Beschreibung:
It is well established that in autoimmune diseases there is a chronic systemic inflammatory process that predominantly affects the joints. This has a significant negative impact on the quality of life of patients and considerable socio-economic costs. In addition, in recent years a decline in life expectancy has been observed, either due to the complications of the disease itself or as a consequence of the treatments used. The most important predictors of mortality are the presence of a rheumatoid factor, the results of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and extra-articular manifestations. This book examines the prognostic factors and the causes of death, using rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as models of autoimmune diseases.
It is well established that in autoimmune diseases there is a chronic systemic inflammatory process that predominantly affects the joints. This has a significant negative impact on the quality of life of patients and considerable socio-economic costs. In addition, in recent years a decline in life expectancy has been observed, either due to the complications of the disease itself or as a consequence of the treatments used. The most important predictors of mortality are the presence of a rheumatoid factor, the results of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and extra-articular manifestations. This book examines the prognostic factors and the causes of death, using rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as models of autoimmune diseases.