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Biomedical subjects

F D Hart

Publications and source records attributed to F D Hart.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Rheumatoid nodules.

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Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1993

Writing papers.

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Periodicals as Topic↗
PubMed1992

Rheumatic fever.

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Child↗
PubMed1988

Fibrositis (fibromyalgia). A common non-entity?

The literature on fibrositis (fibromyalgia), which originated in the early years of the last century in the UK and proliferated there in the first half of this century, has since diminished there in the last 30 years or so, but has increased in Canada and the US. Criteria suggested for diagnosis have created a syndrome with no diagnostic tests, serological or radiological signs, and no truly objective physical signs, but with predictable tender spots on pressure. The syndrome is largely, but not completely, confined to females, mostly of middle age; the symptoms include widespread aching of more than 3 months' duration, disturbed sleep, morning fatigue and stiffness, a failure to respond satisfactorily to any one form of therapy and a tendency to persist over long periods, but without permanent tissue changes. Features of psychological disturbance are present in many patients but not in all or even the majority. Definition of the condition as a disorder of pain modulation - a pain amplification syndrome - would seem to fit the facts best. Most would agree that an abnormal response to stress is an important factor in the appearance of the syndrome, as other stress related disorders, such as the irritable bowel syndrome and tension headaches, may coexist. Response to therapy, whether physical or pharmacological, is on the whole unsatisfactory. This type of patient has been well recognised in hospital clinic and general practice for many years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Fibromyalgia↗
PubMed1987

Rational use of analgesics in the treatment of the rheumatic disorders.

To the average arthritic patient, pain relief is usually his or her first priority in treatment. Thus, analgesics still have a part to play in the treatment of most arthritic conditions, even though the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have the major therapeutic role in most cases. In the treatment of acute gout, the NSAIDs are the most important, and simple analgesics are relatively unimportant, but in the treatment of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis and other arthropathies, analgesics taken as and if required to cover the more painful periods of a day do have a role, usually in conjunction with NSAIDs and other agents. In general, the simple analgesics are better tolerated than the NSAIDs and less likely to produce gastrointestinal irritation. Although many clinicians consider that simple analgesics have little part to play in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory arthropathies, the patient often takes them without the physician's knowledge, in addition to the prescribed treatment. Some recently introduced analgesics bridge the gap between the simple analgesics and the more potent potentially addictive drugs such as pethidine and morphine, which are only indicated in extremely painful crises or after traumatic episodes and surgical operations.

Analgesics↗
PubMed1987

Polymyalgia rheumatica. Its correct diagnosis and treatment.

Giant cell (temporal) arteritis was first described by Horton and colleagues in 1932, and polymyalgia rheumatica in 1957 by Barber who suggested this title for an entity resembling, but distinct from, rheumatoid arthritis of unknown aetiology in the elderly. Arteritic features were sufficiently common in polymyalgia rheumatica to suggest an arteriopathy as a cause, further evidence of this being the change from the clinical picture picture of polymyalgia rheumatica to giant cell arteritis and vice versa in many patients such that the alternative title polymyalgia arteritica was suggested. The clinical picture of polymyalgia rheumatica is that of an elderly patient, more often female than male, usually over 60 years of age, with painful stiffness in the girdle joints and muscles of the shoulders and hips, but seldom with findings in peripheral or intermediate joints. The painful stiffness in the shoulders, hips and thighs is worse in the early morning. An erythrocyte sedimentation rate over 50mm in 1 hour is usual, and there is a rapid and dramatic response to small doses of corticosteroids (around 10mg prednisolone daily). Arteritic and axial arthritic features have been noted by different authors in different ratios, the disorder gradually abating naturally over periods varying from several months to 7 to 10 years. Deaths, when they occur in this elderly group of patients, have usually been unrelated to the disease or its treatment, but osteoporotic vertebral crush fractures are not uncommon. Partial or complete blindness may occur in patients with either giant cell arteritis or polymyalgia rheumatica, often appearing rapidly after cessation of corticosteroid therapy or rapid reduction of dosage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1986

Double-blind multicentre UK hospital studies of isoxicam vs naproxen.

1 Two multicentre, parallel group, randomised, double-blind, double-dummy comparison studies were conducted between isoxicam in the usual dose of 200 mg once daily and naproxen 500 mg twice daily. 2 The drugs were administered for 4 weeks to 230 patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the hip and/or knee in the first trial and to 249 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis in the second. 3 The studies compared treatments for both safety and overall effectiveness in the relief of pain. 4 In the osteoarthritis trial, overall pain was reduced by both drugs after 2 weeks of therapy but only isoxicam produced further improvement after 4 weeks. 5 Isoxicam produced reductions comparable to those produced by naproxen in pain on standing from the sitting position, pain on walking, and pain on movement of the affected joint, after 2 and 4 weeks. 6 After 4 weeks, isoxicam given once daily in the morning was significantly more effective than naproxen given in the morning and the evening in relieving not only total pain as assessed by a visual analogue scale but, as importantly, night pain. 7 Compared to naproxen therapy, isoxicam therapy was associated with significantly more patients whose disease state was improved at 2 weeks, as assessed by physicians. 8 In the rheumatoid arthritis trial, isoxicam was equally as effective as naproxen in reducing joint tenderness, joint swelling, and pain; at 4 weeks there was a trend in favour of isoxicam in reduction of joint swelling and pain. 9 Isoxicam reduced morning stiffness significantly more than naproxen after 4 weeks; this trend was apparent at 2 weeks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗
PubMed1986

Regressive systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis is a disease which usually progresses or reaches a plateau with persistence of symptoms and signs. Regression is extremely unusual. Four cases of established scleroderma are described in which regression is well documented. The significance of this observation and possible mechanisms of disease regression are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Pain relief in the rheumatic and other disorders.

When severe pain is present, so usually is fear. Whether the pain results from a traffic accident, a sports injury, an arthritic exacerbation or a coronary thrombosis, an explanation of what is going on carries considerable reassurance, for uncertainty and fear of the unknown aggravates and increases the pain. I remember well a frightened lady being admitted with acute dorsal backache, the pain of which was not controlled by 6-hourly injections of morphine. She feared she had metastatic malignant disease in the spine, which indeed she did have, but in a calm and reassuring atmosphere and with excellent nursing staff she was maintained only on mild sedation and simple analgesics. For some patients the knowledge that injections are given for serious conditions adds to their anxiety. The pain of metastatic malignant disease is often helped considerably by NSAIDs or simple analgesics. Almost all pains have several components and therefore different therapeutic approaches.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗