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Transient perivascular inflammation of the carotid artery (TIPIC) is a rare vascular disease characterized by inflammation of the carotid artery, leading to thickening of the carotid wall and unilateral carotidynia. This case report presents a 48-year-old woman who was diagnosed with TIPIC syndrome in a rheumatology outpatient clinic. The patient experienced right neck pain and numbness in the right hand, accompanied by local tenderness and increased arterial pulse. Laboratory tests showed no abnormalities, and imaging studies revealed inflammatory processes in the carotid artery. TIPIC syndrome is a self-limiting condition with a good prognosis and can be treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It is important for healthcare providers to be aware of this syndrome to prevent unnecessary treatment and to differentiate it from systemic vasculitis. [Extracted from the article]

Aim: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection may have a more severe course in patients with underlying disease or who have had immunosuppression. In this study, it was aimed to determine the frequency of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and the mortality rates related to COVID‐19 among patients with rheumatic disease. Methods: The patients who were followed up with rheumatic disease in the rheumatology outpatient clinic in a tertiary hospital were retrospectively assessed if they had COVID‐19 infection or not between March 2020 and January 2022. Results: A total of 10 682 patients were evaluated. There were 2928 (27.4%) COVID‐19‐positive and 7754 (72.6%) COVID‐19‐negative patients. The mean age of COVID‐19‐positive patients was 46.2 ± 14.6 years, and 65.8% were female. Forty‐two (1.4%) patients died due to COVID‐19. Among COVID‐19‐negative patients, 192 patients died. The most common rheumatic disease among patients with COVID‐19 was spondyloarthritis (SpA) (30.4%). Corticosteroids were the most common treatment agent in COVID‐19‐positive patients regardless of mortality. Thirty‐one (73.8%) patients were receiving corticosteroids, and 35 (83.3%) patients were receiving immunosuppressive agents among patients with mortality. According to the logistic regression analysis, older age, male gender, and receiving corticosteroid, hydroxychloroquine, mycophenolate mofetil, tofacitinib, rituximab, and cyclophosphamide were found to be related to increased mortality. Conclusion: COVID‐19 is a serious infection and the current study emphasized that patients with rheumatic diseases had increased mortality rates, particularly in patients who were old, male, and on immunosuppressive treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystem disease and frequently occurs during the second–fourth decades of life, although disease onset may be seen at any age. This study aimed to analyze the influence of the age of onset on clinical manifestations of BD. Materials and methods: This retrospective study analyzed two cohorts (paediatric and adult) to determine the association between the age of onset and clinical features in BD. Patients were classified into four groups to analyze the clinical characteristics according to the age of fulfilling the BD diagnostic criteria as follows: childhood onset (<12 years), adolescent onset (13–17 years), adult onset (18–39 years), and late onset (>40 years). Results: The study included 801 patients with BD. Male predominance, pathergy test positivity, aphthosis (oral or genital), and skin and ocular involvements were higher among adult patients than paediatric patients. The presence of positive family history for BD, neuro-BD, and epididymitis were observed significantly common in the paediatric group. Conclusion: There may be differences in clinical manifestations with regard to the age of disease onset. Disease presentations may differ from adult patients, and clinicians should be aware of the high familial aggregation rate of BD, especially in countries where the disease is endemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate Behçet's syndrome (BS) patients' regarding anthropometric measurements, daily energy and nutrient intake, and the MD adherence of patients. METHODS: 100 consecutive patients with BS were prospectively enrolled in two rheumatology outpatient clinics. Mid Upper Arm circumference (MUAC), Triceps skinfold thickness (TST), Mid Upper Arm Muscle Circumference (MUAMC), and Mid Upper Arm Muscle Area (MUAMA) measurements of patients were compared with Turkish reference values. Participants' daily energy and nutrient intake were categorized by the 'MD Adherence Score.' RESULTS: Thirty patients (30%) had only mucocutaneous involvement. According to reference values, 47%, 36%, 14%, and 27% of the participants had low percentile values (<50. percentile) for MUAC, TST, MUAMC, and MUAMA, respectively. Walnuts (35%), eggplant (35%), and tomatoes (13%) were reported as the most prominent foods for symptom exacerbations. The mean MD adherence score was 23.5±6.5 (male: 23.2±6.9; female: 24.2±5.9) points and the adherence status was average (60%) and poor (35%) in the majority of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Food consumption is important regarding symptom occurrence and multidisciplinary management of BS. Some participants had poor adherence to the MD. Increased waist/hip ratio, BMI, and decreased TST and MUAMA may indicate body muscle mass and unhealthy eating patterns. Patients with BS need encouragement for healthy eating habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) under biological treatment. Patients and methods: This retrospective cohort study included a total of 19 AOSD patients (13 males, 6 females; median age: 37 years; range, 28 to 52 years) who received biological drugs due to refractory disease between January 2008 and January 2020. The data of the patients were obtained from the patient files. The response to the treatment was evaluated based on clinical and laboratory assessments at third and sixth follow-up visits. Results: Interleukin (IL)-1 inhibitor was prescribed for 13 (68.4%) patients and IL-6 inhibitor prescribed for six (31.6%) patients. Seventeen (89.5%) patients experienced clinical remission. Conclusion: Biological drugs seem to be effective for AOSD patients who are resistant to conventional therapies. Due to the administration methods and the high costs of these drugs, however, tapering the treatment should be considered, after remission is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a hereditary autoinflammatory disease that requires lifelong colchicine treatment. Colchicine is the mainstay of the treatment, which decreases the frequency and the severity of recurrent FMF attacks and prevents the development of amyloidosis. This study aimed to investigate the rates of colchicine treatment adherence in patients with FMF and the factors related to treatment non-adherence. Materials and methods: This observational study was conducted with 179 patients with FMF between November 2018 and April 2019 in a tertiary rheumatology outpatient clinic. The sociodemographic and clinical data were recorded. Compliance Questionnaire on Rheumatology (CQR) was used to assess the treatment adherence and the Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ-T) was used to assess a patient’s beliefs about colchicine. The factors associated with adherence to the treatment were evaluated. Results: The study included 113 male (63.1%) and 66 (36.9%) female patients with a mean age of 30 (25–44) years. The rate of the patients who declared regular colchicine usage was 66.5%. The frequency of non-adherent patients was 83.8% according to CQR. Treatment adherence was better in patients with comorbid diseases than those without (41.4% vs. 22%, respectively, p = 0.028). The frequency of married patients in the adherent group (72.4%) was higher than the non-adherent group (47.3%) (p = 0.013). The colchicine dose used in the adherent group was 1.5 (1.3–1.8) mg/day, whereas it was 1.5 (1.0–1.5) mg/day in the non-adherent group (p = 0.033). The adherence rate was rising with increasing scores of BMQ-T Specific Necessity. As the scores of BMQ-T General Overuse and General Harm increased, non-adherence to colchicine increased. Conclusion: Evaluating adherence to colchicine treatment with objective methods is crucial to ensure sufficient treatment and prevent amyloidosis. Determining beliefs about colchicine may increase patients’ adherence to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Some studies have shown that the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is common in patients with chronic painful conditions, such as ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This study aimed to determine the prevalence and types of CAM usage in patients with AS and to evaluate the impact of treatment adherence and beliefs about medicines on CAM usage. Methods: This study has a descriptive design. A total of 140 patients with AS were included. The treatment adherence of the patients was evaluated using the Morisky Green Levine Medication Adherence Scale. The Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ-T) was used to assess patients' beliefs about medicines. Results: Previous or current CAM usage was stated by 40% of the patients. It has been found that CAM usage was significantly high (p<0.05) in patients who were married, older, and diagnosed at older ages. The difference between patients' beliefs about medicines and CAM usage was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The BMQ-T scores were significantly different in terms of the patients' treatment adherence (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that approximately half of the patients with AS were using 1 CAM method. Furthermore, medication adherence and patients' beliefs about medicines did not have any impact on CAM usage, but the patients' beliefs about medicines affected treatment adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Central Physician Appointment System (CPAS) is being used for creating appointments to be examined in hospitals, oral and dental health centers or by general practitioners since 2010. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and the causes of non-attendance to appointments in a tertiary rheumatology outpatient clinic. Methods: One hundred and ninety-seven patients, who created but did not attend an appointment between June 2019 and January 2020 in the rheumatology outpatient clinic of Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, were included in the study. Demographical characteristics and the reasons for non-attendance to the appointments were learned by phone call. Results: There were 148 (75.1%) female and 49 (24.9%) male patients, whose mean age was 51.1±16.2 years. We could not contact 74 (37.6%) patients due to the wrong phone number or not answering the phone call. The reasons for non-attendance were workrelated in 55 (44.7%) patients, feeling too sick in 18 (14.6%) patients, caring for a child in 9 (7.3%) patients, forgetting the appointment in 7 (5.7%) patients, feeling better in 4 (3.3%) patients, a problem about transportation in 1 (0.8%) patient and having another health problem in 1 (0.8%) patient. Conclusion: The ratio of non-attendance to appointments in the rheumatology outpatient clinic is lower than other departments. The most frequent reasons were neglect of employer and limitation due to the activation of disease. Applications of information systems added to CPAS or an informing message for employers about the appointments of their employees may be useful for preventing non-attendance to appointments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this multi‐center study was to assess predictive factors for work‐day loss as an indirect cost element in Behçet's syndrome (BS). Methods: In this cross‐sectional, multi‐center study, 834 BS patients (F/M: 441/393, age mean: 38.4 ± 10.9 years) were included. Data were collected by a questionnaire regarding treatment protocols, disease duration, smoking pattern, frequency of medical visits during the previous year and self‐reported work‐day loss during the previous year. Results: Work‐day loss was observed in 16.2% of patients (M/F: 103/32). The percentages of being a smoker (81.8%), using immunosuppressive (IS) medications (82%), and having disease duration <5 years (74%) were higher in male patients with work‐day loss (P <.05). The majority of males (90.9%) had more than four clinic visits during the previous year. Moreover, the mean work‐day loss (30.8 ± 57.7 days) was higher in patients with vascular involvement (56.1 ± 85.9) than those without (26.4 ± 50.6 days) (P =.046). In addition, increased frequency of ocular involvement (25.9%) was also observed in patients with work‐day loss compared to others (8.6%) (P =.059). Conclusion: Work‐day loss was associated with both vascular and ocular involvement. Close associations were observed among male gender, early period of the disease, frequent medical visits, being a smoker and treatment with IS medications in patients with work‐day loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipoma arborescense (LA) is a rare condition most commonly associated with painless swelling and limitation of motion in the knee joint. Although etiology is unknown, recurrent minor trauma and inflammatory pathologies are likely to be present. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard in diagnosis, ultrasonographic appearance has an important role in distinguishing it from other inflammatory processes. This case report highlights the rare prevalent LA that can easily interfere with other inflammatory pathologies and shows that ultrasonographic appearance is as valuable as MRI findings in the diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amaç: Erkek sistemik lupus eritematozus (SLE) hastalarında hastalık özelliklerinin farklı olduğu, daha fazla renal ve kardiyak tutulum nedeni ile daha şiddetli hastalığa sahip olabildikleri bildirilmektedir. Kadın baskınlığı nedeniyle erkek hastalara ilişkin klinik bulguların daha iyi belirlenmesine ihtiyaç vardır. Bu çalışmada, SLE'li erkek hastaların klinik özelliklerini değerlendirmek amaçlandı. Yöntem: Bu retrospektif çalışmaya, Ekim 2016 ile Aralık 2021 arasında Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi, Gülhane Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Romatoloji Polikliniği'nde takip edilen erkek SLE hastaları dahil edildi. 2012 SLE Uluslararası İş Birliği Klinikleri (SLICC) kriterlerini karşılayanlar dahil edildi. Hastaların verileri ve SLE Hastalık Aktivite İndeksi-2000 (SLEDAI-2K) değerleri dosyalardan elde edildi. Bulgular: Çalışmaya alınan 40 hastanın ortalama yaşları 42,7±17,3 yıl idi. Medyan tanı yaşı 30 (89-19) yıl, medyan hastalık süresi 63,5 (5-444) ay ve ortalama SLICC skoru 4,7±0,8 idi. En sık görülen ilk klinik belirtiler her biri 8 (%9,6) hastada görülen trombositopeni ve fotosensitivite idi (Tablo 1). Altı (%15) hastada sekonder antifosfolipid antikor sendromu vardı. Otuz beş (%87,5) hastada başlangıç tedavisi ile remisyon sağlanırken, takip döneminde on dört (%35) hastada en az bir relaps görüldü. Nüks sonrası en sık bulgu, tanı anında böbrek tutulumu olmayan dokuz (%22,5) hastada lupus nefriti idi. Bunların medyan SLEDAI skoru 2 (0-12) idi. Tedavi için en sık tercih edilen ilaç hidroksiklorokin ve kortikosteroidlerdi (her biri için %92,5). On dokuz (%47,5) hastaya pulse steroid verildi. Ayrıca en sık reçete edilen immünosüpresif ilaç mikofenolat mofetil (%37,5) idi. Azatioprin, siklofosfamid, metotreksat, siklosporin A, rituksimab, intravenöz immünoglobulin ve leflunomid kullanım oranları sırasıyla %30, %27,5, %17,5, %10, %7,5, %7,5, %5 idi. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada seropozitiflik oranının literatürdekinden daha az olması erkek hastaların dikkatle değerlendirilmesi gerektiğini göstermektedir. Morbiditeyi ve mortaliteyi önemli derecede etkileyebilen böbrek tutulumu ilk tutulumda daha az görülse de takip esnasında ortaya çıkabilir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]