Background/Aim: Despite remission or low disease activity non-inflammatory complaints like exhaustion, fatigue, and pain persist in a significant proportion of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and have a considerable impact on health-related quality of life. This study evaluated the effects of balneotherapy on non-inflammatory complaints, quality of life, and work productivity of patients with SLE. Patients and Methods: SLE patients in remission/low disease activity in three rheumatology centers were included in this randomized, controlled, follow-up study. In addition to the standard of care (SOC), sixteen out of the thirty patients with SLE received balneotherapy (3-week period, 15 times, for 30 min) and fourteen patients received the SOC only. Prevalidated survey instruments including Lupus Quality of Life (LupusQoL), , Work Productivity, and Activity Impairment-Lupus (WPAI-Lupus) questionnaires were used. Results: Based on the SF-36 questionnaires, several subdomains of physical condition improved significantly after the course; the improvement remained durable (p=0.019). General health improved significantly by the end of the course (p=0.001). According to the LupusQoL questionnaire, physical health and pain showed a tendency of improvement shortly after the spa treatment. Changes in the WPAI-lupus questionnaire indicated a short-term improvement of the daily activity by the end of the observation period. No adverse reactions were observed. Conclusion: Thermal water therapy may be an effective, well-tolerated, complementary nonpharmacological approach for non-inflammatory complaints of patients with SLE. Physical condition improved in the short-term, whereas fatigue worsened despite treatment.Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, heterogeneous systemic autoimmune disease, with a prevalence in Hungary of 70.5 per 100,000 people, depending on both sex (women are affected nine to ten times more often than men) and age (onset of SLE peaks from the second to the fourth decade of life) (1). It is characterized by the production of antinuclear autoantibodies and clinical involvement in multiple organ systems (2). In addition to various organ manifestations, pain and fatigue are common symptoms of the disease. The treatment of SLE primarily targets remission or, if this state cannot be achieved, low disease activity (3). According to the treat-to-target approach, prevention of organ damage is essential and the improvement of quality of life is also necessary. Despite remission or low disease activity, fatigue, pain, mood disorders, and fibromyalgia-like symptoms may frequently persist and highly influence the quality of life of patients with SLE (4).Balneotherapy is a medical remedy, which uses medically and legally recognized mineral waters, muds, and natural gases from natural springs for therapeutic and rehabilitation purposes. Unlike in hydrotherapy, in balneotherapy, in addition to the physical properties of water, its chemical properties also prevail. The absorption of minerals diss...

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) accounts for a significant proportion of mortality and morbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this cross-sectional study is to evaluate the performance of novel photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) in the detection of pulmonary parenchymal involvement. METHODSSixty-one patients with RA without a previous definitive diagnosis of ILD underwent high-resolution (HR) (0.4 mm slice thickness) and ultra-high-resolution (UHR) (0.2 mm slice thickness) PCD-CT examination. The extent of interstitial abnormalities [ground-glass opacity (GGO), reticulation, bronchiectasis, and honeycombing] were scored in each lobe using a Likert-type scale. Total ILD scores were calculated as the sum of scores from all lobes. RESULTSReticulation and bronchiectasis scores were higher in the UHR measurements taken compared with the HR protocol [median (quartile 1, quartile 3): 2 (0, 3.5) vs. 0 (0, 3), P < 0.001 and 2 (0, 2) vs. 0 (0, 2), P < 0.001, respectively]; however, GGO and honeycombing scores did not differ [2 (2, 4) vs. 2 (2, 4), P = 0.944 and 0 (0, 0) vs. 0 (0, 0), P = 0.641, respectively]. Total ILD scores from both HR and UHR scans showed a mild negative correlation in diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (HR: r = -0.297, P = 0.034; UHR: r = -0.294, P = 0.036). The pattern of lung parenchymal involvement did not differ significantly between the two protocols. The HR protocol had significantly lower volume CT dose index [0.67 (0.69, 1.06) mGy], total dose length product [29 (24.48, 33.2) mGy*cm] compared with UHR scans [8.18 (6.80, 9.23) mGy, P < 0.001 and 250 (218, 305) mGy*cm, P < 0.001]. CONCLUSIONUHR PCD-CT provides more detailed information on ILD in patients with RA than low-dose HR PCD-CT. HR PCD-CT image acquisition with a low effective radiation dose may serve as a valuable, low-radiation screening tool in the selection of patients for further, higher-dose UHR PCD-CT screening.