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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) represents an autoimmune disease affecting mostly joints, in particular small finger and toe joints. In addition RA can show extra-articular manifestations in many organs. Information on the frequency of extra-articular manifestations (EAMs) in RA varies greatly in different publications from 17.8% to 40.9% and EAMs tend to become higher with increasing duration and severity of the disease. The exact etiology and pathogenesis are still unclear but vasculitic alterations together with deposition of immune complexes can often be found histopathologically in affected organs. It must also be taken into consideration that EAMs can also be a result of the pharmaceutical therapy. The organ findings can vary greatly which is also reflected in the multitude of clinical symptoms. Possible target organs are the blood vessels, kidneys, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, the lungs, eyes, skin, nails as well as blood and the hemopoetic system. The prognosis for RA becomes progressively worse in the presence of EAMs. Regular and continuous control investigations are necessary in order to be able to diagnose EAMs early and to begin therapy. Therapy includes the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and especially in advanced stages cyclophosphamide or biologicals. Therapy is still very empirical due to the lack of appropriate studies.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) represents an autoimmune disease affecting mostly joints, in particular small finger and toe joints. In addition RA can show extra-articular manifestations in many organs. Information on the frequency of extra-articular manifestations (EAMs) in RA varies greatly in different publications from 17.8% to 40.9% and EAMs tend to become higher with increasing duration and severity of the disease. The exact etiology and pathogenesis are still unclear but vasculitic alterations together with deposition of immune complexes can often be found histopathologically in affected organs. It must also be taken into consideration that EAMs can also be a result of the pharmaceutical therapy. The organ findings can vary greatly which is also reflected in the multitude of clinical symptoms. Possible target organs are the blood vessels, kidneys, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, the lungs, eyes, skin, nails as well as blood and the hemopoetic system. The prognosis for RA becomes progressively worse in the presence of EAMs. Regular and continuous control investigations are necessary in order to be able to diagnose EAMs early and to begin therapy. Therapy includes the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and especially in advanced stages cyclophosphamide or biologicals. Therapy is still very empirical due to the lack of appropriate studies.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has traditionally been included among the diseases associated with Raynaud's syndrome (RS). The prevalence of RS in patients with RA is not well defined. The objective of this paper was to assess the prevalence of RS in patients with RA-a meta-analysis of published data was performed. The PubMed database of the National Library of Medicine and ISI Web of Knowledge was used for studies dealing with RS and RA. The studies provided sufficient data to estimate the prevalence of RS in patients with RA. A forest plot was determined by the revealed prevalences. Statistical analysis was based on methods for a random effects meta-analysis and a finite mixture model for proportions. Publication bias was investigated with the linear regression test (Egger's method). A meta-regression was conducted by the year of publication. Twenty-eight eligible studies, contributing data on 3,730 subjects, were included in this meta-analysis. For RA, a pooled prevalence of 12.3% and 95% CI = 0.093-0.157 were obtained. A mixture model analysis found five latent classes. Statistically and graphically, publication bias was present (p = 0.031). In the meta-regression, the estimated prevalence decreased within the observation period (1977-2010) from 11.2% to 9.4%. Despite some heterogeneity, there is a possible indication of an association for RS and patients with RA.
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