Infliximab is a chimeric anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) monoclonal antibody with high affinity and binding specificity for human TNFalpha. Results from several well designed, controlled clinical trials show repeated infusions of infliximab with concomitant methotrexate (MTX) treatment can reduce the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This combination of infliximab an...

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors are increasingly used in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Rarely, anti-TNF therapy is associated with neurological complications, including both central and peripheral nervous system disorders. To the best of our knowledge, ...

Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory condition involving several organs, such as skin, mucous membrane, eye, joint, intestine, lung and central nervous system. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a prototype of seronegative spondyloarthropathy, and a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder of the axial skeleton, mainly affecting the sacroiliac joint and spine. In the latter, systemic compl...

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a seronegative spondyloarthropathy characterized by peripheral arthritis, enthesis, spondylitis, and psoriasis. Lymphedema arises from the slowing of lymphatic flow because of inflammatory or noninflammatory diseases such as tumors, infections, bursitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and polymyalgia rheumatica. It is commonly encountered in one or more regions of distal ext...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of tarsitis as one of the first symptoms of juvenile spondyloarthropathy (JSpA) and to analyze whether patients with tarsitis at onset differ from those without it. METHODS A retrospective chart review was performed, from January 1996 to September 2007, at a paediatric rheumatology unit of a tertiary university hospital. RESULTS...

Introduction Juvenile spondyloarthropathies (JSpA) are a group of rheumatologic diseases with a disease onset before 16 years of age and are characterized with enthesitis, lower extremity oligoarthritis, involvement of the axial skeleton and HLA B27 positivity. The main problem in the classification of this group of diseases is the difficulty of diagnosis at disease onset and the difficulty to ...

Bath medallion reproduced with permission of the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath. The seronegative spondyloarthropathies consist ofa group ofdisorders which includes idiopathic (primary) ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis (or Reiter's syndrome), psoriatic arthritis, and spondylitis of inflammatory bowel disease (enteropathic spondylo...

In the presence of joint space narrowing, it is important to differentiate inflammatory from degenerative conditions. Joint inflammation is characterized by bone erosions, osteopenia, soft-tissue swelling, and uniform joint space loss. Inflammation of a single joint should raise concern for infection. Multiple joint inflammation in a proximal distribution in the hands or feet without bone proli...