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Abstract: Aim: Chronic periaortitis (CP) is a disease characterized by a fibro‐inflammatory periaortic cuff and adventitia‐predominant fibrosis. CP encompasses idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis and inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and recent studies have documented overlap between CP and immunoglobulin G4‐related disease (IgG4‐RD). This study aimed to investigate clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with CP. Method: CP patients were identified by retrospective review of 1245 patients with International Classification of Diseases 10th edition code of aortitis or aortic disease. Patients were further classified into IgG4‐related and non‐IgG4‐related CP according to the criteria proposed by a Japanese study. Results: A total of 61 CP patients were identified. Patients showed a male predominance (70%) with median age of 61 at diagnosis. The abdominal aorta was most commonly involved (84%), while the thoracic aorta was affected in 46% of patients. Twenty‐three (38%) patients had accompanying aortic aneurysm. Approximately 60% of patients achieved remission without further relapse during the course. Ten patients were classified as IgG4‐related and 25 as non‐IgG4‐related. There was no significant difference in clinical features and outcomes between groups, with the exception of older age and greater pancreas involvement in IgG4‐related patients. Conclusion: We documented 61 CP patients including 10 IgG4‐related cases. CP involved the abdominal aorta in most patients and the thoracic aorta in approximately 50% of patients. IgG4‐related CP patients were older and had greater pancreas involvement, but disease outcomes appeared to be similar between IgG4‐related and non‐IgG4‐related CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and hearing impairment in the Korean adult population. Audiometric and laboratory test data from the 2010–2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were used for analysis. The relationship between RA and hearing impairment was analyzed, adjusting for various known risk factors associated with hearing impairment. RA was defined in the questionnaire as “RA diagnosed by a physician (yes/no) through a standardized interview.” We defined hearing impairment according to 2 categories of frequency (low/mid and high) as follows (average values in kHz): low/mid frequency, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0, and high frequency, 3.0, 4.0, and 6.0. Of the subjects, 15,158 (weighted n = 32,035,996) completed the audiometric tests. The overall weighted prevalence of RA was 1.5%. The prevalence of hearing impairment was higher in the subjects with RA than in those without RA, in both, the low/mid- and high-frequency categories (21.1% vs 7.5%, p < 0.001 and 43.3% vs. 26.2%, p < 0.001, respectively). In the multivariable logistic analysis, RA (odds ratios [OR] 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–2.06, p = 0.025) was an independent risk factor of low/mid-frequency hearing impairment along with age (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.12–1.13, p < 0.001), current smoking (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.03–1.56, p = 0.026), and college graduation (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.39–0.72, p < 0.001). In the multivariable analysis of high-frequency hearing impairment, RA did not show any association with hearing impairment. This study suggests that RA is associated with low/mid-frequency hearing impairment after adjustment for various known risk factors. Further study is needed to verify the hearing impairment in RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) in Korean patients. Methods A retrospective analysis evaluated 155 patients with nr-axSpA at a single tertiary hospital between January 2001 and January 2011. Baseline characteristics and clinical courses were reviewed and compared with those of patients with ankylosing spondylitis ( AS). Results The mean age at disease onset was 29.5 ± 10.8 years and 52 (33.5%) patients were female. The mean age at symptom onset was older (29.5 ± 10.8 vs 25.9 ± 9.2, respectively, P < 0.001) and the male-to-female ratio was lower (2 : 1 vs 5 : 1, respectively, P = 0.001) in patients with nr-axSpA compared with patients with AS. The proportion of females was higher among patients with late onset SpA than early-onset nr-axSpA (55.0% vs 30.1%, respectively, P = 0.029). Among 74 patients with nr-axSpA, whose follow-up duration was more than 1.5 years, 29 (39.2%) patients progressed to AS during the follow-up period. The proportion of females was lower in progressors that that of non-progressors (13.8% vs 44.4%, respectively, P = 0.010). Presence of syndesmophyte and minimal X-ray changes at baseline were frequently observed in progressors compared with non-progressors (26.7% vs 0.0%, P = 0.006 and 69.0 vs 35.6%, P = 0.005, respectively). Conclusions The predominance of male patients is more prominent among Korean patients with SpA compared with Caucasians. Female nr-axSpA patients had late symptom onset and less progression to AS. X-ray changes at baseline were associated with radiographic progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence and titer of rheumatoid factor (RF) in Korean health screening subjects and consecutive subjects with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and to examine the factors influencing RF positivity. Methods: This study was performed in 37,660 patients (23,269 men, 14,391 women) without arthralgia, who participated in a health checkup program in 2009. Results: Approximately 3.7% of health screening subjects (3.3% of males and 4.4% of females) were positive for RF. Among subjects with HBsAg ( n = 1,494) and antibody for hepatitis C virus (HCV) ( n = 132), 11.8 and 10.6% were RF positive, respectively. There was a significant difference in the RF-positive rate between males and females. The RF-positive rate had a significant linear-by-linear association with aging, but there was no significant relationship between RF positivity and aging among subjects with HBsAg or anti-HCV antibody. Presence of HBsAg and anti-HCV antibody, positive C-reactive protein (CRP), and female sex were factors strongly associated with RF positivity. Conclusions: The rate of RF positivity in health screening adults and subjects with HBsAg in Korea can be estimated to be 3.7 and 11.8%, respectively. Clinicians should consider hepatitis B or C virus infection status, CRP positivity, and sex when interpreting RF-positive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: The aim of this study is to measure α-defensin-1 expression in the peripheral blood of patients with Behçet''s disease (BD) and healthy control (HC) and to assess the association between α-defensin-1 expression and clinical features of BD. Methods: Our patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of the international BD study group. ELISA and real-time PCR were performed to measure α-defensin-1 protein level in the sera and α-defensin-1 mRNA level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), respectively. Results: The α-defensin-1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in BD patients (n =59) than HC (n =34) (0.49±0.10 vs. 0.19±0.45, P =0.03). The level of α-defensin-1 mRNA and protein was significantly higher in active patients than inactive patients (n =15, 0.91±0.28 vs. n =44, 0.35±0.09, P <0.001 and n =21, 7.50±2.14ng/ml vs. n =50, 3.32±0.96ng/ml, P =0.001, respectively). The level of α-defensin-1 mRNA was significant higher in patients with arthritis (n =20) than those without arthritis (n =39). Conclusion: α-defensin-1 mRNA and protein levels are significantly increased in BD patients, especially in active BD patients. Furthermore, α-defensin-1 mRNA is over-expressed in the PBMC of BD patients with arthritis. The present study suggests that α-defensin-1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of BD and can be used as valuable biologic marker for estimation of disease activity in BD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]