Middle ear function in patients with juvenile chronic arthritis
Article Abstract:
There have been reports of an association between hearing dysfunction and rheumatoid arthritis in adults; however, similar studies have not been reported in children who suffer from juvenile chronic arthritis. The same rheumatoid inflammatory process that occurs in large joints should occur in the small bones of the middle ear. A study of 18 children with juvenile chronic arthritis was designed to assess hearing loss associated with inadequate conduction through the middle ear (conductive hearing loss). The investigators tried to correlate hearing loss and the onset of the disease, disease activity, and disease severity. Hearing testing was conducted in all patients. Examination of tympanograms (audiometric assessment by acoustic graphs) revealed that patients with rheumatoid arthritis had a high incidence of abnormal tympanometric patterns. Three types of arthritis were present in these patients: systemic, involving joints throughout the body; polyarticular, involving many joints; and pauciarticular, involving relatively few joints. A type A tympanometric pattern was seen in almost 63 percent of the ears of patients with systemic and polyarticular rheumatoid arthritis and in 21 percent of patients with pauciarticular arthritis. This study suggests that there is a stiffening of the middle ear in patients with polyarthritis of long duration. There was a strong correlation between juvenile chronic arthritis and changes in middle ear function; however, the changes seen were not sufficient to cause conductive hearing loss. Mild hearing dysfunction seems to be common in these patients but further research is needed to determine the course of juvenile chronic arthritis and the pattern of joint disease. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 1990
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The clinical relevance of antibodies to ribosomal-P common epitope in two targeted systemic lupus erythematosus populations: a large cohort of consecutive patients and patients with active central nervous system disease
Article Abstract:
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed that can detect autoantibodies against ribosomal P proteins in patients with system lupus erythematosus (SLE). The assay uses a synthetic version of a 22-amino acid sequence common to all three P proteins.
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 2000
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Impaired elastic properties of ascending aorta in patients with giant cell arteritis
Article Abstract:
Methods to examine aortic distensibility in patients with inflammatory arterial disease are presented.
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 2005
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