Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is the main disease entity within spondyloarthritides. AS patients can present with both articular and extra-articular manifestations. Especially, inflammatory back pain has been recognized as the main symptom of AS, however it should be noted that mechanical back pain could also ensue in advanced cases. Peripheral arthritis mostly involves in lower extremities in the form of asymmetric oligoarthritis. Enthesitis could develop in the heel, iliac crest, anterior tibial tuberosity, or anterior chest wall. As for imaging, plain radiographs are used to assess the presence or degree of sacroiliac joint and spinal involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is useful in detecting non-radiographic sacroiliitis, for its ability to delineate bone marrow edema. In this regard, MRI has recently been incorporated as a modality to help diagnose axial spondyloarthritis (2010 ASAS classification). Early diagnosis of AS should be based on the combination of clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings, not on solely structural changes.
Arthritis ; Back Pain ; Bone Marrow ; Early Diagnosis ; Edema ; Heel ; HLA-B27 Antigen ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Sacroiliac Joint ; Sacroiliitis ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing ; Thoracic Wall

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of pain in patients with RA in clinical remission and analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of those who experienced persistent pain despite remission status. Methods: Data from 1,891 patients with RA registered on the Korean College of Rheumatology Biologics and Targeted Therapy registry were obtained. Remission was defined as a Disease Activity Score of 28 joints-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) <2.6.Pain intensity was classified as severe (pain visual analog scale [VAS] ≥7), moderate (4≤VAS<7), or mild (VAS <4). Results: Our analysis showed that 52.6% of patients complained of severe pain at the start of or during switching biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) or targeted synthetic DMARDs (tsDMARDs). Despite having a 36.0% (n=680) remission rate after the use of bDMARDs or tsDMARDs at their 1-year follow-up, 21.5% (n=146) of these patients had moderateto-severe pain, higher frequency of foot erosions, and comorbidities, such as mental illness, endocrine, renal, and neurological disorders, than patients with a milder degree of pain. The multivariable regression analysis showed that presence of foot erosions, neurological disorders, and use of corticosteroids were independently associated with moderate-to-severe pain in patients with RA despite being in remission. The level of ESR and use of Janus kinase inhibitors were inversely associated with moderate-to-severe pain. Conclusion Persistent pain and discomfort continue to be a problem for patients with RA in clinical remission. Continued research on insistent pain in patients with RA is warranted to better alleviate distress and improve the quality of life in patients.

No abstract available.
Myositis* ; Orbital Myositis

We report a rare case of radioactive iodine (RAI)-induced Graves' disease in a patient with toxic adenoma. A 42-year-old woman presented with neck masses. A hot nodule was detected on a thyroid scan, which suggested toxic adenoma. She was treated with RAI. Three months after the treatment, she complained of thyrotoxic symptoms such as weight loss, palpitation, diarrhea, and menstrual irregularity. A new thyroid scan showed diffuse increased uptake, while the toxic adenoma previously detected was now a cold nodule. Moreover, an increased level of antibodies against the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor was detected. These findings indicated Graves' disease. Hence she was treated with anti-thyroid drug. This case serves as a reminder for physicians to consider RAI-induced Graves' disease if thyrotoxicosis is noted after RAI treatment.
Adenoma* ; Adult ; Antibodies ; Diarrhea ; Female ; Graves Disease* ; Humans ; Iodine ; Neck ; Radioisotopes ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Nodule ; Thyrotoxicosis ; Thyrotropin ; Weight Loss

Pernicious anemia (PA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by atrophic gastritis and deficiency in intrinsic factor leading to impairment of vitamin B12 absorption in the ileum. Anemia is commonly found in rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, PA is rarely found in RA. There are few reports describing patients with both conditions; none in Korea to date. We report on a case of a 46-year-old female who presented with hypesthesia and general weakness. She was previously diagnosed as seropositive RA with myelodysplastic syndrome. She had severely impaired sensation, especially for vibration and proprioception in all limbs. Subacute combined degeneration was observed on her magnetic resonance imaging and serum vitamin B12 level was very low. Further exam results were consistent with PA and her symptoms improved with cobalamin injection. This case demonstrates that PA should be considered in RA patients presenting with both central nervous system manifestations and anemia.
Absorption ; Anemia ; Anemia, Pernicious* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Central Nervous System* ; Extremities ; Female ; Gastritis, Atrophic ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Ileum ; Intrinsic Factor ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; Proprioception ; Subacute Combined Degeneration ; Vibration ; Vitamin B 12

No abstract available.

Background: Clinical characteristics and manifestations of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have been extensively studied in western countries, yet data of Korean patients with PsA are very limited. We aimed to investigate the clinical traits of patients with PsA and dissect the characteristics of those with axial involvement. Methods: In this observational study, we analyzed clinical data of 109 patients with PsA who were enrolled in the Korean College of Rheumatology Biologics and Targeted Therapy registry between December 2012 and March 2022 at the time point of initiating or switching to a biologic agent. Data from 2,221 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) registered during the same period were also analyzed. We divided patients with PsA into patients with or without axial involvement and then added AS patients with psoriasis (total three subgroups) for comparative analyses. Results: Asymmetric oligoarthritis was the most common clinical manifestation in patients with PsA, followed by symmetric polyarthritis and spondylitis. Our analysis indicated that methotrexate and sulfasalazine were the two most prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs for patients with PsA before starting biologic therapy. The patients with psoriatic spondylitis had more peripheral joint involvement (P = 0.016), less prior uveitis (P < 0.001), and lower human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) positivity (P < 0.001) than the AS patients with psoriasis. Furthermore, syndesmophytes and radiographic sacroiliitis were prevalent among patients with PsA and AS patients with psoriasis who had the HLA-B27 gene. Conclusion Our study shows that the degree of peripheral arthritis is less severe in Korean patients with PsA who require biologics and reestablishes that psoriatic spondylitis is a common and important clinical pattern in Korean patients with PsA.

No abstract available.
Diabetes Mellitus* ; Humans ; Myositis* ; Renal Dialysis* ; Vasculitis

OBJECTIVE: There are currently limited treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). In the process of pursuing further treatment strategies for this subgroup of patients, it is prudent to study what medications have been commonly prescribed, particularly for disease modifying anti-rheumatic agents (DMARDs) in Korea. METHODS: We analyzed the Korean National Health Insurance claims database (2007~2009) of RA patients through co-working with the Clinical Research Center for RA (CRCRA). Patients with CHB were defined by an algorithm including prescription information, blood tests, and the ICD-10 code. RESULTS: There were 8,677 CHB patients (3.8%) among 226,592 RA patients in the database. The age distribution or gender difference in CHB patients was comparable to the general RA population. Hydroxychloroquine was the most frequently (66.2%) prescribed DMARD. Thirty four percent of CHB patients had been prescribed with methotrexate (MTX) during the study period; most of them without concomitant anti-viral treatment. About 3% of RA patients with CHB were prescribed with TNF inhibitors. CONCLUSION: Apart from the published expert recommendations, MTX still seems to be one of the main DMARDs prescribed to Korean RA patients with CHB. This is most likely due to the lack of evidence-based, effective treatment strategies for this subgroup of patients.
Age Distribution ; Antirheumatic Agents ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Hematologic Tests ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Hydroxychloroquine ; International Classification of Diseases ; Methotrexate ; National Health Programs ; Prescriptions

OBJECTIVE: There are currently limited treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). In the process of pursuing further treatment strategies for this subgroup of patients, it is prudent to study what medications have been commonly prescribed, particularly for disease modifying anti-rheumatic agents (DMARDs) in Korea. METHODS: We analyzed the Korean National Health Insurance claims database (2007~2009) of RA patients through co-working with the Clinical Research Center for RA (CRCRA). Patients with CHB were defined by an algorithm including prescription information, blood tests, and the ICD-10 code. RESULTS: There were 8,677 CHB patients (3.8%) among 226,592 RA patients in the database. The age distribution or gender difference in CHB patients was comparable to the general RA population. Hydroxychloroquine was the most frequently (66.2%) prescribed DMARD. Thirty four percent of CHB patients had been prescribed with methotrexate (MTX) during the study period; most of them without concomitant anti-viral treatment. About 3% of RA patients with CHB were prescribed with TNF inhibitors. CONCLUSION: Apart from the published expert recommendations, MTX still seems to be one of the main DMARDs prescribed to Korean RA patients with CHB. This is most likely due to the lack of evidence-based, effective treatment strategies for this subgroup of patients.
Age Distribution ; Antirheumatic Agents ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Hematologic Tests ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Hydroxychloroquine ; International Classification of Diseases ; Methotrexate ; National Health Programs ; Prescriptions