Commentary on: Middle East Pain Syndrome is A Pollution-Induced New Disease Mimicking Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Middle East Pain Syndrome (MEPS) is a newly discovered disease, which may be one of the consequences of environmental pollution with heavy metals such as cadmium. It was named so, because all of the patients were from the Middle East, though it might affect people all over the world.This syndrome comprises a chronic vitamin D3 deficiency or insufficiency, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and fibromyalgia.Hyperparathyroidism was first linked to arthritis in (1963) 1 , and then in (1983). Arthritis was found in 11% of hyperparathyroid (HPT) patients, with incidences of erosive arthritis 2 . Other case studies 2-6 had also described HPT presenting as arthritis. Meanwhile, HPT can coexist with inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis on rare occasions 7 .