Pharmacotherapy of pain in rheumatic disease

The authors of this article discuss the pharmacotherapy of pain control in patients with rheumatic diseases, and they describe the relevant groups of drugs available, including their adverse events. They focus on non-steroidal antirheumatic drugs, selectice cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (coxibs) in particular. They summarise the experience with use of coxibs so far, and also report on drugs soon to be marketed in our country.     

Sub-optimal pain control in patients with rheumatic disease

The visual analog scale (VAS) of pain is a ubiquitous clinical and research tool with widespread application in the rheumatic diseases. The objectives of this study were to assess if patients report pain differently to doctors or nurses, to determine reproducibility of this test for diagnosis, age, gender, and treatment, and to ascertain the level of pain in patients attending general rheumatology clinics. Using a standardized line of exactly 100 mm and instructions with identical wording, consecutive patients attending general rheumatology clinics were asked to score their perceived level of pain in the preceding week. Two assessments were carried out, one before and one after the clinic visit, and each patient was questioned by both a doctor and a nurse. Differences between the first and second VAS scores (VAS1 and VAS2) were recorded. One hundred and eight patients completed the study (69 female). VAS1 and VAS2 scores were administered by a similar number of doctors and nurses. There was no significant difference between mean VAS1 and VAS2 scores (41.1 vs. 41.4 mm, p = 0.78). VAS1 and VAS2 differed by <4 mm in 59% of patients. Age, gender, or diagnosis did not influence VAS1 or VAS2. Differences in scores were independent of which health professional administered the scale (p = 0.19). Patients taking painkillers had higher mean VAS scores (49 mm) compared with those not on analgesia (27 mm; p < 0.001). Anti-rheumatic treatment did not influence pain scores (p = 0.13). The VAS is a reliable and effective method of pain assessment. Results are independent of which health professional administers the scale. Patients with rheumatic disease report their pain similarly regardless of diagnosis. However, pain control is sub-optimal in patients taking analgesia. Specific assessment of pain is, thus, important in patients attending rheumatology clinics.     

Infection and chronic rheumatic disease in children

It is clear that various microbial agents can cause acute and chronic rheumatic disease by several mechanisms, that different agents, some perhaps yet unknown, may cause the same disease in different patients, and that genetic factors are important, perhaps crucial, to this host response. In trying to elucidate how microbe-host interactions result in chronic rheumatic disease, interest currently centers on the roles of genetic factors, of bacterial infections including endogenous flora, of cross-reactive microbial and host antigens, and of the immune response to them. As in the past, progress in understanding these complex interactions will probably be incremental and intermittent.     

Valve repair in rheumatic heart disease in pediatric age group

Valve repair in children is technically demanding but more desirable than valve replacement. From April 2004 to September 2005, 1 boy and 8 girls with rheumatic heart disease, aged 2-13 years (median, 9 years), underwent valve repair for isolated mitral regurgitation in 5, combined mitral and aortic regurgitation in 2, mitral stenosis in 1, and mitral regurgitation associated with atrial septal defect in 1. Chordal shortening in 7, annular plication in 6, commissurotomy in 1, reconstruction of commissural leaflets in 7 were performed for mitral valve disease. Plication and reattachment of the aortic cusps was carried out in 2 patients. Annuloplasty rings were not used. All patients survived the operation, 8 had trivial or mild residual mitral regurgitation, and 1 had trivial aortic regurgitation. Mean left atrial pressure decreased from 14 to 7 mm Hg postoperatively. During follow-up of 3-18 months, all children were asymptomatic and enjoyed normal activity. None required reoperation. In addition to chordal shortening and annular plication, reconstruction of the commissural leaflets is considered the most important aspect of valve repair. It can be achieved without annuloplasty rings, giving good early and midterm results.     

Treatment of acute rheumatic fever and acute rheumatic heart disease

The treatment of acute rheumatic fever and acute rheumatic heart disease with failure was discussed in this morning's seminar. The efficacy of chemotherapy in the prevention of rheumatic recurrences was questioned. Massive salicylate therapy for acute rheumatic fever was considered effective in changing the course of rheumatic polyarthritis and early carditis. The benefits derived from sanatorium type of care for the protracted case of rheumatic disease were described and the principles underlying the aims of this type of care were delineated. Digitalis in the treatment of acute rheumatic carditis with failure was considered of limited value. Finally, the use of high concentrations of oxygen in the treatment of acute carditis was discussed. It was pointed out that while oxygen therapy may not influence the duration of rheumatic activity, it seems to lessen the cardiac disability resulting from carditis. Some of the physiologic principles responsible for the salutory effects of oxygen therapy were presented.     

New horizons in pharmacologic treatment for rheumatic disease pain

Chronic pain is the major concern for patients with rheumatic diseases, such as low back pain, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, but current therapies are suboptimal. Animal models and emerging clinical data indicate that there is a complex spectrum of neurologic changes, manifesting both nociceptive and neuropathic pain, which are driven by joint pathophysiology and abnormal excitability in peripheral and central pain pathways. A variety of mechanisms and molecular drivers have been identified that can support future segmentation of musculoskeletal pain patients. Emerging therapies are directed to targeting inflammatory mediators, ligand and voltage regulated ion channels, as well as increasing inhibition through monoaminergic modulation. Finally, neurotrophic abnormalities may be restored through the modulation of specific neurotrophins. These developments are supported by increasing emphasis on the clinical understanding of the neurologic changes in pain patients to enable confident translation to clinical application.     

Clinical spectrum of chronic rheumatic heart disease in India

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: The study aim was to determine prevalence and patterns of chronic rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in developing countries, where it remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity. The incidence of different valvular lesions and complications in chronic RHD were analyzed. METHODS: The study design was a retrospective case series analysis in the setting of a tertiary care institution in southern India. Participants were consecutive patients registered under 'chronic RHD' in the cardiology department of the authors' institution over the past 20 years. Data are presented for 10,000 cases in two age groups: group I, aged < or = 18 years (n = 2,910); and group II, aged > 18 years (n = 7,090). RESULTS: Mitral regurgitation was the single most common lesion (n = 1,007) in group I, while the dominant lesion in group II was mitral stenosis (n = 2,943). Isolated aortic valve disease was seen in 130 (4.5%) and 195 (2.8%) cases in groups I and II, respectively. Tricuspid stenosis was seen in 45 cases, and rheumatic involvement of all four cardiac valves was documented in four cases. Pulmonary hypertension was present in 42.4% and 80.8% in groups I and II, respectively, and functional tricuspid regurgitation in 38.9% and 77.2%, respectively. Overall, 5.9% of patients had atrial fibrillation, 0.9% had left atrial thrombus (seen on transthoracic echocardiography) and 0.4% had embolic cerebrovascular events. Pericardial effusion was present in 0.7% cases, and infective endocarditis was noted at presentation in 0.6%. CONCLUSION: Chronic RHD in developing countries is associated with major complications and high mortality. The critical evaluation of individual lesions must be combined with frequent overall clinical evaluation in order to time appropriate medical and surgical interventions.     

Prevalence of chronic rheumatic heart disease in Chinese adults

OBJECTIVES: Rheumatic heart disease continues to be a common health problem in the developing countries. Though there is evidence indicating that rheumatic heart disease prevalence in China has decreased since the 1950s, no objective assessment of its present prevalence has been published. The study was designed to investigate the prevalence of chronic rheumatic heart disease in China. METHODS: We performed a community population based investigation from October 2001 to February 2002 in nine communities of nine provinces in China by using a multistage, random sample design. Rheumatic heart disease was diagnosed by echocardiographic imaging. Long-axis views of the mitral valve, color flow recordings were used to search for mitral and aortic regurgitations. M-mode and two-dimensional short- and long-axis views of the aortic root and left atrium were recorded for supporting the diagnosis. RESULTS: Of 9124 participants, 8652 completed the questionnaires and 8080 had comprehensive echocardiographic examinations. We found that 15 subjects had definite echocardiographic evidence of rheumatic heart disease. The rough prevalence of rheumatic heart disease was 186/100,000 adults (2 in 1000 adults). CONCLUSIONS: Rheumatic heart disease affected approximately 2 million middle-aged to elderly Chinese, thus constituting a significant health burden. We investigated only urban and suburban communities, the result may underestimate the real prevalence of the disease in China.     

Treatment of chronic non-cancer pain

Chronic pain is a pervasive problem that affects the patient, their significant others, and society in many ways. The past decade has seen advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying pain and in the availability of technically advanced diagnostic procedures; however, the most notable therapeutic changes have not been the development of novel evidenced-based methods, but rather changing trends in applications and practices within the available clinical armamentarium. We provide a general overview of empirical evidence for the most commonly used interventions in the management of chronic non-cancer pain, including pharmacological, interventional, physical, psychological, rehabilitative, and alternative modalities. Overall, currently available treatments provide modest improvements in pain and minimum improvements in physical and emotional functioning. The quality of evidence is mediocre and has not improved substantially during the past decade. There is a crucial need for assessment of combination treatments, identification of indicators of treatment response, and assessment of the benefit of matching of treatments to patient characteristics.     

Non-crystalline and crystalline rheumatic disorders in chronic kidney disease

Rheumatic syndromes are cause for morbidity in patients with end-stage renal disease. Recent advances in understanding the role of tissue remodeling have provided insight into the pathogenic mechanisms responsible for some of these manifestations. Here, we survey recent and clinically relevant advances in translational research that impact our understanding of rheumatic syndromes seen in patients with significant renal disease. The management of acute and chronic crystalline arthropathies in chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis patients is discussed.     

Improving compliance with prednisone therapy in pediatric patients with rheumatic disease

Compliance with regimens for pediatric rheumatic diseases is often poor, and few studies have evaluated strategies for improving compliance. This study utilized relatively simple behavioral and educational strategies to improve compliance with prednisone for three patients with pediatric rheumatic diseases (systemic lupus erthematosus and dermatomyositis). These strategies were implemented in a pediatric rheumatology setting and resulted in improved compliance that was maintained at 6- and 12-month follow up. During baseline, patients were found to be overmedicating as well as undermedicating. This study is a systematic replication of an earlier study that demonstrated that behavioral and educational strategies can improve compliance with medications for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It also raises the possibility of overmedicating as a compliance problem to be managed.