oral health-related quality of life, respectively. The sum of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) was determined via an intra-oral examination. In addition, intergroup comparisons were evaluated using t test, chi-square, regression, and Tukey analysis. RESULT: Among rheumatoid arthritis patients, 51% had been afflicted with xerostomia. We found a statistically significant relationship between xerostomia and oral health-related quality of life (p-value=.004), as xerostomia cases have significantly worse oral health-related quality of life. Also, there was a statistically significant association between oral health-related quality of life and gender as well as DMFT. CONCLUSION: Because there seem to be a high prevalence of xerostomia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, screening in such population is highly recommended. Therefore, educational programs and/or workshops should be encouraged among healthcare providers to prevent worsening of oral health-related quality of life.
Subject(s)
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/complications , Quality of Life , Xerostomia/complications , Adult , Aged , DMF Index , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sex Factors , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
We studied 48 patients with Behçet disease to determine the clinical spectrum of the disease. We also compared the seropositivity of patients for hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infection with a healthy control group to determine whether there is an association. The major physical findings were oral aphthosis 93.8%, genital aphthosis 77.1% and ocular manifestations 64.6%. No patients were HCV antibody seropositive, but 3 of the control group (3.1%) tested seropositive. One patient (2.1%) and 2 in the control group (2.1%) tested positive for both HBV surface antigen and HBV core antibody. The differences were not statistically significant. There is, therefore, no case for recommending viral screening for HBV and HCV in Behçet disease patients at present.
Subject(s)
Behcet Syndrome/epidemiology , Hepatitis B/epidemiology , Hepatitis C/epidemiology , Adult , Alanine Transaminase/blood , Alkaline Phosphatase/blood , Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood , Behcet Syndrome/complications , Behcet Syndrome/diagnosis , Bilirubin/blood , Case-Control Studies , Comorbidity , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Hepatitis B/complications , Hepatitis B/diagnosis , Hepatitis B/metabolism , Hepatitis B Core Antigens/blood , Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/blood , Hepatitis C/complications , Hepatitis C/diagnosis , Hepatitis C/metabolism , Hepatitis C Antibodies/blood , Hospitals, University , Humans , Immunoblotting , Iran/epidemiology , Male , Mass Screening , Population Surveillance , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
We studied 48 patients with Behcet disease to determine the clinical spectrum of the disease. We also compared the seropositivity of patients for hepatitis B [HBV] and C [HCV] infection with a healthy control group to.determine whether there is an association. The major physical findings were oral aphthosis 93.8%, genital aphthosis 77.1% and ocular manifestations 64.6%. No patients were HCV antibody seropositive, but 3 of the control group [3.1%] tested seropositive. One patient [2.1%] and 2 in the control group [2.1%] tested positive for both HBV surface antigen and HBV core antibody. The differences were not statistically significant. There is, therefore, no case for recommending viral screening for HBV and HCV in Behcet disease patients at present
