News and information about the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases (NDB) and arthritis and rheumatology research. Written for NDB participants and anyone with a rheumatic disease.
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Thursday, October 28, 2004
Posters from the ACR Meeting: Jaw Pain
We just got back from the American College of Rheumatology's annual scientific meeting, where the NDB presented a lot of brand new research made possible by our thousands of volunteer participants. We'll be presenting that research here over the next week or so.
The first topic comes from a Poster Presentation on Jaw Pain from research by Drs. Robert S. Katz and NDB director Frederick Wolfe. At poster presentations, presenters explain the research to other interested doctors and researchers so the results can be applied or studied further.
Jaw pain can occur in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Osteoarthritis (OA) and Fibromyalgia (FIB). We wanted to know what characteristics are common to people with jaw pain, and which form of arthritis they have. We found out that jaw pain is much more common in people with FIB, about 38% have it, whereas 18% of RA and OA patients have it. Does this mean that if you have jaw pain you probably have FIB? No. That determination can only be made by your doctor. It can indicate what we call a "general pain disorder" rather than a specific problem with your jaw joint. This means you, in general, might have more pain or higher sensitivity to pain than other arthritis patients without jaw pain. Again, this information can be more useful to your doctor as he or she decides how to treat you.
For doctors, as they see patients with jaw pain, this research means that they may want to give more thought to whether a patient has above average pain that needs specific attention.
To see the poster, click the image here for a PowerPoint file.
We just got back from the American College of Rheumatology's annual scientific meeting, where the NDB presented a lot of brand new research made possible by our thousands of volunteer participants. We'll be presenting that research here over the next week or so.
The first topic comes from a Poster Presentation on Jaw Pain from research by Drs. Robert S. Katz and NDB director Frederick Wolfe. At poster presentations, presenters explain the research to other interested doctors and researchers so the results can be applied or studied further.
Jaw pain can occur in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Osteoarthritis (OA) and Fibromyalgia (FIB). We wanted to know what characteristics are common to people with jaw pain, and which form of arthritis they have. We found out that jaw pain is much more common in people with FIB, about 38% have it, whereas 18% of RA and OA patients have it. Does this mean that if you have jaw pain you probably have FIB? No. That determination can only be made by your doctor. It can indicate what we call a "general pain disorder" rather than a specific problem with your jaw joint. This means you, in general, might have more pain or higher sensitivity to pain than other arthritis patients without jaw pain. Again, this information can be more useful to your doctor as he or she decides how to treat you.
For doctors, as they see patients with jaw pain, this research means that they may want to give more thought to whether a patient has above average pain that needs specific attention.
To see the poster, click the image here for a PowerPoint file.
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Now available for your support group or arthritis meetings....Our new pamphlets explain what we do and how you and can help. Each one has a postage-paid postcard to request more information or join the project. The pamphlets and a small table-top stand are available free from the NDB. Just send us an email!