ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Non traumatic osteonecrosis also known as avascular necrosis (AVN),and tuberculous arthritis (TB arthritis)most commonly present as chronic monoarticular conditions. Corticosteroid intake is known to predispose individuals to the development of these two conditions. In AVN, corticosteroid remains to be the most common cause that leads to a final common pathway of disrupting blood supply to segments of bone causing cell death. In TB arthritis, corticosteroid renders a patient relatively immunocompromised predisposing to this extrapulmonary infection. The incidence of tubercular osteonecrosis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus is rare. A review of literature only showed one case report of tubercular osteonecrosis diagnosed by aspiration cytology. Since tuberculosis (TB) is a destructive but curable disease, early diagnosis and treatment are essential.OBJECTIVE: To present a case of tubercular osteonecrosis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus treated with anti-Koch's regimen and iloprost infusion.CASE: A 27-year old Filipino female who was diagnosed with lupus nephritis and underwent three days methylprednisolone pulse therapy. Lupus nephritis improved and was clinically inactive for two years. She developed insidious onset of intermittent pain on her left knee, associated with swelling for four months with subsequent right hip pain of one week duration. MRI of the left knee showed osteonecrosis and arthritis. Radiograph of the right hip showed osteonecrosis. She underwent arthrocentesis of the left knee and the synovial fluid tested positive for tuberculosis by PCR. We started the patient on quadruple anti-Koch's regimen together with iloprost infusion which afforded clinical improvement. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a lupus patient with concomitant polyarticular osteonecrosis complicated by monoarticular tuberculous arthritis. Medical treatment, while it may be complicated by adverse drug events, is effective in symptomatic treatment, but a multidisciplinary approach is suggested for optimal outcome.
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Adult , Adrenal Cortex Hormones , Arthritis , Arthrocentesis , Cell Death , Early Diagnosis , Iloprost , Incidence , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic , Lupus Nephritis , Methylprednisolone , Osteonecrosis , Pain , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Tuberculosis, OsteoarticularABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Amenorrhea may occur in patients with lupus treated with cyclophosphamide. This is commonly attributed to primary ovarian failure leading to infertility -- a possible complication of cyclophosphamide. Urogenital tuberculosis (TB) can be a rare cause of amenorrhea and infertility in lupus patients.OBJECTIVE: To present a case of endometrial TB causing amenorrhea and abnormal uterine bleeding in a patient with lupus nephritis treated with cyclophosphamide.CASE: A 32-year-old Filipino female, who was diagnosed with lupus nephritis, was managed with high dose steroid and intravenous (IV) cyclophosphamide. Lupus nephritis improved with treatment, but she subsequently developed amenorrhea and vaginal spotting for two months. Symptoms were initially attributed to premature ovarian failure due to cyclophosphamide.Gynecologic examination showed thickened endometrium with normal ovaries and uterus on ultrasound. Dilatation and curettage was performed. Histopathology of endometrial curetting revealed chronic granulomatous endometritis with Langhans giant cells. Endometrial TB was diagnosed, and anti-Koch's therapy was started. The patient showed a favourable response, with resumption of normal menstruation after only the first month of treatment.CONCLUSION: This paper emphasizes the importance of considering a wide range of differential diagnosis for gynecologic symptoms in patients with lupus. Tuberculosis should be considered in areas of high endemicity
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Adult , Primary Ovarian Insufficiency , Lupus Nephritis , Endometritis , Amenorrhea , Giant Cells, Langhans , Cyclophosphamide , Menopause, Premature , Tuberculosis, Urogenital , Infertility , Uterine HemorrhageABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Methylprednisolone Pulse Therapy (MPPT) is standard of care in the management of severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This treatment, though, is considered a double-edged sword due to its life-threatening adverse effects. Renal disease, liver disease and high dose of the drug are factors proposed to adversely affect outcomes of patients treated with MPPT. Despite the widely accepted use of MPPT, there are no reports describing the outcomes from its use among Filipinos with SLE.OBJECTIVE: To determine the in-hospital outcomes of patients with SLE treated with MPPT and to identify factors associated with adverse outcomes.GENERAL STUDY DESIGN: RetrospectivePOPULATION: Adult patients with SLE who were admitted in Philippine General Hospital and underwent MPPT from January 2008 to December 2012.METHODS: Patient demographics, disease characteristics on admission, indications for MPPT and in-hospital outcomes were extracted.ANALYSIS: Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to elicit association of population characteristics to outcomes.RESULTS: Forty-two patients with SLE who underwent MPPT were included. Majority are females (98%) and most (60%) underwent MPPT within one year of SLE diagnosis. High disease activity is seen at the timeof MPPT with a mean Mex-SLEDAI score of 14.69. Infection (83%) is the most common comorbidity. Anemia, hypoalbuminemia and significant proteinuria are the most common laboratory abnormalities. The top indication for MPPT is nephritis (83.3%). The dose received by the majority (66.7%) is one gram/day for three days, which is a high dose.Improvement rate is 76% but the in-hospital complication rate is 64% and mortality rate is 21%. Patients with in-hospital complications have significantly lower absolute lymphocyte count (p=0.013), serum albumin (p=0.04) and greater 24-hour proteinuria (p=0.04) at baseline. High-dose MPPT is significantly associated with in-hospital complications (p=0.04) but not mortality. Nephritis (p= 0.04) and low platelet counts at baseline (p=0.01) are associated with mortality.CONCLUSION: In this population, there is a high rate of improvement of lupus disease activity when MPPT is used but there is a corresponding high rate of in-hospital complications and mortality. High dose of MPPT seems to be associated with increased in- hospital complication, while nephritis and low platelet count showed a probable association with mortality. Further studies on a larger cohort are needed. For now, the findings of this study may be helpful in developing guidelines on the use of MPPT among Filipino patients with SLE.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Hypoalbuminemia , Serum Albumin , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic , Nephritis , Kidney Diseases , Proteinuria , Anemia , Liver Diseases , Lymphocyte Count , MethylprednisoloneABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito- borne alphavirus of the family Togaviridae transmitted to humans by the Aedes spp. mosquitoes, causing Chikungunya Fever (CHIKF).OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the course and outcome of musculoskeletal (MSK) manifestations in patients with CHIKF seen over a three-month period.DESIGN: This is a prospective descriptive study. Seventy patients with fever, rash, and arthritis seen at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital and private arthritis clinics were collected from August - December 2012. Demographics and course of arthritis were described.RESULTS: Seventy patients, 53 (68.6%) female, with a mean age of 39.2 ±13.50 were diagnosed with CHIKF. All cases were from the Metropolitan Manila area. Of these, 15 (21.4%) had family members affected. Twenty-four patients (34.3%) were either employed or students. The most common presenting symptoms were fever (94.3%), arthritis or athralgia (98.6%), and rash (87.1%). The most common joint areas involved were the ankles (60.0%), the wrists (40.0%) and the small joints of the hand (51.4%). Twenty-seven (47.3%) had symmetric arthritis. Thirty- seven cases (52.9%) had arthralgia or arthritis for at least six weeks. By the end of the follow-up period, only four (5.7%) had persistent musculoskeletal symptoms. Age and sex were not found to be factors in determining chronicity of arthritic symptoms (p = 0.104 and p=0.58 respectively). Of the seventy patients, 31 (44. 3%) were confirmed cases of CHIKF-- 29 had (+) CHIKV IgM by ELISA, and two had (+) CHIKV PCR. Twenty- one (67.7%) had persistent arthritis of at least six weeks. Treatment consisted of continuous NSAIDs for at least two weeks and some received steroids. In this subgroup, age and sex were not shown to correlate with chronic arthritis (p=0.47 and p=0.05 respectively).CONCLUSION: This report on a recent outbreak of CHIKF showed the classic triad of fever, rash, and arthritis. There was no correlation between age and chronicity of arthritic symptoms. Sex, likewise, did not appear to influence chronicity. The disease occurred in family clusters. Patients required continuous treatment with NSAIDs and some had to be given steroids. Most cases resolved by 12 weeks.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Middle Aged , Adult , Chikungunya Fever , Chikungunya virus , Togaviridae , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal , Arthralgia , Arthritis , Exanthema , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent AssayABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Filipino patients with gout and know the specific component that is predominant in this population.METHODS: Patients who are diagnosed with gout based on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, at least 20 years old, attending the outpatient rheumatology clinic of a tertiary hospital from March 2012 to December 2012 and willing to sign written informed consent were included in the study. The following information was collected: demographic and disease characteristics, blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL, and fasting blood sugar. MS was defined according to the revised NCEP/ATP III criteria using the WHO Asia-Pacific obesity criteria. Results were reported in means and proportion.RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were included in the study. The mean age of onset and at time of diagnosis of gout were 47.3 years and 52.9 years, respectively. At the time of the study, the average duration of gout was five to 10 years. The male to female ratio was 6:1. The prevalence of MS was 47.6% (30/63) with male to female ratio of 5:1.The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 39.7%, hypertension 36.5%, low HDL 31.7%, high triglycerides 30.2%, and diabetes mellitus 14.3%. CONCLUSION:The prevalence of MS in this subset of Filipino patients with gout was 47.6%. Its most common component was abdominal obesity found in 39.7% of cases. This is an area of intervention that needs to be addressed in the care of these patients.