Diagnosis delay in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: possible reasons and proposals for new diagnostic criteria.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, progressive, and disabling disease. Among the rheumatological diseases, the longest diagnosis delay is still found for AS. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to evaluate the diagnosis delay and possible reasons in AS. A secondary aim is to assess the relation between diagnosis delay and some clinical and laboratory features. One hundred eleven AS patients, (103 male, 8 female) were recruited. A face-to-face interview was applied to take medical history, and a questionnaire that contains some clinical aspects of disease was used. Diagnosis delay was described as the gap between first spondiloarthropathic symptom and correct diagnosis of AS. The average of diagnosis delay was 6.05 +/- 5.08 years. The average age of patients at disease onset was 23.18 +/- 9.59, the average disease duration was 10.44 +/- 8.11, and the average age at diagnosis was 27.88 +/- 11.63. The average diagnosis delay was 5. 3 +/- 3.5 in HLA B 27(+) AS patients, whereas it was 9.2 +/- 7.7 in HLA B 27(-) AS patients (p = 0.037). Diagnosis delay in patients with inflammatory back pain (+) (IBP) at disease onset was lower than IBP (-) patients (3.28 +/- 3.32, 8.57 +/- 8.54; respectively) (p = 0.001). The patients having positive family history had lower diagnosis delay than those with negative family history (4.60 +/- 4.44, 10.00 +/- 2.30; respectively) (p = 0.003). The diagnosis delay is a challenge and an important problem for patients with AS and physicians. HLA B27 and family history should be considered while making new criteria. Inflammatory back pain should be emphasized as the main screening criterion for primary care physicians. These clinical and laboratory features had positive effect on the average diagnosis delay in AS patients. Describing new diagnostic criteria, which is more useful to diagnosis of AS, is necessary.

The pulmonary involvement in rheumatic diseases: pulmonary effects of ankylosing spondylitis and its impact on functionality and quality of life.

Rheumatic diseases are chronic inflammatory diseases which cause mild to severe functional loss and disability due to articular and extra-articular manifestations. One common form -ankylosing spondylitis (AS)- affects mainly the axial skeleton and sacroiliac joints, and certain extra-articular organs. The pulmonary involvement is a known manifestation of AS and emerges either in the form of interstitial lung disease or in the form of restricted pulmonary functions. The aim of this study is to determine the pulmonary functions in AS patients and to assess its relationship with quality of life, functionality and disease activity. Thirty-six AS patients and 34 healthy volunteers were recruited for the study. A detailed examination, pulmonary function tests, smoking inquiry and quality of life questionnaire were performed on all participants. Also patients were requested to complete functionality and disease activity indexes. The outcomes showed that 15 (41.7%) AS patients had pulmonary involvement: twelve patients with restrictive patterns, one with obstructive pattern, and two with both restrictive and obstructive patterns. Decreased forced expiratory volume in one second was associated with deteriorated functionality (p < 0.05). Decreased chest expansion was also accompanied with decreased forced vital capacity (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the smoking and non-smoking patients in regard to disease activity, functionality and pulmonary function test variables (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the pulmonary involvement is common in AS and might have disturbed functionality and the quality of life in AS patients.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in chronic pain management.

Chronic pain is one of the frequently encountered clinical problems that is difficult to cure. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy has been reported in chronic pain syndromes with promising results. In this review, we focus on the effectiveness of HBO in fibromyalgia syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, myofascial pain syndrome, migraine, and cluster headaches. HBO may be beneficial if appropriate patients are selected. HBO is a reliable method of treatment. However, physicians performing HBO must be aware of oxygen toxicity. Another problem regarding HBO is the scarcity of centers administering it. Further research is required focusing on the optimal treatment protocol, the cost/benefit ratio, and the safety of HBO in chronic pain management.