Musculoskeletal involvement in sarcoidosis / Acometimento músculo-esquelético na sarcoidose

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem inflammatory disorder of unknown cause. It most commonly affects the pulmonary system but can also affect the musculoskeletal system, albeit less frequently. In patients with sarcoidosis, rheumatic involvement is polymorphic. It can be the presenting symptom of the disease or can appear during its progression. Articular involvement is dominated by nonspecific arthralgia, polyarthritis, and Löfgren's syndrome, which is defined as the presence of lung adenopathy, arthralgia (or arthritis), and erythema nodosum. Skeletal manifestations, especially dactylitis, appear mainly as complications of chronic, multiorgan sarcoidosis. Muscle involvement in sarcoidosis is rare and usually asymptomatic. The diagnosis of rheumatic sarcoidosis is based on X-ray findings and magnetic resonance imaging findings, although the definitive diagnosis is made by anatomopathological study of biopsy samples. Musculoskeletal involvement in sarcoidosis is generally relieved with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids. In corticosteroid-resistant or -dependent forms of the disease, immunosuppressive therapy, such as treatment with methotrexate or anti-TNF-α, is employed. The aim of this review was to present an overview of the various types of osteoarticular and muscle involvement in sarcoidosis, focusing on their diagnosis and management.

A sarcoidose é um distúrbio inflamatório multissistêmico de causa desconhecida, frequentemente afetando o sistema pulmonar e também o sistema músculo-esquelético, mas de forma menos frequente. Em pacientes com sarcoidose, o acometimento reumático é polimórfico, podendo ser o sintoma de apresentação da doença ou aparecer durante sua progressão. O acometimento articular é dominado por artralgia inespecífica, poliartrite e síndrome de Löfgren, que é definida como a presença de adenopatia pulmonar, artralgia (ou artrite) e eritema nodoso. Manifestações esqueléticas, especialmente dactilite, aparecem principalmente como complicações de sarcoidose crônica e em vários órgãos. O acometimento muscular na sarcoidose é raro e geralmente assintomático. O diagnóstico de sarcoidose reumática baseia-se em achados radiográficos e de ressonância magnética, embora o diagnóstico definitivo seja feito pelo estudo anatomopatológico de amostras de biópsia. O acometimento músculo-esquelético na sarcoidose é geralmente aliviado com o uso de anti-inflamatórios não esteroidais ou corticosteroides. Em formas da doença resistentes ao corticosteroide ou corticosteroide dependentes, a terapia de imunossupressão, como o tratamento com metotrexato ou anti-TNF-α, é utilizada. O objetivo desta revisão foi apresentar uma visão geral dos vários tipos de acometimento osteoarticular e muscular na sarcoidose, com foco no diagnóstico e manejo.

case of rheumatoid arthritis complicated by a chronic myeloid leukemia associated with pyoderma gangrenosum

Rheumatoid arthritis may be associated with an increased risk of hematological malignancy. Increased lympho-proliferative malignancy in rheumatoid arthritis is often described; however an increased risk of leukemia is not a common rinding. A few cases of rheumatoid arthritis have been documented associated with chronic myeloid leukemia in the literature. We report a new case. A 36-year-old Moroccan female diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis eight years ago, was on remission under Methotrexate and prednisone. This therapy was stopped one year before her admission at our hospital because of thrombopenia and anemia. She had polyarthritis flare. The physical examination found splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and skin lesions at the trunk and limbs. Peripheral blood findings, peripheral smear and bone marrow aspiration diagnosed myeloid leukemia in a blastic accelerated phase with negative Philadelphia chromosome. The skin lesions were diagnosed as pyoderma gangrenosum [skin biopsy]. She received oral prednisone and chemotherapy [Cytarabine and 6-Mercaptopurine]. She had a complete response on the skin lesions, partial regression of splenomegaly, and improvement of her hematologic disorders. Unfortunately the patient died from septic shock after two weeks of post-chemotherapy pancytopenia. We report an unusual case of rheumatoid arthritis complicated by chronic myeloid leukemia associated with pyoderma gangrenosum. It is unclear whether the development of chronic myeloid leukemia in the patient with rheumatoid arthritis occurs by chance alone, is due to the underlying disease, or is facilitated by drugs. Whatever the cause is, it should be kept in mind that chronic myeloid leukemia may develop in the course of rheumatoid arthritis

Cavernous angioma of the knee: a case report

Cavernous hemangiomas are uncommon lesions and, as such, may enter the differential diagnosis of other lesions encountered more frequently in clinical practice, including pigmented villonodular synovitis and traumatic hemarthrosis. We report an illustrative case in a young patient in the Rheumatology Department of University Hospital of Fez in Morocco. The aim of our work is: To present to the reader this rare pathology. Of which the diagnosis can be late or misdiagnosed because of the non specificity of symptoms and the underestimation of this pathological entity. To assess the contribution of magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] in the diagnosis and surgical planning of synovial hemangioma of the knee. A 19 year old single Morrocan woman who presented a non specific chronic knee tumefaction secondary to cavernous angioma confirmed radiologically and histologically, with a good evolution after surgery. Cavernous hemangioma of the knee is a frequently misdiagnosed lesion. MRI is the exploration of choice for this vascular tumor of the synovial membrane, although a pathology study is needed to confirm the diagnosis. Early surgical treatment with excision of the tumor within wide margins of uninvolved normal synovial tissue as partial or total synovectomy is the therapy of choice