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K X Karakostas

Publications and source records attributed to K X Karakostas.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary fibrosis in diffuse systemic sclerosis: two fibroses with different prognoses.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dSSc) involve the lung by a fibrotic process. In recent years, there has been increasing awareness that the natural history of these two types of pulmonary fibrosis might be different. The purpose of this study was to compare lung involvement in these two diseases in a prospective fashion in order to address differences in their clinical course. Forty-three consecutive patients, 18 with lone interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (lone IPF) and 25 with dSSc-IPF were evaluated clinically, radiologically and physiologically at the entry into the study and the evolution of their disease was contrasted by survival analysis. Patients with lone IPF compared with dSSc-IPF were characterized by male predominance (p < 0.001), older age at disease onset (p < 0.001), shorter disease duration (p < 0.001), more frequent crackles on auscultation and clubbing (p < 0.001 and p < 0.0001, respectively), more severe dyspnea (p < 0.0001) and more advanced radiological involvement (p < 0.0001). Functional indices presented comparable values and did not reach statistically significant differences except for the values of single breath CO diffusing capacity (p < 0.0001) and the PaO2 (p < 0.01) which was worse in patients with lone IPF. Finally 12 of the 18 patients with lone IPF died in 2.66 +/- 1.18 years from the onset of respiratory symptoms, while none of the dSSc-IPF patients had died 5.6 +/- 4.25 years from the first ever appearance of respiratory involvement (p < 0.001). In conclusion, although the two groups of patients were not at an absolutely comparable stage of their disease, a worse prognosis for patients with lone IPF seems to emerge from this study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Systemic lupus erythematosus in Greece. Clinical features, evolution and outcome: a descriptive analysis of 292 patients.

The purpose of this study was the descriptive analysis of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with a particular focus on initial clinical features, evolution and outcome of disease, prevalence of clinical and serological manifestations and identification of clinicoserological associations indicative of renal and CNS involvement. The methodology applied was the following: retrospective analysis of the clinical charts of 292 unselected patients (246 female (84.2%) and 46 male (15.7%)) with SLE examined between 1982 and 1992. Multivariate analysis and hierarchical log linear models were used to examine for clinicoserological associations. Descriptive analysis was based on the prevalence of main clinicoserological features and disease outcome. The outcome was examined on the basis of the number of flares, the presence of chronic renal failure, the presence of central nervous system (CNS) involvement with subsequent disability and deaths. Flares were considered the severe alterations in disease status, requiring additional therapy to be controlled. The disease begins most frequently in the second and third decade of life with cutaneous and joint manifestations, while renal and CNS involvement developed later. The prevalence of serious renal, pulmonary and CNS involvement as well as the prevalence of RF, anti-Sm and anti-nRNP antibodies remain low. Multivariate analysis revealed the associations of renal involvement with leukopenia and serositis, of anti-Sm with leukopenia, of secondary Sjogren's syndrome with RF and of thromboembolic events with anticardiolipin antibodies. Patients with childhood onset SLE have a higher tendency for developing renal involvement than adult onset SLE patients. In addition, anti-Ro(SSA) antibodies were associated with anti-La(SSB) and RF, while anti-Sm antibodies were associated with anti-nRNP and RF. Flares occurred with a frequency of 0.07 per patient per year. Only 63.6% of flares were accompanied by positive anti-dsDNA reactivities. Reported deaths were 0.0047 per patient per year. Hierarchical log linear models indicated that the main variables of the disease were sufficient to describe our disease model and that the order of the interaction between the variables was insignificant. We conclude that the prevalence of various clinical features associated with SLE is similar, although the prevalence of CNS and pulmonary involvement as well as anti-Sm and anti-nRNP antibodies are less prominent in Greek SLE patients than that reported in the literature. The various clinicoserological associations detected do not appear to be of major significance as they are not powerful enough to subgroup the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Diagnostic tests for dry eye disease in normals and dry eye patients with and without Sjögren's syndrome.

In order to compare the diagnostic tests for dry eye disease and the results of conjunctival impression cytology, we examined three groups of eyes: 146 eyes of normal controls, 108 eyes of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) patients without Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and 102 eyes of patients with SS. The clinical tests (break-up time, Schirmer test, Rose Bengal staining) and conjunctival impression cytology specimens from the superior part of the bulbar conjunctiva were evaluated from all the eyes. Our results showed that the patients with KCS without SS have abnormal lacrimal tests (p < 0.001) without changes in impression cytology [nucleo/cytoplasmic ratio (N/C), p > 0.1]. The patients with KCS and SS have also abnormal lacrimal tests (p < 0.01), and their epithelial cells presented squamous metaplasia (N/C, p < 0.001). The goblet cell number remained unchanged in the three groups (p > 0.1).

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of tear break-up time, Schirmer's-I test and rose bengal staining as confirmatory tests for keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

The tear break-up time (BUT), Schirmer's I test (S-I) and slit lamp examination after rose Bengal staining (RBS) are simple tests for evaluation of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). Discrepancies, however, regarding the range of normal values and the specificity and sensitivity of these methods prompted us to reevaluate them in 81 primary Sjögren's syndrome patients (Ss) and 276 normal volunteers. In normal volunteers, BUT values ranged from 4 sec. to 32 sec. (means +/- SD: 13 +/- 6 sec.) and in primary Ss from 1 sec. to 15 sec. (means +/- SD: 7 +/- 3 sec.). Ninety five percent (95%) of the values from primary Ss patients were below 12 sec. Forty two percent (42%) of the values obtained from normal individuals fall within this range. Schirmer's I test values in normal individuals ranged from 0 mm/5 min. to 30 mm/5 min. (means +/- SD: 10 +/- 9 mm) and in primary Ss patients from 0 mm/5 min. to 30 mm/5 min. (means +/- SD: 4 +/- 7 mm.). Ninety five percent (95%) of the primary Ss patients' values were below 19 mm/5 min. Sixty eight percent (68%) of the normal individual values fall into this range. Rose Bengal staining values ranged in normals from 0 to 7 (means +/- SD: 1 +/- 1) and in primary Ss patients from 1 to 8 (means +/- SD: 5 +/- 2). Ninety five percent (95%) of the primary Ss patients' values were above 2. Only 7% of normal individual values fall into this range. From these data we conclude that rose Bengal staining is the best test for evaluation of keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

Adolescent↗