BACKGROUND:To our knowledge, the correlation between ultrasonographic enthesopathy and severity in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has been done before. However, the correlation between ultrasonography of enthesopathy and the Psoriatic Arthritis Disease Activity Score (PASDAS) have not been done.AIM:To compare the results of ultrasonographic enthesopathy of foot and PASDAS in PsA.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A total of 65 PsA patients were involved and divided into two groups. The first group of 35 active PsA and the second group of 30 ages and sex matched inactive PsA as a control group were recruited in this study. Both groups were evaluated by examination, radiological findings and ultrasonography.RESULTS:Of 70 entheses in 35 active PsA patients, the most entheseal abnormalities were tender plantar fascia (18.5%), tender Achilles tendon (37.8%). PASDAS was a direct highly significant correlated with plantar fascia and Achilles tendon thickness in in active PsA (r = 0.823 and r = 0.796, p < 0.001 respectively).CONCLUSION:Musculoskeletal US is an accurate and low-cost method for assessment of enthesopathy with significant correlation to disease activities in psoriatic arthritis.

Abstract. Excessive iodine exposure was reported to be associated with thyroid dysfunctions.The aim of this study is to evaluate the link between excess urinary iodine as the prime indicator of excessive iodine intake and autoimmune subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) among Egyptian women. Seventy three women with autoimmune SCH and 60 agematched healthy women as controls were enrolled in this study. TSH, FT4, urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) were estimated. The levels of urinary iodine were significantly higher in patients with SCH as compared with control subjects, (326.97 ± 112.98 Vs 274.45 ± 98.75 ug/l, p<0.01). In patients with SCH, there was a significant correlation between UIC and TSH levels. Also, a significant correlation between UIC and TPOAb was found. We conclude that excessive iodine intake may trigger thyroid autoimmunity and eventually thyroid hypofunction among Egyptian women.

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Objective Musculosk eletal complications occur in patients suffering from chronic kidney diseases. The cause of destructive spondyloarthropathy (DSA) among those patients is not well known. This study aims to study the frequency of DSA among hemodialysis patients. Patients and methods The study was conducted on 75 patients known to be end-stage renal disease patients: they were divided into three groups: chronic kidney disease on regular hemodialysis for more than or equal to 5 years group (n=25), patients on regular hemodialysis for less than 5 years group (n=25), and end-stage renal disease prior to hemodialysis as a control group (n=25). All of them were subjected to: full medical history, clinical examination, and plain radiographs of the whole spine in two views. Serum beta 2-microglobulin (β2-M) levels were determined. Results A comparison of β2-M serum levels in three groups showed a highly significant difference being highest in group I and lowest in group III (P<0.001). There was high statistically significant increase in the frequency of DSA in group I compared with group II and in group II compared with group III (P<0.001). As regards the affected site among positive cases, DSA was observed to affect the cervical region in 82.35% more than the lumbar in 11.76%, and rarely to involve both cervical and lumbar in the same patient in 5.88%, DSA was observed to affect men (58.8%) more than the women (41.2 %). Comparison of age, duration of dialysis, and intact parathyroid hormone levels between positive and negative DSA cases revealed that DSA is significantly more prevalent in older age patients (P<0.05), and those with long dialysis duration (P<0.001), and those having higher intact parathyroid hormone levels (P<0.001). Conclusion DSA is the most serious spinal complication in patients on long-term hemodialysis. Serum β2-M is elevated in patients receiving long-term hemodialysis (>5 years) and is positively correlated with destructive changes (DSA).