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Biomedical subjects

S Goemaere

Publications and source records attributed to S Goemaere.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Lack of influence of the androgen receptor gene CAG-repeat polymorphism on sex steroid status and bone metabolism in elderly men.

OBJECTIVE: Population means for serum testosterone (T) levels in healthy men decrease with ageing but there is considerable interindividual variability of serum T in elderly men. Ultimate androgen action is mediated through the androgen receptor. Subtle differences in androgen sensitivity might contribute to serum T variability through the T negative feedback regulation. The androgen receptor gene (AR) contains in exon 1 a polymorphic trinucleotide CAG-repeat, whose length modulates androgen receptor action. The aims of the study were to assess the potential contribution of the AR CAG-repeat polymorphism in the interindividual variability of serum T and in the determination of bone metabolism in ambulatory elderly men. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: We used cross-sectional baseline data of a longitudinal study investigating the process of ageing, in particular the changes in hormonal status and bone metabolism, in a cohort of 273 community-dwelling healthy men, between age 71 and 86 years. MEASUREMENTS: AR CAG-repeat length was determined by automated DNA sequencing of exon 1 of the AR gene. Serum T, sex hormone binding globulin, LH and oestradiol were measured by specific immunoassays. Bone mineral density (BMD) was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Bone turnover was assessed by measurement of serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, serum osteocalcin, serum C-terminal type I procollagen peptide, serum and urinary C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen and urinary deoxypyridinoline levels, with use of immunoassays. RESULTS: No significant association was found between the AR CAG-repeat length and either total or free T, LH or the androgen sensitivity index (LHxT). BMD measurements at the hip and the forearm were not associated with AR CAG-repeat length and there was no association of this AR polymorphism with any of the biochemical markers of bone turnover. Results were not different after adjustments for age and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study do not support the view that in community-dwelling, healthy elderly men the androgen receptor gene CAG-repeat polymorphism has a substantial impact on interindividual variability of serum testosterone levels or on the determination of bone turnover and bone mineral density.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Serum inhibin B levels in community-dwelling elderly men.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Ageing in men is accompanied by a decline of Leydig cell function, with a 50% decrease of the population means for serum free testosterone between age 25 and 75 years. Information on Sertoli cell function and spermatogenesis in the elderly is scarce. Studies on seminal parameters in ageing men have suggested that spermatogenesis may be fairly well maintained in the elderly, but they included mostly selected subjects and only few men over 60 years. More systematic studies are lacking. The aim of the present study was to assess serum inhibin B levels in elderly men as an index of global Sertoli cell function and spermatogenic activity. SUBJECTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Specific immunoassays were used to determine serum levels of inhibin B, gonadotrophins, testosterone and oestradiol in blood obtained between 0800 and 1000 h. from 189 ambulatory, community-dwelling elderly men (age: 70-85 years) and, for comparison, from 51 middle-aged (35-54 years) and 50 young (< 35 years) controls. RESULTS: All age groups combined, serum inhibin B was only weakly negatively correlated to age (Spearman correlation coefficient: - 0.17; P < 0.01) and more strongly to serum FSH (- 0. 52; P < 0.001). In a multiple regression analysis serum FSH, but not age or serum free testosterone, emerged as an independent determinant of serum inhibin B levels. An age-related decline of median inhibin B levels in the study population was essentially limited to the younger age groups, with stable levels between age 35 and 79 years, and only a modest further decrease thereafter. There was a progressive age-related increase of serum FSH across age groups with, consequently, a marked decrease of the serum inhibin B : FSH ratio. The prevalence of men presenting with low serum inhibin B (below 10th percentile for inhibin B levels in men < 35 years), indicative of deficient Sertoli cell function and spermatogenesis, increased most strikingly between men < 35 years and those 35-54 years, which contrasts with the more progressive increase at an older age of the prevalence of low serum (free) testosterone. CONCLUSION: Global testicular Sertoli cell function and spermatogenic activity, as assessed indirectly through serum inhibin B levels, appear to be well maintained in ambulatory elderly men, albeit there are age-related alterations at the level of the Sertoli cells as indicated by a progressive increase of testicular drive by pituitary FSH.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The role of osteoporosis in distal radius fractures.

Our study was designed to establish whether the degree of osteoporosis of the distal forearm affects the outcome of distal radius fractures in elderly women. We assessed the Gartland and Werley score, wrist mobility, grip strength, ulnar variance, radial inclination and palmar tilt of both wrists in 27 postmenopausal women who had sustained a unilateral distal radius fracture following a simple fall. Bone mineral density of the contralateral uninjured wrist and mid-tibial ultrasound velocity were measured. The Gartland and Werley score, wrist mobility, loss of grip strength and the radiological results of the fractured wrist did not correlate with bone mineral density of the uninjured distal radius or with mid-tibial ultrasound velocity. These results may indicate that the influence of osteoporosis on the radiological and clinical outcome in distal radius fractures is not very important.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Limited clinical utility of a self-evaluating risk assessment scale for postmenopausal osteoporosis: lack of predictive value of lifestyle-related factors.

The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of a self-administered questionnaire to identify subjects with postmenopausal osteoporosis in the setting of first line medical care. A sample of 300 postmenopausal women completed the questionnaire based on 18 items. Bone mineral density at the lumbar spine (BMD-L), total hip (BMD-H), and femoral neck (BMD-N) was used as objective criterion for evaluation. The mean risk score was 8.2 +/- 3.21. BMD was correlated with total risk score: r = -0.32 for BMD-L, -0.36 for BMD-N, and -0.43 for BMD-H. Cutoff points for the risk score (equal likelihood points) according to a T-score threshold of -2.5 were 8.6 for BMD-L and BMD-N and 9.3 for BMD-H; specificity and sensitivity was 62% and 62%, respectively, for BMD-L, 65% and 62% for BMD-N, and 75% and 63% for BMD-H. Stepwise multiple regression analysis of the questionnaire items in relation to BMD showed higher correlation coefficients for models including individual items rather than the overall risk score. Items concerning low weight, older age, and wrist fracture after 50 years of age were always selected as significant determinants of BMD (R = 0.43-0.55). Hormonal replacement therapy was also an important determinant. Lifestyle-related items did not contribute significantly. In conclusion, the diagnostic performance of the 18-item self-administered questionnaire was poorer than a shortened questionnaire omitting lifestyle factors. The clinical utility of a questionnaire should ultimately be evaluated in the specific optic of a chosen global strategy for prevention of osteoporotic fractures.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1999

Candida glabrata arthritis: case report and review of the literature of Candida arthritis.

We report a case of arthritis due to Candida (Torulopsis) glabrata in two different joints at different times in the same patient. The first episode of arthritis was situated in the right ankle and lasted more than 1 year before the patient agreed to the proposed treatment. Therapy with intravenous amphotericin B and oral fluconazole failed. A cure was achieved with weekly intra-articular administration of amphotericin B, which was continued for more than 20 weeks and combined with oral itraconazole. Several weeks later the patient developed Candida glabrata arthritis of the left knee while still taking itraconazole. Immediately, intravenous amphotericin B therapy was started and was successful. Because there were no previous invasive point manipulations or trauma, the infections were considered to be haematogenously disseminated. Chronic corticosteroid and repeated antibiotic therapy for infectious exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and alcohol abuse are the presumed risk factors in this otherwise immunocompetent patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Serum leptin levels in healthy ageing men: are decreased serum testosterone and increased adiposity in elderly men the consequence of leptin deficiency?

OBJECTIVE: The limited information on serum leptin levels in elderly men suggests the occurrence of an age-related decrease, with disruption of the relationship between fat mass and leptin levels. A relative leptin deficiency might thus be implicated in the increase of fat mass and decrease of serum testosterone levels in elderly men. Therefore, we have reevaluated the age-related changes in serum leptin levels and their relationship with adiposity and androgen levels in a large group of community dwelling men. SUBJECTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Serum leptin and androgen levels were measured in 271 healthy, ambulatory elderly men (median age 74 years), as well as in 61 middle-aged (median 43 years) and 40 young (median 25.5 years) controls. Adiposity was assessed by anthropometrical measurements (body mass index; BMI) and by estimation of fat mass by the bio-impedance method. RESULTS: Serum leptin levels, whether or not adjusted for BMI, were found to increase with age, the values tending to level off after the age of 45 years, and were strongly correlated to BMI (r = 0.77) and fat mass assessed by the bio-impedance method (r = 0.81). Linear regression analysis showed a similar slope for the relationship between BMI and serum leptin in the three age groups. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated BMI, age and serum insulin, but not serum testosterone, as significant independent correlates of serum leptin. Serum (free) testosterone levels were negatively correlated with age and serum leptin, also after partialization for BMI: rank correlation coefficients vs. age and serum leptin, respectively, were - 0.20 (P < 0.001) and - 0.16 (P < 0.01) for total testosterone and - 0.60 (P < 0.001) and - 0.23 (P < 0.001) for free testosterone. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) and leptin levels emerged as significant independent correlates in a multiple linear regression model for total serum testosterone; BMI and serum insulin became highly significant correlates in the same model when leptin was omitted from the independent variables. CONCLUSION: Ageing in men is accompanied by a rise of serum leptin levels with a maintained strong association between serum leptin and adiposity in elderly men. Testosterone does not appear to be a major determinant of serum leptin in healthy men, while leptin does emerge as a negative correlate of serum testosterone. Increased fat mass and decreased testosterone production in elderly men cannot be attributed to a relative leptin deficiency.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Testosterone, body composition and aging.

In addition to growth hormone (GH), sex hormones are important determinants of body composition. Aging is accompanied by a decrease in free testosterone levels and, as BMI as well as fat mass increase with age (with a redistribution of body fat), whereas muscle mass decreases, it is tempting to attribute a causal role to the decrease in androgen levels. In our study involving 372 males aged >20-85, age was found to be positively correlated with BMI and fat mass as measured by impedance, and negatively correlated with levels of free testosterone and free insulin-like growth factor-I. Multiple regression analysis revealed that BMI and age were independent determinants of testosterone levels. The latter decreased from 598+/-188 (SD) ng/dl in the young controls to 453+/-161 ng/dl in the elderly group, free testosterone decreasing from 15.35+/-4.10 to 8.38+/-2.51 ng/dl. Fat-free mass decreased by 18.9%. In a subgroup of 57 men aged 70-80 years, testosterone levels correlated negatively with percentage body fat (r=-0.57), abdominal fat (r=-0.56) and plasma insulin levels (r=-0.40). As GH levels and pulsatility also decrease with age and as, moreover, androgens amplify endogenous secretion of GH, it is not easy to determine the relative role of androgen deficiency in the age-associated changes in body composition. Moreover, increase in fat mass (obesity), as occurs in aging males, is in itself associated with low levels of free testosterone and GH which both normalize after weight reduction. The role of testosterone in the age-associated changes in body composition is, however, further suggested by the increase in lean body mass and in mid-arm circumference and the decrease in waist-to-hip ratio observed after testosterone treatment of elderly men with decreased testosterone levels. Also in healthy eugonadal men, testosterone treatment, at least in supraphysiological doses, causes an important increase in fat-free mass (+/-10%) and in muscle size. The changes in muscle volume are associated with an increase in muscle fibre diameter, suggesting that testosterone induces muscle cell hypertrophy. In conclusion, aging in males is accompanied by an important increase in fat mass and a decrease in lean body mass. Several indices of body composition are significantly correlated with plasma testosterone levels before and after correction for BMI and age. It is evident, however, that in addition to testosterone levels, the age-associated somatopause is also a determinant of the changes in body composition.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Alendronate for the prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis Intervention Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a common complication of long-term glucocorticoid therapy for which there is no well-proved preventive or restorative treatment. METHODS: We carried out two 48-week, randomized, placebo-controlled studies of two doses of alendronate in 477 men and women, 17 to 83 years of age, who were receiving glucocorticoid therapy. The primary end point was the difference in the mean percent change in lumbar-spine bone density from base line to week 48 between the groups. Secondary outcomes included changes in bone density of the hip, biochemical markers of bone turnover, and the incidence of new vertebral fractures. RESULTS: The mean (+/-SE) bone density of the lumbar spine increased by 2.1+/-0.3 percent and 2.9+/-0.3 percent, respectively, in the groups that received 5 and 10 mg of alendronate per day (P<0.001) and decreased by 0.4+/-0.3 percent in the placebo group. The femoral-neck bone density increased by 1.2+/-0.4 percent and 1.0+/-0.4 percent in the respective alendronate groups (P<0.01) and decreased by 1.2+/-0.4 percent in the placebo group (P<0.01). The bone density of the trochanter and total body also increased significantly in the patients treated with alendronate. There were proportionally fewer new vertebral fractures in the alendronate groups (overall incidence, 2.3 percent) than in the placebo group (3.7 percent) (relative risk, 0.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.1 to 4.4). Markers of bone turnover decreased significantly in the alendronate groups (P<0.001). There were no differences in serious adverse effects among the three groups, but there was a small increase in nonserious upper gastrointestinal effects in the group receiving 10 mg of alendronate. CONCLUSIONS: Alendronate increases bone density in patients receiving glucocorticoid therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Chondroitin sulfate: S/DMOAD (structure/disease modifying anti-osteoarthritis drug) in the treatment of finger joint OA.

A total of 119 patients were included in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in order to assess the S/DMOAD properties in OA of chondroitin sulfate (CS 4&6, 3 x 400 mg/day, Condrosulf IBSA, Lugano, CH). Posteranterior roentgenographies of the interphalangeal (IP) joints were carried out at the start of the study and at yearly intervals. This enabled the investigators to document the radiological progression of the anatomical lesions in the pathological finger joints over a 3-year period. It was shown that the progression of OA in the IP finger joints in an individual can be determined by the evolution of his finger joints through previously described anatomical phases: 'N' (not affected), 'S' (classical OA), 'J' (loss of joint space), 'E' (erosive OA) and 'R' (remodeled joint). Structure/disease-modifying anti-OA drug (S/DMOAD) properties were searched for by assaying the number of patients developing OA in previously normal IP joints ('N' > 'S'), or progressing through the described anatomical phases of the disease ('S' > 'J', 'S' > 'E', 'J' > 'E', 'S' > 'R', 'J' > 'R', 'E' > 'R'). In the CS 4&6 group we observed a significant decrease in the number of patients with new 'erosive' OA finger joints. This result is particularly important since OA of the finger joints becomes a clinical problem (pain, functional loss) when 'S' joints progress to 'J' and especially 'E' phases. During and after these 'E' phases, joints will remodel and show the nodular deformities characteristic of Heberden's and Bouchard's nodes. Treated patients were protected against erosive evolution.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Randomized trial of effect of cyclical etidronate in the prevention of corticosteroid-induced bone loss. Ciblos Study Group.

Osteoporosis is a well-recognized adverse effect of corticosteroid therapy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of etidronate, intermittent cyclical therapy, in the prevention of corticosteroid-induced bone loss. Patients with various medical conditions starting high-dose corticosteroid therapy were enrolled in the study. The treatment had to be expected to continue for at least 12 months with the initial 90 days at a mean daily dose of at least 7.5 mg of prednisone, with subsequent treatment of at least 2.5 mg/day. One hundred seventeen patients were randomly assigned oral etidronate 400 mg/day, or placebo, for 14 days, followed by 76 days of oral calcium carbonate (500 mg elemental calcium), cycled over 12 months. The primary outcome measure was the difference in percent change from baseline in bone mineral density of the lumbar spine between the groups at the end of year 1. Secondary measures included changes in femur bone density and in biochemical markers of bone remodeling. The mean (+/- SEM) lumbar spine bone density changed 0.30 +/- 0.61% and -2.79 +/- 0.63% in the etidronate and placebo groups, respectively. The mean difference between groups after 1 yr was 3.0 +/- 0.84% (P = 0.004). The changes in the femoral neck and great trochanter were not different between the groups. There was a decrease in pyridinium crosslinks, significant from baseline at both 6 and 12 months, in the etidronate group. Osteocalcin increased in the placebo group, and difference between groups was -25.07 +/- 14.89% (P = 0.032) and -34.68 +/- 19.77% (P = 0.051), at 6 and 12 months respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups in number of adverse experiences, including gastrointestinal disorders. Etidronate intermittent cyclical therapy prevents lumbar vertebral bone loss in patients starting high-dose corticosteroid therapy.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1995

Gut inflammation in psoriatic arthritis: a prospective ileocolonoscopic study.

OBJECTIVE: Some forms of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are classified as spondylarthropathy, and subclinical gut inflammation is found in spondylarthropathies. Our study was designed to determine if inflammatory gut lesions were also present in PsA, and if the prevalence of subclinical gut involvement was different in the subgroups of this disease. The relationship with HLA subtypes was also determined. METHODS: Ileocolonoscopy was performed on 64 patients with PsA (37 men, 27 women). RESULTS: Inflammatory gut lesions were found in 10 of the 64 patients (16%): in 3 of the 15 patients (20%) with oligoarthritis and in 7 of the 23 patients (30%) with axial involvement. None of the 26 patients with polyarthritis showed these lesions. The prevalence of HLA-B27, Bw62, and B17 was significantly raised in our total group of patients with PsA. HLA-B27 and Bw62 were significantly more prevalent in patients with gut inflammation, 60 and 50%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Gut inflammation is only present in PsA subgroups that belong to the spondylarthropathy concept. This suggests that the gut plays a role in the pathogenesis of locomotor inflammation in these subgroups. The prevalence of gut inflammation in psoriatic spondylarthropathy is significantly lower than in nonpsoriatic spondylarthropathies. Consequently, not only the gut but also the skin may be a portal of entry for causative antigens in PsA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

The evolution of spondyloarthropathies in relation to gut histology. I. Clinical aspects.

OBJECTIVE: To study prospectively the clinical evolution of different forms of spondyloarthropathy (SpA) (excluding inflammatory bowel disease, IBD): reactive arthritis, undifferentiated SpA, and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: Ileocolonoscopy was performed on 217 patients with SpA (149 men, 68 women). They also underwent clinical, laboratory, and radiological examinations. Two to 9 years later, 123 patients (84 men, 39 women) who had been regularly monitored were reviewed and given the same examinations. For the remaining 94 patients clinical data were obtained by telephone. RESULTS: At the time of clinical review, 53 (43%) of the regularly monitored patients were in clinical remission. The remission rate was higher in patients with non-ankylosing spondylitis SpA (non-As-SpA) than in patients with AS (19%). Fourteen patients with non-AS-SpA had developed AS; 4 of them also had IBD. IBD was also found in 4 patients with AS and in 3 patients from the telephone group. The prevalence of HLA-B27 was significantly higher in all SpA subgroups, while HLA-BW62 was elevated in the undifferentiated SpA. At review, HLA-B27 was significantly more prevalent in patients with persistent locomotor inflammation compared to patients in clinical remission, while HLA-BW62 was predominant in the latter group. CONCLUSION: Patients with SpA, especially those with non-AS-SpA, have a good longterm prognosis. However, patients with non-AS-SpA may develop AS. Six percent of the patients with SpA in whom manifestations of IBD are absent will develop this disease. This confirms the hypothesis that some of these patients with SpA initially have a form of subclinical Crohn's disease, of which locomotor inflammation is the only clinical expression. HLA-B27 positivity predisposes to a more severe course of locomotor inflammation, while HLA-BW62 has a protective effect but is associated with gut inflammation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

The evolution of spondyloarthropathies in relation to gut histology. II. Histological aspects.

OBJECTIVE: To study prospectively the clinical evolution of different forms of spondyloarthropathy (SpA) in relation to the type of gut histology in ileocolonoscopic biopsy specimens. METHODS: Ileocolonoscopy was performed in 217 patients with SpA (149 men, 68 women). Three types of gut histology (normal gut histology and acute and chronic inflammatory gut lesions) were found. Clinical, laboratory, and radiological examinations were performed at start and 2 to 9 years later in 123 patients who were regularly monitored. For the remaining 94 patients clinical data were obtained by telephone. RESULTS: Of the 123 patients monitored regularly, 40 (32%) had normal gut histology, and 28 (23%) had acute and 55 (45%) chronic inflammatory gut lesions. Acute lesions were preferentially found in patients with non-ankylosing spondylitis SpA (non-AS-SpA). In the groups with normal gut histology and with chronic gut inflammation, patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and non-AS-SpA were present in equal numbers. At review, clinical evolution was identical in the 3 histological subgroups. Eight patients developed idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), one with initially acute gut inflammation, 7 with initially chronic gut inflammation. All had active AS at review. Fourteen patients with non-AS-SpA developed AS; 13 of them had initially presented inflammatory gut lesions. Three patients in the telephone group also developed IBD; all had active AS at review and initially presented chronic inflammatory gut lesions. Persistently high inflammatory serum variables, HLA-B27 negativity in the presence of sacroiliitis or AS, and inflammatory gut lesions at the first ileocolonoscopy indicate patients with SpA are at risk for developing IBD. CONCLUSION: Gut inflammation, mainly subclinical, could be demonstrated in 68% of patients with SpA. Acute gut inflammation was predominant in patients with reactive arthritis (ReA). The evolution to clinical remission was not influenced by the presence or the type of gut inflammation at start. Patients with non-AS-SpA with inflammatory gut lesions have greater risk of developing AS. One patient with Yersinia induced ReA developed AS and IBD. In total, 11 patients (66%) developed IBD, all initially presenting inflammatory gut lesions. Ten had chronic gut lesions, suggesting this type of gut inflammation is related to the inflammation of Crohn's disease. This type of gut inflammation, the persistence of high inflammatory serum variables, and the absence of HLA-B27 in patients with AS are risk factors for developing IBD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

The evolution of spondyloarthropathies in relation to gut histology. III. Relation between gut and joint.

OBJECTIVE: To study prospectively the clinical evolution of different forms of spondyloarthropathy (SpA) in relation to the evolution of gut histology in consecutive ileocolonoscopic biopsy specimens. METHODS: Ileocolonoscopy was performed in 49 patients with SpA (34 men, 15 women). They also underwent clinical, laboratory, and radiological examinations. Two to 9 years later, a 2nd and sometimes a 3rd or 4th ileocolonoscopy was performed, and the other examinations were repeated. RESULTS: At first ileocolonoscopy, 34 patients (69%) showed inflammatory gut lesions. At the 2nd ileocolonoscopy, 16 patients (32%) were in clinical remission; none were found to have inflammatory gut lesions. Of the 33 patients with persistent locomotor inflammation, 14 had persistent inflammatory gut lesions, predominantly the chronic type. Of these 14 patients, 6 had developed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). None of the 15 patients with an initially normal gut histology had gut inflammation at 2nd examination. Of the 9 with initially acute lesions, 3 developed chronic lesions (1 Crohn's disease). Initial chronic lesions in 25 patients persisted in 9, of whom 5 had developed IBD. Seven of the 19 patients with non-SpA ankylosing spondylitis (non-AS-SpA) developed ankylosing spondylitis (AS); all had initially presented inflammatory gut lesions, which persisted at 2nd examination. In the 11 patients with more than 2 consecutive ileocolonoscopies, clinical remission was always associated with normal gut histology, and flares of the joint disease were related temporally to the reappearance of gut inflammation. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the close relationship between gut and locomotor inflammation in SpA. Clinical remission was always associated with normal gut histology, whereas active locomotor inflammation was usually associated with the presence of gut inflammation. Absence of gut inflammation in the SpA is a good prognostic indicator, since gut inflammation or IBD never develops in these patients. Evolution of non-AS-SpA to full blown AS or of uncomplicated SpA to a form of IBD was always associated with gut inflammation at disease onset.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Bone mineral status in paraplegic patients who do or do not perform standing.

Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed by dual-photon X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine (L3, L4), the proximal femur and the femoral shaft, and by single-photon absorptiometry at the forearm in 53 patients with complete traumatic paraplegia of at least 1 year's duration and in age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The patients did (n = 38) or did not (n = 15) regularly perform passive weightbearing standing with the aid of a standing device. Compared with the controls, the BMD of paraplegic patients was preserved in the lumbar spine and was markedly decreased in the proximal femur (33%) and the femoral shaft (25%). When considering all patients performing standing, they had a better-preserved BMD at the femoral shaft (p = 0.009), but not at the proximal femur, than patients not performing standing. BMD at the lumbar spine (L3, L4) was marginally higher in the standing group (significant only for L3; p = 0.040). A subgroup of patients performing standing with use of long leg braces had a significantly higher BMD at the proximal femur than patients using a standing frame or a standing wheelchair (p = 0.030). The present results suggest that passive mechanical loading can have a beneficial effect on the preservation of bone mass in osteoporosis found in paraplegics.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Gut inflammation in children with late onset pauciarticular juvenile chronic arthritis and evolution to adult spondyloarthropathy--a prospective study.

Ileocolonoscopy with biopsy of the colon and terminal ileum was performed prospectively on 12 patients under age 16 with late onset juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA). Inflammatory gut lesions were seen in 9 of these 12 patients; 4 were of the acute type, 5 of the chronic type. Chronic gut inflammation was related to axial inflammatory complaints, inflammatory serum variables, thrombocytosis and sacroiliac radiological abnormalities. A 2nd ileocolonoscopy was performed on 5 of the 12 patients, and a 3rd ileocolonoscopy on 2 of these with persistent synovitis. Gut inflammation and joint inflammation were related; moreover, all 5 patients had chronic inflammatory lesions by the time of the last investigation, one presented with Crohn's disease. The 12 patients were reviewed 3 to 9 years after the first ileocolonoscopy. Four patients were in remission, including the 3 patients with initial normal gut histology. Five patients had developed ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a 6th patient possible AS. Axial inflammatory complaints, a family history of spondyloarthropathies, HLA-B27 positivity, early sacroiliac and peripheral joints radiographic changes, persistence of inflammatory serum variables, thrombocytosis and chronic inflammatory lesions on gut biopsy, are predictive factors in juveniles for evolution to AS. Late onset pauciarticular JCA represents a form of spondyloarthropathy similar to adolescent forms. Persistent gut inflammation could play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease and persistent synovitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

A prospective study of patients with spondyloarthropathy with special reference to HLA-B27 and to gut histology.

Ileocolonoscopy was performed on 357 patients meeting the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group criteria for spondyloarthropathy. HLA loci A, B and C were determined in all patients; HLA-B27 was detected in 196 and was absent in the 161 remaining patients. A number of clinical, laboratory and radiological variables were determined before ileocolonoscopy and compared between the HLA-B27+ and HLA-B27- patients. The HLA-B27+ patients were mainly men, with significantly more family members with spondyloarthropathies. Clinical evidence of tendinitis and uveitis was more frequently found in these patients. Like several authors, we found that these patients were more severely affected since they presented more severe radiological involvement of the sacroiliac joints. Syndesmophytes, bamboo spine and erosive joint lesions were more frequent in this group, the hip involvement being of the concentric type. In HLA-B27+ patients ankylosing spondylitis was more prevalent, while in the B27- patients enterogenic, urogenital or undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy was diagnosed. The HLA-B27- patients experienced more episodes of diarrhea, and Crohn-like inflammatory gut lesions were more frequently seen on ileocolonoscopy. In this group a number of patients probably had a form of subclinical Crohn's disease of which the locomotor symptoms were the only clinical expression.

Adolescent↗