Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP)/albumin ratio (CAR) and disease activity, quality of life (QoL), and physical function in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients and methods: A total of 121 RA patients (22 males, 99 females; mean age 57.6±11.2 years; range, 32 to 85 years) applying to Ankara University School of Medicine Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic between January 2019 and February 2019 were included in this cross-sectional study. The inclusion criteria were fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism 2010 RA classification criteria, being over 18 years and accepting to participate in the study. Demographic and clinical parameters including serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), CRP and albumin levels were recorded. Disease activity was measured using Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28)-ESR. General health, fatigue, and pain were questioned by means of a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS). The QoL was assessed with the Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life (RAQoL) Questionnaire. The functional status was determined using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Results: Rheumatoid factor (RF) was positive in 56.2% of the patients. The median ESR was 19.0 mm/hour (interquartile range [IQR]: 19.5) and median CRP was 5.6 (IQR: 9) mg/L. The median CAR was 1.3 (IQR: 2.1) and median DAS 28-ESR was 3.6 (IQR: 1.5). There was a significant but weak correlation between CAR and DAS28-ESR (p<0.001, Spearman's correlation coefficient [rs]=0.327). Moreover, CAR was positively correlated with ESR, CRP, and VAS physician's global assessment (p<0.001, rs=0.497; p<0.001, rs=0.987, p<0.001, rs=0.401, respectively). However, no correlation was observed between CAR, HAQ, and RAQoL. In the RF positive group, there was a significant but weak correlation between CAR and RF titers (p=0.016, rs=0.292). Conclusion: We observed a positive but weak correlation between CAR and DAS28-ESR, ESR, and the RF titer. Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of CAR in RA.
Objectives: This study aims to determine disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis by Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index-5 (RADAI-5), and to evaluate its association with the quality of life, pain, fatigue, and functional and psychological status. Patients and methods: A total of 170 rheumatoid arthritis patients (30 males, 140 females; mean age 55.2±11.3 years; range 28 to 82 years) were included in the study. Quality of life was evaluated by using Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Scale. Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire was used for evaluating functional status, and Beck Depression Scale for psychological status. Level of fatigue was assessed by Fatigue Severity Scale. Disease activity was measured by using Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28) and RADAI-5. Results: Mean RADAI-5 score was 3.9±2.7, and mean DAS28 score was 3.3±1.4 (moderate disease activity). According to 16.5% of the patients were in remission, 28% had mild disease activity, 27% had moderate disease activity, and 29% had high disease activity. RADAI-5 was strongly correlated with visual analog scale-pain, DAS28, Beck Depression Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Scale, and Health Assessment Questionnaire (r= 0.91, 0.81, 0.78, 0.75, 0.75 and 0.72, respectively) (p<0.0001). Disease activity values measured with RADAI-5 were compatible with the ones measured with DAS28. Conclusion: RADAI-5 is a short, practical questionnaire that can easily be administered by the patient in a busy clinical practice setting. It can be used as a rheumatoid arthritis outcome measure to estimate the impact of the disease and evaluate health outcome in clinical studies.
Background: To investigate the link between carbamylated low-density lipoprotein (ca-LDL), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), atherogenic coefficient (AC), Castelli's risk indices I and II (CRI I and II) and subclinic atherosclerosis in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods: Thirty-ninepatients and 19 age, sex, body mass index matched healthy controls were included. Insulin resistance (IR) was assessed with homeostasis of model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR). Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was measured at both common carotid arteries and mean CIMT was calculated. Results: The mean age was 49.50 ± 11.86 years and 64.1% were females in PsA group. In the PsA group, CIMT and HOMA-IR were significantly higher (p = 0.003, p = 0.043, respectively). AIP, AC, TG/HDL, CRI-1, CRI-2 and ca-LDL levels were similar between groups. In PsA group, CIMT was positively correlated with HOMA-IR, TG/HDL and AIP. Although ca-LDL was positively correlated with serum amyloid A (r = 0.744, p < 0.001), no correlation was detected between ca-LDL and CIMT (r = 0.215, p = 0.195). PsA patients with IR tended to have higher ca-LDL levels than patients without IR, but this difference lacked statistical significance (33.65 ± 26.94, 28.63 ± 28.06, respectively, p = 0.237). Conclusions: A significant increase in CIMT was seen in PsA patients without clinically evident cardiovascular disease or any traditional atherosclerosis risk factors. CIMT was correlated with HOMA-IR, TG/HDL and AIP.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.