Rash and weakness - A case of juvenile dermatomyositis

Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a well-known but uncommon paediatric rheumatological condition. It can be missed early in the disease manifestation if not thought of in patients presenting with atypical rash and weakness. We present a case of a 5-year-old girl who developed JDM over a span of 8 weeks before a diagnosis was made. This case demonstrates the nuances of how a paediatric patient’s presentation can differ from adults’. A high index of suspicion and early appropriate referral to paediatric rheumatology are paramount for successful management and good prognosis of the condition.

Caídas frecuentes y neuroimágenes en paciente con parálisis supranuclearprogresiva. Presentación de caso y revisión de la literatura / Frequent falls neuroimaging in a patient with progressive supranuclear palsy

Las caídas en los adultos mayores son comunes, peligrosas y frecuentemente incapacitantes. Con frecuenciason multifactoriales y requieren un amplio abordaje diagnóstico. Las demencias, la enfermedad de Parkinsonidiopática (EP), la enfermedad cerebrovascular y las neuropatías se encuentran entre las condiciones neurológicasque con mayor frecuencia se asocian a caídas. Sin embargo, cuando estas se presentan con recurrenciaen el contexto de un síndrome parkinsoniano, particularmente al inicio de la enfermedad, deben sugerir eldiagnóstico de una parálisis supranuclear progresiva (PSP). Esta entidad es de diagnóstico esencialmente clínico;sin embargo, dado su pronóstico sombrío, se realizan imágenes por resonancia magnética (IRM) de cerebro atodos los pacientes para excluir otros diagnósticos alternativos y buscar hallazgos característicos de PSP. Estosson, principalmente, atrofia del mesencéfalo, borramiento de la sustancia nigra, atrofia del putamen y atrofiacon aumento de la señal del globo pálido.Se presenta a continuación el caso de un paciente adulto mayor que presentaba demencia y parkinsonismorefractario a levodopa, con caídas frecuentes, en quien la realización de una resonancia magnética sirvió paraaclarar el diagnóstico al evidenciar los hallazgos típicos de PSP. Además, se hace una breve revisión de losprincipales hallazgos con imágenes, de demencias parkinsonianas, y la prevención de caídas en estos pacientes.

Falls in the elderly are common, dangerous and often disabling. They are often multifactorial and require extensive diagnostic approach. Dementia, Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease, cerebrovascular disease and neuropathies are among the most frequent neurological condictions associated with falls. However, if a patient has had early instability and recurrent falls associated with a Parkinsonian syndrome, particularly at the beginning of the disease, it should suggest the diagnosis of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). PSP is essentially a clinical diagnosis, however, given the bleak prognosis, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain is performed in all patients to exclude alternative diagnoses and to look for supporting features of PSP. These include signal increase and atrophy of the midbrain, thinning or smudging of the substantia nigra, atrophy of the putamen, atrophy and signal increase of globus pallidus.We present the case of an adult patient who had dementia and parkinsonism refractory to levodopa with frequent falls in whom typical findings of PSP were documented in MRI. In addition, a brief review of the main findings in Parkinsonian Dementias images and fall prevention in these patients.

FALL-RELATED FACTORS TO TARGET IN COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR PREVENTION OF FALLS / 体力科学

Fall-related factors (FRFs) are classified into intrinsic factors and extrinsic factors. Intervention programs, which focused on modifiable factors (MFs) among FRFs have been designed to prevent falls. The purpose of this study was to identify easily-measurable intrinsic MFs for falls and recurrent falls. Cross-sectional analysis was carried out on the data from 483 community-dwelling older adults, aged 65-92 years (73.7 ± 5.9 yr, 138 men, 345 women). We measured history of falls in the past year and 7 domains of FRFs. Of these, 20 items were selected as MFs. Analyses of FRFs and MFs were conducted by comparing (separated by sex) those who did not report a fall with those who reported any number of falls, and those who reported no falls or one fall with those who reported recurrent falls. Using the significant items as independent variables, multiple logistic regression analysis with forward selection method was performed. The prevalence of falls and recurrent falls was: in men, 24.6% and 14.5%; in women, 26.7% and 12.5%. There were no significant differences in prevalence of falls or recurrent falls between genders. The following items were selected as the MFs most strongly associated with falls: climbing 10 steps with difficulty and tandem walk; and associated with recurrent falls: climbing 10 steps with difficulty, sit and reach, and tandem walk. These results are useful in determining the focus of fall prevention programs to be used in future community-based interventions.