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Biomedical subjects

K Aho

Publications and source records attributed to K Aho.

263 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Is seropositive rheumatoid arthritis becoming less severe?

We have followed a community-based cohort of recent-onset arthritis for eight years. In addition to Waaler-Rose and latex agglutination tests we used class-specific enzyme immunoassay for the determination of rheumatoid factors (RFs). Eighty-seven patients had erosions by the end of the follow-up period. The seropositive cases in each RF assay were divided into three groups of equal size according to the mean strength of RF reactivity for three or four available follow-up specimens. The radiological index values in the high-titer groups were no higher than the values for the seropositive cases on average. Thus, no severity gradient according to RF titer could be demonstrated.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMedDate not supplied

False-positive seroreactions for syphilis as a harbinger of disease revisited.

A cohort of 59 initially healthy subjects with chronic false-positive seroreactions for syphilis was followed for 3 to 19 years (mean 13 years) by data linkage to computerized population registry and to national hospital discharge registry using a unique personal identification number. One subject had moved abroad, but all others were known to be alive at the end of the follow-up period. Four subjects developed systemic lupus erythematosus and two developed rheumatoid arthritis. One subject was admitted to hospital because of protracted substernal pain, but a myocardial infarction could not be verified. This case corresponds to the expected number of cardiovascular events in the cohort. A chronic false positive seroreaction for syphilis was calculated to represent a hundred-fold risk for the development of systemic lupus, but such seroreactions did not seem to predict an excess of cardiovascular diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

IgG-rheumatoid factor in a population of elderly males: relationship to IgM-rheumatoid factor and rheumatoid arthritis.

The occurrence of IgG-rheumatoid factor (RF) reacting with rabbit IgG was studied in the sera of 1,105 elderly males from rural areas of Finland. Elevated levels of IgG-RF were found in 12 sera, 11 of which contained also IgM-RF, as measured by conventional agglutination tests and/or by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Subjects with rheumatoid arthritis and those with "false" positive RF reactions did not differ from each other with respect to the occurrence of IgG-RF.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Shortening of life span and causes of excess mortality in a population-based series of subjects with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To obtain information on the shortening of the life span and the causes of excess death in a population-based series of subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: The study included all 1666 subjects who had died in Finland in 1989 and were entitled under the nationwide sickness insurance scheme to receive specially reimbursed medication for RA. Demographic data on the Finnish population and sickness insurance statistics were used as the basis for computations. RESULTS: The life span in subjects with RA was shortened by 15-20% from the date of onset of illness. The determinants of excess mortality could be studied in females. About 40% of the excess deaths were due to cardiovascular causes, 30% to infections, 15% to amyloidosis, and the remaining 15% to diverse causes. CONCLUSION: This data provides an enlightened basis for understanding mortality associated with RA.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Anti-RA 33 as a marker antibody of rheumatoid arthritis in a Finnish population.

To obtain information on anti-RA 33 as a marker antibody of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a panel of Finnish sera were tested by immunoblotting with partially purified RA 33 antigen. Six of 100 specimens from patients with RA, one of 39 specimens from subjects who later developed seropositive RA, and one of 50 specimens from subjects with "false-positive" rheumatoid factor reactions were positive. The findings are compatible with the concept that anti-RA 33 is associated with RA from its onset and can even precede the disease. However, the prevalence of this antibody in Finnish RA patients is remarkably low compared to patients from continental Europe.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antibodies binding to anionic phospholipids but not to oxidized low-density lipoprotein are associated with thrombosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: Elevated levels of antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) frequently occur in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and these antibodies crossreact in many sera with anticardiolipin antibodies, known to be associated with thrombosis. Therefore, a study was carried out to assess the mutual relationship between antibodies against oxidized LDL and thrombosis. METHODS: The occurrence of IgG class antibodies against oxidized LDL, cardiolipin and phosphatidyl serine were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a series of 146 patients with SLE. Twenty-one patients had had thromboembolic complications. At least one of three tests used to detect lupus anticoagulant was positive in 34 out of 133 patients. RESULTS: The level of antibodies against oxidized LDL correlated significantly with that of antibodies against cardiolipin (r = 0.52) but only marginally with antibodies against phosphatidyl serine (r = 0.18). Antibodies against cardiolipin and phosphatidyl serine, but not those against oxidized LDL, were significantly associated with the presence of lupus anticoagulant (odds ratios of the risk in the highest tertile relative to the lower tertiles of the antibody were 5.3, 6.9 and 1.1, respectively) and with thrombosis (odds ratios 2.5, 4.0 and 1.0, respectively). CONCLUSION: The observations suggest that only those antibodies reacting specifically with cardiolipin and phosphatidyl serine are associated with thrombosis and with the presence of lupus anticoagulant in patients with SLE, whereas antibodies crossreacting with oxidized LDL and those reacting specifically with oxidized LDL are not associated.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Shift in the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis toward elderly patients in Finland during 1975-1990.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain information on changes in the age distribution of new cases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Finland. METHODS: The present study covered those subjects entitled under the nationwide sickness insurance scheme to receive specially reimbursed medication for RA in 5/21 central hospital districts in Finland (population base about one million adults) in 1975, 1980, 1985, and 1990. RESULTS: During the four study years 1321 incident cases occurred, which satisfied the American Rheumatism Association 1987 classification criteria for RA. The mean age at diagnosis increased by 7.6 years from 1975 (50.2 years) to 1990 (57.8 years). No appreciable differences occurred between men and women. The incidence rates declined in the younger age groups. CONCLUSION: The epidemiology of RA is in a dynamic state. The trends may reflect marked changes in the host-environment relationship.

Adolescent↗