| Jisun Yoon | 2 Articles |
To assess the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) having neuropathic symptoms, and to investigate the relationship between electrophysiological findings of peripheral neuropathy and clinical findings of RA. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of RA and who had tingling or burning sensation in any extremity were electrophysiologically examined for evidence of peripheral neuropathy. Study parameters, including age, gender, laboratory parameters, duration of RA, and medication, were recorded. The symptoms and signs of neuropathy were quantified with the neuropathy symptom score, and the functional statuses of these patients were assessed. Out of a total of 30 RA patients, 10 (33%) had peripheral neuropathy: 2 had bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), 5 had unilateral CTS, 1 had sensory polyneuropathy, and 2 had motor-sensory polyneuropathy. The mean ages of the patients with and without peripheral neuropathy were 69.4 and 56.5 years, respectively (p<0.05). A significant relationship was found between peripheral neuropathy and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody. However, no relationship was found between peripheral neuropathy and the type of medication, RA duration, the patients' functional status, neuropathic symptoms, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein values. Neuropathic symptoms are common in RA patients, and it is difficult to distinguish peripheral neuropathy symptoms from those of arthritis. Patients with RA, particularly elderly patients and anti-CCP antibody positive patients who complain of neuropathic symptoms should undergo electrophysiological examination. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
To translate the English version of the Pain Disability Questionnaire (PDQ) into Korean and to investigate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the PDQ (K-PDQ) in patients suffering chronic disabling musculoskeletal disorders (CDMDs). The English version of the PDQ was translated into Korean. Ten patients with CDMDs were randomly selected for a pilot study to assess the comprehensibility of the pre-final version. One hundred and thirty-nine patients suffering from CDMDs for more than 3 months were enrolled in this study. Follow-up questionnaires were obtained to examine the test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity was evaluated by comparing the K-PDQ with the visual analogue scale (VAS). Construct validity was evaluated by comparing the K-PDQ with the brief form of the World Health Organization quality of life assessment instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) using Pearson correlation coefficient. Reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and internal consistency was determined by Cronbach's alpha. Test-retest reliability was assessed in 70 patients, with an average time interval of 12 days. The ICC was 0.958 (p<0.001). Internal consistency reached Cronbach's alpha of 0.933 for the functional component and 0.870 for the psychosocial component. The correlation coefficient for the K-PDQ when compared with the VAS was 0.834 in the first assessment and 0.831 in the second assessment. All domains of the WHOQOL-BREF showed a significant negative correlation with the K-PDQ. The K-PDQ is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring disability and can be used to assess disability and treatment outcomes in Korean patients with CDMD. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
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