Factors associated with severity of symptoms in patients with chronic unexplained muscular aching.

Subjects with chronic, diffuse, unexplained muscular aching were recruited--21 from a primary care practice, nine from a rheumatology practice, and two from a pain clinic. No additional criteria were used to select subjects. Subjects with mild or moderate symptoms differed from those with severe symptoms with respect to the following characteristics: the presence of fatigue on awakening, the number of tender points, difficulty in sleeping, and the degree of tenderness in typical fibromyalgia areas as measured by a dolorimeter. These findings suggest that muscular aching is likely to be of greater severity if other symptoms or signs of fibromyalgia are also present.

[Angiodysplasia - a cause of gastrointestinal bleeding]. / Angiodysplasia - uzrok za gastrointestinalno krvarenje.

Angiodysplasia is a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding. The lesion has a specific appearance - markedly enlarged closely grouped veins with short channels between veins and arteries. The lesion may occur on any part of the gastrointestinal tract, but it is most often located in cecum. Its clinical manifestations are predominantly seen in patients beyond the age of 55 years. Selective angiography is the most certain way of diagnosing angiodysplasia. It can be diagnosed by endoscopy too. Resection of the inflicted part is the most successful treatment. Sometimes endoscopic coagulation or embolisation lisation have good results too. Three patients with angiodysplasia - a 74-year man, a 65-year woman with angiodysplasia on cecum and a 63-year woman with angiodysplasia on jejunum are shown. The diagnostic and therapeutic problems of this rare illness are discussed.