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B Schiøttz-Christensen

Publications and source records attributed to B Schiøttz-Christensen.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

MRI abnormalities of sacroiliac joints in early spondylarthropathy: a 1-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe changes in chronic and acute magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities of the sacroiliac joints (SIJs) in early spondylarthropathy (SpA), and to associate these findings with computed tomography (CT), X-ray, and clinical findings during a 1-year follow-up. METHODS: Thirty-four patients, 20 males and 14 females, median age 27 years, with inflammatory low back pain (median 23 months) were included. MRI, CT, and X-ray, as well as clinical and laboratory tests were performed. After a follow-up period of 1 year (median 377 days) the examinations were repeated, and the findings were correlated. RESULTS: MRI and CT changes resulting from SIJ destruction increased significantly during follow-up, and the two modalities were significantly correlated. For the MRI findings of inflammatory activity, only bone marrow oedema decreased significantly. An increase in the Schober test was the only clinical examination that changed significantly. CONCLUSION: In early SpA, MRI can detect significant inflammatory and destructive changes of the SIJs over a 1-year follow-up period, in spite of minimal changes in the clinical parameters. The MRI changes in inflammatory activity are not detectable by CT and X-ray examinations. Thus, MRI may be a sensitive method, without known risks, for early diagnosis and for following disease progression in SpA.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A method to reduce the number of measured parameters when using isokinetic muscle strength as a clinical indicator in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

The aim of the study was to present a method enabling a reduction of the number of measurements when quantifying isokinetic muscle strength (IMS), and to describe an expression for IMS which is independent of measuring conditions. IMS is a measure of muscle strength used to categorise patients and to assess changes over time. IMS measurements involve one or several measures of peak torque at different chosen angular velocities. Comparisons between studies are difficult and an expression of IMS independent of measuring conditions is needed. Thirty-six women with rheumatoid arthritis were followed for 1 year. IMS was measured on five occasions on both knees at seven angular velocities, giving 10 sets of peak-torque data for each patient. The log[peak-torque]-angular-velocity diagram showed a linear relationship. From this, the peak-torque value at the chosen angular velocity of 30 degrees/s (IMS30) was estimated for each test and the uncertainties involved were quantified. IMS30 is a reliable parameter when comparing effort between knees, visits and patients, and may be based on three sets of data only. IMS may be expressed by a single value, IMS30, representing the fitted line in a log[peak-torque]-angular-velocity diagram. The regression line may be fitted by three or more angular velocities. In principle, IMS30 is independent of the chosen angular velocity, which makes it possible to use an estimated value as IMS30 to compare results, studies and centres in between.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1999

Long-term prognosis of acute low back pain in patients seen in general practice: a 1-year prospective follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the prognosis of acute low back pain (LBP) in patients in general practice and to identify prognostic factors associated with the long-term prognosis based on information immediately available to the GP. METHOD: We conducted a prospective cohort study in general practice in Denmark. The patients were those aged 18-60 years consulting their GP due to an episode of LBP lasting less than 2 weeks. The GPs collected data regarding 34 exposure variables, including their global assessment of the likelihood of chronic LBP. Outcome variables were collected from the patients after 1, 6 and 12 months. The outcome measures were days on sick leave, and functional or complete recovery from LBP. RESULTS: In total, 503 (96%) patients were followed during the whole study period. Fifty per cent of the patients on sick leave returned to work within 8 days; after 1 year, only 2% remained on sick leave. At the 1-year follow-up, 45% of the patients continued to complain of LBP. Logistic regression analyses showed that the factors most significantly associated with poor long-term LBP outcome were (i) severity of LBP at inclusion, (ii) assessments by the GP of susceptibility to develop chronic LBP and (iii) a history of LBP having caused previous sick leave. CONCLUSIONS: LBP in general practice has a good prognosis with regard to sick leave, but a high proportion of patients continue to complain of LBP. We were not able to identify objective measures that strongly predict the prognosis of the individual LBP patient. The overall assessment by the GPs seems to be the most important predictor associated with the long-term outcome.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1995

[Use of rheumatoid factor IgM analysis. A questionnaire study among the users].

The aim of this study was to describe who orders the rheumatoid factor analysis (RF-IgM) and the clinical indication compared to the result of the analysis. All analyses over a one month period were registered. The doctor who had ordered the analysis was contacted in order to answer a questionnaire asking about the clinical symptoms, results of other analyses and whether this analysis were the first or more. Four hundred and sixty-seven analyses were registered (population: about 300,000), 21% with a positive ELISA result (cut-off: 6 IU/ml). Thirty-one percent of the patients had clinical symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Sixty-seven percent of the analyses were ordered by the general practitioner. If we changed the cut-off to 15 or 20 IU/ml only 14 or 12 analyses were registered as having a positive result. We conclude that the analysis is often used for case-finding, perhaps the frequency could be reduced if the analysis were used more specifically and that the doctor who receives the answer has to be aware of the influence of the cut-off used by the local laboratory.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Displaced proximal humeral fracture--conservative treatment].

The results of 42 patients with displaced proximal humeral fractures treated by conservative methods were reviewed. Follow-up evaluation included clinical and radiographic examination median two years after the trauma. The results were assessed using Neer's protocol. The patients were asked to assess the results. The patients assessed the results better than the Neer score (p < 0.001). The patients' response to non-operative treatment was satisfactory. It is concluded that the Neer classification of the results underestimates the degree of satisfaction achieved by the patients. It is concluded that displaced proximal humeral fractures can be treated satisfactorily by non-operative methods.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Rheumatoid factor IgM analyses in Danish laboratories. An interlaboratory study].

The aim this study was to compare the correlation between the rheumatoid factor analyses in Danish laboratories. Concentrations of rheumafactor IgM were found in 10 different sera at 17 different laboratories. Thirteen laboratories used the ELISA technique and four the nephelometry technique. Correlation between the laboratories using the same technique was acceptable in the interval 10 to 200 IU/ml. Concentrations were higher when the nephelometry technique was used compared with the ELISA technique.

Denmark↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychological stress and rheumatoid arthritis in parents after death of a child: a national follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in parents after the death of a child. METHODS: All 21,062 parents whose child had died (younger than 18 years) between 1980 and 1996 in Denmark were included in the bereaved (exposed) cohort, and 293 745 parents matched on family structure were selected randomly from the general population for the unexposed cohort. RESULTS: We observed 600 incident RA cases during the follow-up (35 in the exposed cohort, 565 in the unexposed cohort). The relative risk (RR) of first hospitalisation for RA was 0.88 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63-1.24]. The RR was close to 1 throughout the 18 years of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Our findings do not support an association between severe psychological stress and RA.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗