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Hannu Kautiainen

Publications and source records attributed to Hannu Kautiainen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Functioning and preferences for improvement of health among patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in early adulthood using the WHO ICF model.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate functioning and preferences for health among young adult patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and controls. The WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) was used as a framework. METHODS: The patient files of a rheumatology hospital were screened to identify patients with juvenile arthritis born 1976 to 1980. Functioning was measured by the Finnish version of the Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MDHAQ) within the framework of the ICF. Preferences in improvement of health were measured by the Finnish version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2. Age and sex matched controls from the community were selected from the Finnish population registry. RESULTS: In all, 123 patients with a mean age of 23 (SD 21-26) years participated in the followup study. The mean time from diagnosis to followup was 16.2 years. Among them, 35% (n = 43) were in remission at followup. Lower levels of functioning for 3 ICF components were found in patients with active disease compared to controls. JIA patients with active disease had more pain and lower levels of mobility, self-care, and domestic and social life compared to controls. Patients with active disease differed from those in remission with pain in preferences for improvement of health. CONCLUSION: Patients with active disease need active treatment and rehabilitation to maintain functioning and decrease pain. The ICF offers a promising model to examine the outcomes of adult patients with JIA. Application of the MDHAQ is supported by our evaluation studies in young adults with JIA.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Increased incidence of hip fractures. A population based-study in Finland.

In Central Finland, the age-specific incidence of hip fractures did not change between the years 1982-1983 and 1992-1993 though the total number of hip fractures increased by 11% due to population aging. The objective of this study was to define the current hip fracture rates and the characteristics of patients with hip fracture. The population at risk consisted of 240,000 persons living in the Central Finland Health Care District. Hip fracture patients were identified by using the hospital discharge register, the operation lists, and the register of the Department of Anesthesiology. Patients' residential status, weight, and height, date and time of hip fracture, place of accident and mechanism and type of fracture were obtained from medical records. A total of 597 patients, 415 (69.5%) women and 182 (30.5%) men, were admitted to the hospital for treatment of an acute hip fracture in 2002-2003. The mean age of the patients was 79 (SD 13) years. Among patients aged > or =50 years (n = 577), 80.8% of the hip fractures had occurred indoors, 97.6% with a low-energetic mechanism, and 22.7% during the nighttime. The ratio of trochanteric to cervical fractures was 2:3. Between 1992-1993 and 2002-2003, the total number of hip fractures increased by 70%, from 351 to 597. The fracture rates per 1000 person-years in the age group > or =55 years were 2.0 and 3.9 in 1992-1993 and 2.8 and 5.6 in 2002-2003 for men and women, respectively. The corresponding age-adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) for men was 1.36 (95% CI: 1.06 to 1.76), P = 0.017, and for women 1.25 (95% CI: 1.07 to 1.47), P = 0.006. Among men, the IRR was highest in the age group 75-84 years, IRR = 1.67 (95% CI: 1.08 to 2.65), while among women, it was highest in the age group > or =85 years, IRR = 1.33 (95% CI: 1.02 to 1.75). The total number of hip fractures almost doubled within 10 years, and the age-adjusted incidence rate increased in both sexes. The accretion of the hip fracture incidence was more than could be explained merely by changes in population size and structure.

Age Distribution↗

Risk factors for traumatic and non-traumatic lower limb pain among preadolescents: a population-based study of Finnish schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND: The child's lower limb is the most commonly reported musculoskeletal location with pain and also the most commonly injured site in sports. Some potential risk factors have been studied, but the results are inconsistent. We hypothesized that distinction of traumatic from non-traumatic pain would provide a clearer picture of these factors. The aim of this study is to assess factors associated with lower extremity pain and its impact on preadolescents in a population-based cohort. METHODS: A structured pain questionnaire was completed by 1756 schoolchildren of third and fifth grades to assess musculoskeletal pain, psychosomatic symptoms, subjective disabilities, school absence and frequency of exercise. In addition, hypermobility and physical fitness were measured. RESULTS: The knee was the most common site of pain followed by the ankle-foot and thigh. Of the children who reported pain in their lower extremity, approximately 70% reported at least one disability and 19% reported school absence attributed to their pain during the previous three-month period. Children with traumatic pain had a higher subjective disability index than those with non-traumatic pain (P = 0.02). Age less than 11 years, headache, abdominal pain, depressive feelings, day tiredness, and vigorous exercise were more common in children with lower limb pain than those free of it. In the stratified analysis, younger age was related to both traumatic and non-traumatic pain groups. Vigorous exercise was positively associated with traumatic pain, while subjects with non-traumatic pain had more frequent psychosomatic symptoms. CONCLUSION: Risk factors and consequences of traumatic and non-traumatic lower limb pain are not similar. Traumatic lower limb pain is associated with practicing vigorous exercise and high level of physical fitness, while non-traumatic pain is more correlated with psychosomatic symptoms. These differences might be one of the reasons for the discrepancy of previous research conclusions. The two conditions need to be treated as different disorders in future studies.

Age Factors↗

Erector spinae SEMG activity during forward flexion and re-extension in ankylosing spondylitis patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare erector spinae muscle (ESM) activity as measured by surface electromyography (SEMG) in lumbar flexion from the upright position in men with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and healthy males, and to study associations between pain, lumbar mobility and ESM activity. METHODS: Surface EMG was undertaken at the L1-2 and L4-5 levels in 11 men with AS taking part in a rehabilitation course at the Rheumatism Foundation Hospital, and in 10 pain-free male controls, while the subjects were bending forward. RESULTS: During full flexion ESM SEMG activity was significantly greater in patients with AS than in the controls. Relaxation was evident during flexion in all of the controls but in only some patients with AS. Lumbar mobility correlated negatively with ESM activities. No relationship between pain and ESM activity was evident. Some AS patients reported pain while ESM activity was being measured. CONCLUSION: Decreased lumbar mobility rather than pain explains ESM activity during full flexion in patients with AS.

Journal Article↗

Health related quality of life after lumbar disc surgery: a prospective study of 145 patients.

PURPOSE: This study compared health related quality of life (HRQOL) among lumber disc surgery patients to general population, and assessed the relationships between HRQOL and other outcome measures 2 and 14 months after surgery. METHODS: The 15D instrument was use to measure HRQOL in 145 lumber disk surgery patients. Subjective outcome was also assessed by the Oswestry index, Short Depression Inventory (SDI) and pain, and objective outcome by trunk muscle strength and mobility of the spine. RESULTS: The mean (SD) 15D score among the patients 2 months after surgery was 0.880 (0.104) compared to 0.941 (0.076) among general population (p = 0.016). The 15D, Oswestry and SDI scores remained unchanged during the follow-up, while the improvements in the spine mobility and trunk muscle strength were significant. Back pain decreased by 68% and leg pain by 74% from preoperative level to 2 months check-up. Leg pain further decreased during the following 12 months, while back pain remained unchanged. HRQOL was associated with age, pain, Oswestry and SDI indices, but not with physical function. CONCLUSION: HRQOL measured by 15D was lower in lumber disc surgery patients compared to general population. 15D was associated with the subjective outcome measures of pain, Oswestry and SDI indices, but not with the objective measures of physical function. Thus, a combination of "disease specific" and "generic" measures is recommended to be used to obtain more accurate information about the overall welfare of individual.

Abdominal Muscles↗

Early suppression of disease activity is essential for maintenance of work capacity in patients with recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis: five-year experience from the FIN-RACo trial.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of an early treatment response on maintenance of work capacity in patients with early, active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: In the Finnish Rheumatoid Arthritis Combination Therapy trial, 195 patients with recent-onset RA were randomized to receive either a combination of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) with prednisolone or a single DMARD with or without prednisolone for 2 years. Treatment responses were evaluated according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. After a 5-year followup, the cumulative number of days of sick leave and RA-related permanent work disability was calculated for each of the 162 patients who were available for the active work force at baseline. RESULTS: Of the 159 patients assessed at 6 months, 29 were in clinical remission, 66 achieved an ACR50 response but not remission, 29 achieved an ACR20 response but not an ACR50 response, and 35 failed to achieve an ACR20 response. In these 4 groups, the median numbers of work disability days per patient-year from 6 months through 60 months of followup were 0 (interquartile range [IQR] 0-3), 4 (IQR 0-131), 16 (IQR 0-170), and 352 (16-365), respectively (P < 0.001). Pairwise multiple comparisons showed a statistically significant difference between all groups except the ACR50 and ACR20 groups. At 12 months, 30 patients were in remission. None of the 44 patients in remission at 6 or 12 months became permanently work disabled over the 5-year followup, as compared with 15 patients in the ACR50 group (23%), 6 in the ACR20 group (21%), and 19 without an ACR20 response at 6 months (56%). CONCLUSION: Prompt induction of remission translates into maintenance of work capacity. At 6 months, an ACR50 response is no better than an ACR20 response with regard to future productivity, while failure to achieve an ACR20 response carries a high risk for work disability.

Adult↗

Patients seen for standard rheumatoid arthritis care have significantly better articular, radiographic, laboratory, and functional status in 2000 than in 1985.

OBJECTIVE: A comprehensive quantitative analysis of measures of disease activity and joint damage has not been available to compare patients in different eras in the same clinical setting. This study was undertaken to determine whether the clinical status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has improved on average in recent years. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional evaluation, which included joint count, radiographic, laboratory, patient questionnaire, and physical function measures, and therapies, was performed in 125 consecutive RA patients seen from 1984 through 1986 ("1985 cohort"). A virtually identical assessment was performed in 150 patients seen from 1999 through 2001 ("2000 cohort"), in the same weekly academic clinic. Measures were compared using descriptive statistics and a median regression model, adjusted for age, duration of disease, level of formal education, and rheumatoid factor. RESULTS: Patients in 1985 had significantly poorer status compared with those in 2000: median 12 versus 5 swollen joints, Larsen radiographic score 20 versus 3, erythrocyte sedimentation rate 33 mm/hour versus 20, and modified Health Assessment Questionnaire 1.0 versus 0.4 (P < 0.019). Severe Disease Activity Scores >5.1 were seen in 69% of 1985 patients, compared with 30% in 2000. Methotrexate was taken by 10% of patients in 1985, versus 76% in 2000. The proportion of patients not taking any disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs was 66% in 1985 versus 13% in 2000. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving standard care for RA in this setting had significantly better status, including radiographic scores, in 2000 than in 1985, associated with aggressive treatment strategies, prior to the introduction of biologic agents.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Effects of home strength training and stretching versus stretching alone after lumbar disk surgery: a randomized study with a 1-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the adherence to and effects of a 12-month combined strength and stretching home exercise regimen versus stretching alone, on patient outcome after lumbar disk surgery. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Departments of physical medicine and rehabilitation and orthopedics at a Finnish hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=126) were randomized into either a combined strength training and stretching group (STG, n=65) or a control group (CG, n=61). INTERVENTION: The STG was instructed to perform strength training and both the STG and CG were instructed in the same stretching and stabilization exercises for 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain on the visual analog scale (VAS), the Oswestry and the Million disability indexes, isometric and dynamic trunk muscle strength, mobility in the lumbar spine, and straight-leg raising were measured. RESULTS: The trial was completed by 71% and 77% of the patients from the STG and the CG, respectively. The mean strength training frequency decreased from 1.5 to 0.6 times a week in the STG during the intervention. The mean stretching frequency decreased from 3.7 to 1.6 times a week in both groups. Median back and leg pain varied between 17 and 23 mm (VAS), and the Million and Oswestry indices varied between 14 and 23 points 2 months postoperatively. No statistically significant changes took place in these outcome measures during the 12-month follow-up in both groups. The changes in isometric trunk extension favored the STG ( P =.016) during the first 2 months. However, during the whole 12-month training period, both dynamic and isometric back extension and flexion strength, as well as mobility of the spine and repetitive squat-test results, improved significantly in both groups, and no differences were found in any of the physical function parameters between the STG and CG. CONCLUSIONS: At the 12-month follow-up, no statistically significant changes were found in the physical function, pain, or disability measures between the groups. In the STG, training adherence with regard to training frequency and intensity remained too low to lead to specific training-induced adaptations in the neuromuscular system. Progressive loading, supervision of training, and psychosocial support is needed in long-term rehabilitation programs to maintain patient motivation.

Adult↗

Effect of long-term neck muscle training on pressure pain threshold: a randomized controlled trial.

Muscle tenderness has been measured in several studies to evaluate effectiveness of treatment methods, but only short-term results have been reported so far. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term effects of two different muscle training methods on the pressure pain threshold of neck muscles in women with neck pain. Altogether 180 woman with chronic, non-specific neck pain were randomized into three groups: neck muscle endurance training, neck muscle strength training and control groups. The main outcome measures included pressure pain threshold measurement at six muscle sites and on the sternum. Neck pain was assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS). At the 12-month follow-up statistically significantly higher pressure pain threshold values were obtained in both training groups at all muscle sites compared to the baseline, while no significant change occurred in the controls. Significantly higher changes in pressure pain threshold were detected at all six sites in the strength training group and at four out of six sites in the endurance training group compared to the control group. This is the first study to show an increase in pressure pain thresholds as a result of long-term muscle training. A decrease in neck pain was associated with reduced pressure pain sensitivity in neck muscles, showing that the pressure pain threshold may be a useful outcome measure of the effectiveness of neck muscle rehabilitation.

Adult↗

Comparison of Swanson and Sutter metacarpophalangeal arthroplasties in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective and randomized trial.

PURPOSE: To perform a prospective and randomized comparison of the clinical outcome of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had Swanson or Sutter implant replacement arthroplasty of the metacarpophalangeal joints. METHODS: There were 45 patients (3 men, 42 women) and 49 hands; a total of 75 Swanson and 99 Sutter implants were inserted. The mean time between surgery and the final follow-up control visit was 58 months (range, 37-80 mo). Preoperative and postoperative measurements were performed including active extension and flexion, correction of ulnar deviation, and strength. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between groups with regard to active extension deficit correction. Mean active flexion decreased less in the Sutter group than in the Swanson group but difference between the groups was statistically significant in only the index finger. At the final follow-up examination no significant differences existed between the groups in the correction of ulnar deviation or arc of motion. Grip strengths, chuck pinch, and thump-to-fingertip grip strengths did not improve in either of the groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this study clinical results showed no significant difference between the groups with the single exception of the amount of index finger metacarpophalangeal joint flexion.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Oral and salivary parameters in patients with rheumatic diseases.

We studied the presence of secondary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and the composition of saliva, prevalence of oral pathogens, periodontitis, mouth mucosa, and teeth in patients with various rheumatic diseases and in healthy controls. The hypothesis was that different rheumatic diseases might cause differences in oral health characteristics because of the liability of secondary SS in the patients. The study involved 77 patients and 77 age-matched and sex-matched controls. Twenty patients were suffering from spondylarthropathy (SPA), 18 from ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 24 from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 15 from mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). Clinical and radiographic oral health status was recorded and salivary flow rates were measured. Selected salivary proteins and immunoglobulins were analysed by routine methods. Minor salivary gland biopsy samples were taken from the patients for assessment of inflammatory focus scores. Differences between patients and controls and in between the different rheumatic diseases were analysed statistically. Secondary SS was diagnosed in 39% (30/77) of the patients. A severe periodontal condition (community periodontal index of treatment needs score 3 or 4) occurred in 58% (45/77) of the rheumatic patients compared with only 26% (20/77) of the controls (p < 0.0001). The severity of focal sialadenitis (focus score) correlated significant with salivary IgA, IgG, and IgM concentrations. Salivary albumin, total protein, IgG, and IgM concentrations were higher in all patient groups than in the controls. The number of patients with low salivary flow rates was higher in all patient groups compared to controls. Oral yeast counts were significantly higher in the patients than in the controls (p < 0.001). In a subgroup analysis, patients with SS had higher values for salivary IgA and IgM than patients without SS. Dental caries and oral lactobacilli were more frequent in patients with SS, but SS was not associated with periodontitis. No major differences were noted in other salivary biochemical parameters between these two groups. Patients with rheumatic diseases, irrespective of specific diagnosis, thus had various alterations in salivary flow and composition and oral health. The findings may reflect the autoimmune inflammation of the salivary glands frequently observed in these patients.

Adult↗

The use of psychotropics and survival in demented elderly individuals.

The present study aimed to examine the use of psychotropics and its relation to survival in demented elderly persons. A random sample of 700 individuals, aged 75 years or older, was drawn from the population of Kuopio city in January 1998. A geriatrician and a nurse carried out clinical examinations of 601 individuals, of whom 137 suffered from dementia according to DSM-IV criteria. The lifespan was calculated from the date of examination in 1998 to the end of 2003. In survival analyses, subjects were divided according to psychotropic use into groups: (i) users of only one of kind of psychotropics and (ii) concomitant users of all kinds of psychotropics. Psychotropics were classified into antipsychotics, antidepressants and a group of anxiolytics and hypnotics/sedatives. Seventy-one percent (n = 97) of demented elderly individuals used a psychotropic drug. Age- and sex-adjusted survival did not differ by severity of dementia (P = 0.076) or by the diagnosis of dementia (P = 0.54). When survival was compared with nonusers of psychotropics, the hazard ratio was 2.75 (P = 0.002) for individuals who used antipsychotics as their only psychotropic medicine and 1.76 (95% confidence interval 1.09-2.86) for concomitant users of all kinds of psychotropics. The use of several psychotropics or antipsychotics is a risk factor for death in demented elderly persons.

Age Factors↗

Lower limb pain in a preadolescent population: prognosis and risk factors for chronicity--a prospective 1- and 4-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the short-term and long-term prognosis of preadolescent lower limb pain and to assess factors that contribute to pain persistence at 1-year follow-up and pain recurrence at 4-year follow-up. METHODS: A 1- and 4-year follow-up was conducted of a population-based 10- and 12-year old cohort of schoolchildren with lower limb pain at baseline. RESULTS: Of the baseline students with lower limb pain, 32% reported pain persistence at 1-year follow-up and 31% reported pain recurrence at 4-year follow-up. Vigorous exercise was the only statistically significant predictor of lower limb pain persistence at 1-year follow-up (odds ratio [OR]: 2.43; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-5.05), whereas at 4-year follow-up (at adolescence), hypermobility was predictive of pain recurrence (OR: 2.93; 95% CI: 1.13-7.70). Traumatic lower extremity pain had a 50% lower risk for pain recurrence compared with nontraumatic pain (OR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.19-0.92). CONCLUSION: Trauma-induced lower extremity pain in preadolescents has a favorable long-term natural course. Children's involvement in vigorous exercise predicts short-term outcome of lower limb pain, whereas hypermobile children have a worse long-term prognosis.

Child↗

Frequency of remissions in early rheumatoid arthritis defined by 3 sets of criteria. a 5-year followup study.

OBJECTIVE: To study the frequency of remission using 3 sets of criteria in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at 5 years after the diagnosis. METHODS: All adult patients with recent onset inflammatory arthritis who did not meet criteria or show clinical signs of other specific arthritides were included in the RA1997 inception cohort at Jyväskylä Central Hospital, Finland, and were assessed for remission at 5-year control examination. Remission was defined as (1) American College of Rheumatology (ACR) remission (fatigue excluded), (2) clinical remission with no tender and no swollen joints and normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and (3) radiographic remission with no worsening of erosions and no new erosions from baseline to 5 years. RESULTS: The study included 127 patients with early RA (mean age 56 yrs, 61% female, 54% with positive rheumatoid factor, and 25% with erosions). At 5 years, 111 patients were examined, 17% (95% CI 11%-25%) of whom met ACR remission criteria, 37% (95% CI 28%-47%) met clinical remission criteria, and 55% (95% CI 49%-68%) met radiographic remission criteria. Only 13 (12%) patients met all 3 sets of remission criteria. The rate of remission was statistically significantly different (p < 0.001) using the 3 sets. CONCLUSION: The rate of remission in RA depends on the criteria used. No gold standard exists for defining remission in RA. A set of criteria including no sign of inflammatory activity and no radiographic progression might be a basis for development of clinically relevant remission criteria for RA.

Adult↗

Evaluation of the MDHAQ in Finnish patients with RA [corrected].

OBJECTIVE: To study the characteristics of the Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MDHAQ) in Finnish patients with rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: The reliability of the questionnaire was tested by test-retest procedure. Construct validity was studied by factor analysis and convergent validity by calculating correlations between the Finnish MDHAQ (Finn-MDHAQ) scales and the Finnish Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and the Finnish Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (Finn-AIMS2). Correlations between Finn-MDHAQ and measures of clinical characteristics, disease activity, and functional class were also measured. An item analysis was made of the Finn-MDHAQ scales Function (FN) and Psychological (PS). RESULTS: Internal consistency on the FN scale was 0.92 (95% lower limit 0.89) and 0.66 (0.56) on the PS scale. Reproducibility (95% CI) on FN was 0.93 (0.82 to 0.97) and on PS 0.84 (0.70 to 0.92). Factor analysis identified 2 factors, mobility of upper extremities and trunk, and mobility of lower extremities. Strong correlations were found between the FN scale and HAQ and physical subscales of Finn-AIMS2 and between PS and the psychological subscales of Finn-AIMS2. In item analysis corrected item correlation was high on the Finn-MDHAQ scales, except in one item on the PS scale. CONCLUSION: The Finn-MDHAQ is an applicable, reliable, and valid instrument for the part of the FN scale measuring functional ability in Finnish rheumatic patients. The incongruity in the PS scale structure that produced moderate internal consistency can be overcome with minor modifications.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Further development of a physical function scale on a MDHAQ [corrected] for standard care of patients with rheumatic diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze a further version of the Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MDHAQ) with 10 activities of daily living (ADL), which is more easily completed by patients and scored by health professionals than a 14-ADL MDHAQ; and to determine if the 10-ADL MDHAQ would be as informative as the 14-ADL MDHAQ, the 20-ADL HAQ, and the 8-ADL modified HAQ (MHAQ), which is more easily reviewed and scored than the HAQ, but scores are routinely 0.3-0.5 units lower than HAQ scores. METHODS: In standard care, 144 consecutive patients completed a HAQ, which includes a MHAQ, and 14-ADL MDHAQ, which includes a 10-ADL MDHAQ subscale, all scored 0-3. These scales were analyzed for mean and median scores, Cronbach's alpha to estimate internal consistency, factor analysis to estimate construct validity, and cumulative percentile scores. RESULTS: Mean (median) scores for the HAQ, MHAQ, 14-ADL MDHAQ, and 10-ADL MDHAQ physical function scales were 0.80 (0.75), 0.48 (0.38), 0.83 (0.79), and 0.73 (0.70), respectively. Internal consistency of each scale was very good. The lowest 25 percentile score was 0.16 on the HAQ, 0.0 on the MHAQ, 0.36 on the 14-ADL MDHAQ, and 0.20 on the 10-ADL MDHAQ. CONCLUSION: The MDHAQ physical function scale of 10 ADL is more easily completed and scored than the 14-ADL MDHAQ or 20-ADL HAQ, while providing similar information.

Activities of Daily Living↗