Differential diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease with other fever of unknown origin causes / 解放军医学杂志

Objective To explore the differential diagnostic indicators of adult-onset Still's disease(AOSD)from other fever of unknown origin(FUO).Methods The clinical data and laboratory indicators of 177 AOSD patients and 163 FUO patients who were hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University from January 2010 to May 2021 were collected,and the patients were randomly divided into training group and verification group.Statistically significant variables were extracted from univariate analysis for receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis and the best cut-off value of the variables was obtained.The differential diagnostic indicators were extracted by multivariate logistic regression analysis and nomogram model was constructed.ROC curve,calibration curve,and decision curve analysis were used to evaluate the accuracy and stability of nomogram.Results Univariate analysis revealed that there were significant differences in 4 clinical features(arthralgia,rash,pharyngeal pain,myalgia)and 14 laboratory parameters[white blood cell count(WBC),monocyte percentage,neutrophil percentage,lymphocyte percentage,platelet count,C-reactive protein,interleukin-6(IL-6),ferritin,globulin,immunoglobulin A,and immunoglobulin G(IgG),creatine kinase,creatinine and complement C3].Multivariate analysis suggested that arthralgia,WBC≥9.995×109/L,IL-6≥98.13 ng/L,ferritin≥507.37 ng/ml,globulin≤36.58g/L,IgG≤13.59g/L,complement C3≥1.27 g/L were related with AOSD.The area under curve(AUC)values of training group and verification group were 0.917(95%CI 0.883-0.951)and 0.869(95%CI 0.802-0.936),respectively.The calibration curves showed good consistency.The decision curve analysis showed that training group and verification group had a large positive rate of return in the wide risk range of 5%-85%and 10%-85%,respectively.Conclusions This study has established a relatively accurate AOSD differential diagnosis model.The combination of arthralgia,WBC,IL-6,ferritin,globulin,IgG and complement C3 may help to distinguish AOSD from other causes of FUO.

Enfermedad de Still del adulto: serie de casos / Adult Still's disease: case series

Resumen La enfermedad de Still del adulto (ESA) es una enfermedad reumática e inflamatoria, infrecuente, de etiología desconocida. Su presentación clínica es variada y sus síntomas más frecuentes son fiebre, artralgias, exantema asalmonado evanescente, odinofagia, adenopatías, hepatoesplenomegalia, serositis y presencia en laboratorio de leucocitosis (neutrofilia), hiperferritinemia asociado a ausencia de anticuerpos. El diagnóstico es clínico y por exclusión. Existen criterios clasificatorios como son los de Yamaguchi1, Cush y Fautrel2,3 que ayudan a la orientación diagnóstica. El tratamiento se define según la presentación y la evolución clínica1. Se describen las características clínicas, diagnósticas, tratamiento y evolución de siete pacientes con ESA.

Abstract Adult Still's disease (ASD) is an uncommon rheumatic and inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. The major clinical features include fever, arthralgia, transient salmon-pink rash, odynophagia, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, serositis, and laboratory findings such as leukocytosis with neutrophilia, hyperferritinemia, and negative immunologic laboratory testing. ASD diagnosis is reached by exclusion. Different classification criteria such as Yamaguchi, Cush and Fautrel have been developed for the identification of ASD. Treatment is based on the degree of disease activity and clinical response1. We describe clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of seven patients with adult's Still disease.

Hiperferritinemia: Experiencia de un Centro Universitario en Chile / Hyperferritinemia in a Chilean Academic Healthcare Network: A Retrospective Study

INTRODUCTION: The distribution of causes of hyperferritinemia in international series is heterogeneous. Also, the association between ferritin and prognosis is controversial. This study aims to describe the diagnosis associated with hyperferritinemia in a retrospective cohort at an academic healthcare network in Chile. METHODS: A retrospective review of adult patients admitted to our academic medical center from June 2014 to February 2017 with ferritin ≥3,000 ng/mL. All patients were classified into nine diagnostic categories. Then, the association between ferritin level and disease category, as well as mortality, was evaluated. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients were identified. The mean age was 50.8 ± 19.9 years, 54.5% were men. The most frequent categories were "inflammatory and autoimmune diseases" (21.2%) and "hematological malignancies" (19.2%). The average ferritin was 10,539 ± 13,016.9 ng/mL, while the higher mean was 16,707 ng/mL in the "inflammatory and autoimmune diseases" category. There was a statistically significant association between the ferritin value and age but not between ferritin and diagnostic categories. In the group over 50, hematologic neoplasms (19%) and infections (19%) were more frequent. In those under 50, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases were more frequent (26.8%). There was no association between the ferritin level and mortality at 1, 3, and 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent categories were "inflammatory and autoimmune diseases" and "hematological malignancies", but ferritin level was similar in both. Further research could validate a prognostic role.

Clinical characteristics and diagnostic indicators of macrophage activation syndrome in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and adult-onset Still's disease / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze and compare the clinical and laboratory characteristics of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), and to evaluate the applicability of the 2016 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology/Paediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization classification criteria for MAS complicating systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) in different auto-immune diseases contexts and to propose new diagnostic predictive indicators.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and laboratory data of 24 SLE patients with MAS (SLE-MAS) and 24 AOSD patients with MAS (AOSD-MAS) who were hospitalized at Peking University People's Hospital between 2000 and 2018. Age- and sex-matched SLE (50 patients) and AOSD (50 patients) diagnosed in the same period without MAS episodes were selected as controls. The cutoff values for laboratory indicators predicting SLE-MAS and AOSD-MAS were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Furthermore, the laboratory diagnostic predictive values for AOSD-MAS were used to improve the classification criteria for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated MAS (sJIA-MAS), and the applicability of the revised criteria for AOSD-MAS was explored.@*RESULTS@#Approximately 60% of SLE-MAS and 40% of AOSD-MAS occurred within three months after the diagnosis of the underlying diseases. The most frequent clinical feature was fever. In addition to the indicators mentioned in the diagnosis criteria for hemophagocytic syndrome revised by the International Society for Stem Cell Research, the MAS patients also exhibited significantly elevated levels of aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase, along with a significant decrease in albumin. Hemophagocytosis was observed in only about half of the MAS patients. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the optimal discriminative values for diagnosing MAS was achieved when SLE patients had ferritin level≥1 010 μg/L and lactate dehydroge-nase levels≥359 U/L, while AOSD patients had fibrinogen levels≤225.5 mg/dL and triglyceride levels≥2.0 mmol/L. Applying the 2016 sJIA-MAS classification criteria to AOSD-MAS yielded a diagnostic sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 62%. By replacing the less specific markers ferritin and fibrinogen in the 2016 sJIA-MAS classification criteria with new cutoff values, the revised criteria for classifying AOSD-MAS had a notable increased specificity of 86%.@*CONCLUSION@#Secondary MAS commonly occurs in the early stages following the diagnosis of SLE and AOSD. There are notable variations in laboratory indicators among different underlying diseases, which may lead to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis when using uniform classification criteria for MAS. The 2016 sJIA-MAS classification criteria exhibit high sensitivity but low specificity in diagnosing AOSD-MAS. Modification of the criteria can enhance its specificity.

Update on the diagnosis, management and treatment of fever of unknown origin: review article and case report / Actualización en el diagnóstico, manejo y tratamiento de la fiebre de origen desconocido: artículo de revisión y reporte de caso

INTRODUCTION Actually, there are more than 200 different causes of unknown fever, it is necessary for the doctor to identify the most prevalent causes of unknown fever in our Clinical boar. PRESENTATION A 52-year-old male patient with no history of chronic diseases, which was received in the Emergency Service of the Hospital San Pablo, Coquimbo, on 02/03/20 began a clinical picture characterized by fever up to 39 ºC associated with diaphoresis, evaluated several times in primary health care without response to symptomatic treatment. He denies dyspnea, cough, sputum production, headache, muscle weakness, myalgia, fainting, decreased visual acuity, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, altered bowel movements, weight loss, dysuria, bladder tenesmus, pain lumbar, skin lesions. As relevant information, the patient reports having taken amoxicillin/clavulanate for 2 days on his own account. DISCUSSION Physicians should be aware of the rare extent of an unusual presentation of knowledge origin fever, probably associated with Still disease, as well as medical options for treatment. The literature does not conclude on a gold standard for the method of approach. CONCLUSION In our case, the etiological agent that could cause Fever of unknown origin (FUO) was Sars cov-2 given the presence of elevated inflammatory factors and acute phase proteins and the presence of neutrophilic infiltration

Recommendations of diagnosis and treatment of adult-onset Still′s disease in China / 中华内科杂志

Adult-onset Still′s disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic autoinflammatory disorder. In China, standardized diagnosis and treatment for AOSD is insufficient. Based on the evidence from China and other countries, Chinese Rheumatology Association developed standardization of diagnosis and treatment of AOSD in China. The purpose is to standardize the methods for diagnosis of AOSD, treatment strategies, and reduce misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis and irreversible damage.

Adult-onset Still's disease after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine: a possible association

ABSTRACT With emergent Sars-Cov-2, a highly transmissive virus that caused millions of deaths worldwide, the development of vaccines became urgent to combat COVID-19. Although rare, important adverse effects had been described in a hypothetical scenario of immune system overstimulation or overreaction. Still's disease is a rare inflammatory syndrome of unknown etiology. It manifests as a cytokine storm, mainly IL-18 and IL-1β, and presents itself with fever spikes, joint pain, maculopapular evanescent salmon-pink skin rash, and sore throat, among other symptoms. Here, we report a case of a 44-year-old healthy male who developed adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) with atypical symptoms after both doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine with 3 months of dose interval. The medical team suspected Still's disease and started prednisone 1 mg/kg (40mg). The next day the patient showed a marked improvement in articular and chest pains and had no other fever episodes. Therefore, he was discharged to continue the treatment in outpatient care. On the six-month follow-up, the patient was free of complaints, and the progressive corticoid withdrawal plan was already finished.

Role of mean platelet volume in differential diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease and sepsis

SUMMARY OBJECTIVES: Mean platelet volume is a simple biomarker for inflammatory disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of mean platelet volume in distinguishing adult-onset Still's disease from sepsis. METHODS: We retrospectively selected 68 patients with adult-onset Still's disease and 55 patients with sepsis between January 2015 and December 2019. Related laboratory data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in white blood cell counts, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and C-reactive protein between adult-onset Still's disease group and sepsis group. However, patients in adult-onset Still's disease group showed higher ferritin and platelets and lower mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width than those in sepsis group (p<0.01 for both). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to distinguish adult-onset Still's disease and sepsis. The area under the curve of mean platelet volume was 0.761 (95%CI 0.673-0.849), with a sensitivity of 79.1%, a specificity of 63.3%, and a cutoff value of 10.9 fL. In contrast, the area under the curve of combined ferritin and mean platelet volume was 0.90l (95%CI 0.837-0.965), with higher sensitivity (82.8%) and specificity (96.2%). Therefore, mean platelet volume could be used as a supplementary indicator to distinguish adult-onset Still's disease from sepsis. CONCLUSION: We suggest that mean platelet volume could be used as a supplementary biomarker for differential diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease and sepsis in addition to ferritin.

Síndrome de activación de macrofágica como complicación de la artritis idiopática juvenil sistémica / Macrophage activation syndrome as a complication of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis

RESUMEN La artritis idiopática juvenil sistémica, también conocida como enfermedad de Still, se considera un trastorno autoinflamatorio y suele ser la más compleja y grave entre todas las formas clínicas de la enfermedad. Cursa generalmente en forma de brotes de actividad repetidos, intercalados por periodos de remisión. Se presenta el caso de una paciente femenina de 4 años de edad, con diagnóstico de enfermedad de Still a los 2 años. Actualmente tiene tratamiento con triple terapia de inducción: cloroquina, metotrexato y salazosulfapiridina con actividad de la enfermedad persistentemente alta por JADAS 27. Acudió a consulta por presentar fiebre, toma del estado general y manifestaciones respiratorias de tres días de evolución que se interpretó como una infección respiratoria baja. Se prescribió tratamiento con antibióticos sin signos de mejoría. A los 7 días se agravó el cuadro clínico y se planteó el diagnóstico de síndrome de activación macrofágica. Se comenzó protocolo de tratamiento con esteroides en combinación con otros fármacos de probada eficacia para esta situación clínica (etopósido, ciclosporina, metotrexato). Se revaloró política de antibióticos sin lograrse respuesta satisfactoria y se decidió introducir el rituximab que aporta excelentes resultados. Después de 3 meses de difícil manejo, la paciente egresó del hospital recuperada de esta complicación y con bajo nivel de actividad de la enfermedad de base.

ABSTRACT Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, also known as Still's disease, is considered an autoinflammatory disorder and is often the most complex and severe of all clinical forms of the disease. It usually takes the form of repeated bouts of activity, interspersed with periods of remission. We present the case of a 4-year-old female patient, diagnosed with Still's disease at 2 years of age. Currently undergoing treatment with triple induction therapy: chloroquine, methotrexate and salazosulfapyridine with persistently high disease activity due to JADAS 27. He comes to the clinic due to fever, general condition, and respiratory manifestations of three days of evolution interpreted as an infectious respiratory process under. Antibiotic treatment is started without signs of improvement. At 7 days the clinical picture worsens, and the diagnosis of Macrophage Activation Syndrome is raised. A steroid treatment protocol is started in combination with other drugs of proven efficacy for this clinical situation (ethopside, cyclosporine, methotrexate). Antibiotic policy was reassessed without achieving a satisfactory response and it was decided to introduce rituximab, which provides excellent results. After three months of difficult management, the patient was released from the hospital recovered from this complication and with a low level of activity of the underlying disease.

The role of platelet to mean platelet volume ratio in the identification of adult-onset still's disease from sepsis

OBJECTIVES: Inflammatory factors exert a significant role in the development of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and sepsis. Although platelet counts and platelet parameters have long served as indicators for inflammatory diseases, their role in the differential diagnosis between adult-onset stilĺs disease and sepsis remains unclear. We designed this retrospective study to explore whether the platelet to mean platelet volume (MPV) ratio (PMR) can help to distinguish AOSD from sepsis. METHODS: A total of 110 AOSD patients and 84 sepsis patients were enrolled in the study. Seventy-three AOSD patients and 56 sepsis patients between January 2010 and June 2017 were enrolled in the test cohort to analyze PMR values, which was then validated in the validation cohort (37 AOSD patients and 28 sepsis patients between June 2017 and December 2019). RESULTS: The values of PMR were significantly higher in AOSD patients than in sepsis patients (test cohort, validation cohort, and entire cohort), In the test cohort, logistic regression analysis showed that PMR was an independent risk factor of AOSD (odds ratios [OR]: 9.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.15-39.46, p=0.003). Further receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve was 0.735 (95% CI 0.631-0.839, p<0.001) for PMR alone and 0.925 (95% CI 0.869-0.980, p<0.001) for the combination of PMR and serum ferritin. Consistently, the validation cohort exhibited analogous results. CONCLUSIONS: PMR could be used as a single indicator or a complementary indicator to distinguish AOSD from sepsis.

Adult onset still's disease (aosd): a rare condition with a classic clinical presentation. case report

ABSTRACT Introduction: Adult Onset Still's Disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic inflammatory disease of unclear etiology, with low incidence and prevalence among the general population. AOSD is a common cause of fever of unknown origin (FUO) in up to 20% of cases. Due to the scarce knowledge about this disease and its diagnosis, it is usually unrecognized in the differential diagnoses, worsening the prognosis and increasing complications in some patients. Case presentation: This is the case of a 32-year-old female patient with prolonged febrile illness, who did not respond to the antimicrobial treatments previously established. She was diagnosed with AOSD according to the Yamaguchi criteria after an extensive exclusion process. She was treated with first-line treatment with corticosteroids, achieving satisfactory results Conclusions: The diagnosis of AOSD is an exhaustive process. Regardless of the availability of cutting-edge diagnostic tools, the medical history of the patient and an adequate physical examination are the most important aspects to consider.

RESUMEN Introducción. La enfermedad de Still del adulto (ESA) es una enfermedad inflamatoria sistémica de baja incidencia y prevalencia en población general y cuya etiología aún no es clara. La ESA puede causar fiebre de origen desconocido hasta en el 20% de los casos, pero suele pasar inadvertida dentro de los diagnósticos diferenciales iniciales debido a su desconocimiento, lo que empeora el pronóstico y aumenta las complicaciones en los pacientes. Presentación del caso. Paciente femenina de 32 años con síndrome febril prolongado que no respondía a tratamientos antimicrobianos instaurados previamente y en quien, finalmente, se diagnosticó ESA aplicando los criterios clasificatorios de Yamaguchi. La mujer recibió tratamiento de primera línea con corticosteroides y obtuvo buenos resultados. Conclusiones. La ESA requiere un exhaustivo proceso para su diagnóstico, en el cual, a pesar de la disponibilidad de herramientas diagnósticas avanzadas, la verificación de la historia clínica y la realización de un adecuado examen físico son los aspectos más importantes a tener en cuenta.

Non-purulent pharyngitis: adult still’s disease

 Adult Still’s disease is rare and may present as pyrexia of unknown origin. Due to lack of expertise, diagnosis may be delayed inadvertently. The patient usually presents with spiked fever, polyarthralgia or arthritis, evanescent skin rash, non-purulent pharyngitis, lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. Leukocytosis, predominantly of neutrophils, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein without obvious infection are the hallmarks of the disease. Delay in diagnosis may expose the patient to the side effects of antibiotics as they are repeatedly prescribed in view of elevated leukocytes. The majority of patients report pain in the throat without evidence of infection. This was an important clue to our diagnosis of this patient. Grossly elevated serum ferritin is diagnostic of adult onset still's disease. As the white cell counts are grossly elevated, a bone marrow examination to rule out hematological malignancy may be mandatory. Serum ferritin value has prognostic value too. Minor illness may respond to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but steroids are the mainstay of the treatment.  Methotrexate is of additional value for those presenting predominantly with arthritis. Anakinra, Infliximab and Tocilizumab are other options. Those patients presenting with severe disease and organ involvement require high dose intravenous steroids followed by high dose oral steroids.

Enfermedad de Still del adulto: características clínicas y pronóstico de una cohorte de pacientes colombianos / Adult Still disease: Clinical features and prognosis in a cohort of Colombian patients

Resumen Introducción. La enfermedad de Still del adulto (ESA) es una condición médica poco frecuente que puede presentar complicaciones graves; sin embargo, aún no se conocen con claridad sus factores de riesgo, sus factores pronósticos, ni los aspectos asociados a las recaídas y a la refractariedad a esteroides en individuos con esta condición. Objetivos. Describir el comportamiento clínico de la ESA y determinar los factores asociados a la refractariedad a esteroides, a recaídas y a complicaciones en pacientes con esta enfermedad. Materiales y métodos. Estudio retrospectivo de cohortes que incluyó 45 pacientes diagnosticados con ESA entre enero de 2007 y enero de 2017 en 2 hospitales de referencia. Se presentan medidas de resumen. Se realizaron dos análisis de regresión logística para identificar posibles factores que expliquen la refractariedad a esteroides, las recaídas y el desarrollo de complicaciones en la población de estudio. Resultados. La edad promedio de los participantes fue 42.13±15.8 años. De los 45 pacientes incluidos, 23 (51.1%) eran mujeres, a 42 (93.3%) se le prescribieron esteroides, y, de estos, 13 (32%) se consideraron refractarios a esteroides. Se presentaron complicaciones en 12 (26.7%) individuos y su frecuencia fue mayor en pacientes con temperatura máxima >39°C. Finalmente, 33 (73.3%) pacientes tuvieron un seguimiento mayor a 1 año, de los cuales, 17 (37.8%) presentaron recaídas, las cuales fueron más frecuentes en individuos refractarios a esteroides o con esplenomegalia. Conclusión. Los pacientes que recibieron cualquier tipo de terapia biológica fueron más refractarios a esteroides; por su parte, la refractariedad a esteroides y la esplenomegalia se asociaron a un mayor número de recaídas, y la temperatura >39°C se asoció a al desarrollo de complicaciones.

Abstract Introduction: Adult Still disease (ASD) is a rare disorder that can lead to serious complications; however, risk factors associated with the development of this disease, its prognostic factors, and aspects related to relapse and steroids refractoriness in individuals with this condition are not yet clearly known. Objectives: To describe the clinical behavior of ASD and determine factors associated with steroid refractoriness, relapse, and complications in patients with this condition. Materials and methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 45 patients diagnosed with ASD between January 2007 and January 2017 in 2 reference hospitals. Summary statistics are presented. In addition, two logistic regression analysis were conducted in order to identify possible factors explaining steroid refractoriness, relapses, and the development of complications in the study population. Results: Participants' average age was 42.13 ± 15.8 years. Out of the 45 patients, 23 (51.1%) were women, 42 (93.3%) were prescribed steroids, and of these, 13 (32%) were considered as steroid refractory. Complications were observed in 12 individuals (26.7%), and their frequency was higher in patients whose maximum body temperature was higher than 39°C. Finally, 33 (73.3% patients had a follow-up greater than 1 year, of which 17 (37.8%) suffered relapses; in addition, relapses were more frequent in patients who were steroid refractory or those with splenomegaly. Conclusion: Patients who were prescribed any type of biological therapy were more steroid refractory. On the other hand, steroid refractoriness and splenomegaly were associated with a higher frequency of relapses, while having a body temperature >39°C was associated with developing complications.

Doença de Still do adulto: um desafio diagnóstico / Adult-onset Still's disease: a diagnostic challenge

A doença de Still do adulto é uma rara condição inflamatória, cujo diagnóstico é um desafio, por se tratar de diagnóstico de exclusão, após vasta investigação. Manifesta-se com febre alta diária, amigdalite não supurativa, artrite, rash evanescente, leucocitose e hiperferritinemia. O presente caso demonstra a doença de Still do adulto e sua vasta investigação, motivando a realização de revisão bibliográfica sobre inovações na fisiopatologia, no diagnóstico e no tratamento.

Adult onset Still's disease is a rare inflammatory condition, the diagnosis of which is a challenge, because it is a diagnosis of exclusion, and demands extensive investigation. It manifests with high daily fever, nonsuppurative tonsillitis, arthritis, evanescent rash, leukocytosis, and hyperferritinemia. The present case de­monstrates adult-onset Still's disease and its extensive inves­tigation, motivating literature review on innovations of its pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Adult-onset Still's disease successfully treated with Chinese herbal medicine: A case report with 15-month follow-up / 中西医结合学报

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare but clinically well-known, polygenic, and systemic autoinflammatory disease, which is characterized by spiking fever, evanescent skin rash, arthralgia, and sore throat. The application of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and glucocorticoids, which are first-line therapies of AOSD, is limited due to their side effects such as liver injury or disorder of blood glucose. Therefore, patients who suffer from systemic diseases in China prefer to seek help from Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), which is an important part of complementary and alternative medicine. In this case, we report a 28-year-old male badminton coach presenting with a 15-day history of fever and skin rash, accompanied by sore throat, fatigue, myalgia and chills. Additionally, hepatosplenomegaly, multiple lymphadenopathies, aminotransferase abnormality, and elevated inflammatory factor levels were observed during hospitalization. Infectious diseases, solid tumors, hematological diseases, and common autoimmune diseases were excluded. Not benefitting from antibiotic therapy, the patient was finally diagnosed with AOSD, after a careful examination, then showed rapid remission after a six-week treatment with CHM granules based on Xiaochaihu Decoction and Yinqiao Powder. After stopping the treatment, there was no relapse within a 15-month follow-up period. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first well-documented case of this successful treatment. The present case report suggests that CHM is a reliable choice for complementary and alternative therapy for AOSD, but confirming the utility of CHM for AOSD requires further support from prospective studies.

Clinical features of DRESS， AOSD， HLH with liver injury: An analysis of 58 cases / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical features of adult liver injury patients with drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) or hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and the correlation of the degree of liver injury with inflammatory indices and immune indices. MethodsRelated clinical data were collected from 58 patients with liver injury caused by the above three systemic inflammatory diseases who were admitted to Peking University First Hospital from January 2008 to April 2019, among whom 7 had DRESS, 29 had AOSD, and 22 had HLH. General information, liver biochemical parameters, inflammatory indices, and immune indices were collected before treatment. The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups; a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the Bonferroni method was used for further comparison between two groups. Four inflammatory indices were compared between the groups with different alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (≤200 U/L or ＞200 U/L), and a Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation of ferritin and immune indices with ALT level. ResultsThe median age of the patients with DRESS or AOSD was 38 years, and the median age of the patients with HLH was 34 years. DRESS patients were mostly male (5/7, 71%), while most of AOSD patients (20/29, 69%) and HLH patients (12/22, 55%) were female. For liver injury indices, there were no significant differences between the three groups in ALT peak, aspartate aminotransferase level, and alkaline phosphatase level (all P＞0.05). For the indices for the synthetic function of the liver, there were no significant differences in blood glucose, albumin, and prothrombin activity between the three groups (all P＞0.05). For inflammatory indicators, there were significant differences between the three groups in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (all P＜0.001), while there were no significant differences between the three groups in lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin, and procalcitonin (all P＞0.05); the AOSD group had significantly higher median CRP and ESR than the other two groups (all P＜0.05). For the patients with the three diseases, there were no significant differences in the four inflammatory indices between any two the groups with different ALT levels (all P＞0.05), and the level of ferritin was positively correlated with ALT level (R2=0.702 1, P＜0000 1). As for immune indices, there were no significant differences in IgG, IgA, C4, and the counts of NK and B cells between the three groups (P＞0.05), and CD8+ T cells were positively correlated with ALT level in HLH patients (R2=0.969 6, P＜0.000 1). ConclusionVarying degrees of liver injury are observed in patients with DRESS, AOSD or HLH. Ferritin and CD8+ T cells are well correlated with ALT level and can reflect liver injury, systemic inflammation, and immune status in patients with the three diseases, and therefore, they may become important indices for evaluating disease condition, guiding treatment, and judging treatment outcome and prognosis.

Rapid responses to golimumab in refractory adult-onset Stills disease: A case report and review of the literature

ABSTRACT Introduction: Adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. AOSD is generally a mild and self-limiting disease, but it could progress to become chronic. The anemia of chronic diseases may occur in patients with acute or chronic immune activation, and is associated with the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Case report: A 61-year-old woman with several pharyngitis episodes, spiking fever, evanescent salmon-pink skin rash, normocytic normochromic anemia, leucocytosis, thrombocytopenia, polyarthritis, liver dysfunction, marked elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein and, notably high ferritin levels. AOSD was diagnosed after secondary diseases were ruled out. Despite eight month on treatment with high-dose corticosteroids and methotrexate the clinical course the patient worsened, with significant synovitis, joint deformities leading to a worse quality of life and requiring help with activities of daily living. A rapid response to the anti-TNFα golimumab (50 mg/month) was observed from the third month of treatment. Conclusion: Golimumab improved anemia, serum C-reactive protein levels, polyarthritis and quality of life in a refractory AOSD.

Adult onset still’s disease: a diagnostic dilemma

Adult onset still’s disease is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology, characterized by clinical triad (high spiking fever, evanescent rash and arthritis) and biological triad with lack of serological markers as a true gold standard makes diagnosis difficulty. Here is a case of 32year old male presented with high grade fever for 2 months, joint pains and swelling for 1month rash for 3 days. O/E: pallor and B/L tender, swollen ankle and knee joints, and P/A: splenomegaly. Investigations showed-Hb%. 8 gms, neutrophilic leucocytosis with thrombocytosis, ESR:72 mm/1h, CRP elevated. ASO-titre, RA factor and Anti CCP antibodies are negative. Adult onset still’s disease is a heterogenous and rare systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology with lack of serological diagnostic modalities.

Enfermedad de Still del adulto asociada a neoplasia gástrica / Adult-onset Still's disease associated with gastric cancer

Resumen El diagnóstico de enfermedad de Still del adulto requiere la exclusión de cuadros infecciosos, tumorales y autoinmunes. Sin embargo, un proceso neoplásico poco expresivo clínicamente y en las pruebas complementarias puede pasar desapercibido al diagnóstico o comenzar con posterioridad, habiéndose descrito numerosos casos de enfermedad de Still asociada a tumores. Presentamos el caso de una paciente de 84 años con diagnóstico previo de enfermedad de Still del adulto, que desarrolló un tumor gástrico de evolución fatal 2 años después del diagnóstico del cuadro reumatológico.

Abstract The diagnosis of Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) requires the exclusion of infectious, malignant, and autoimmune diseases. However, a poorly symptomatic neoplastic process can easily be overlooked, or even onset later during the course of the disease. Therefore, numerous cases of Adult-onset Still's disease associated with malignancy have been reported. The case is reported of an 84-year old woman with previous diagnosis of AOSD who developed a gastric tumour with fatal outcome 2 years after the diagnosis of her rheumatic disease.

Successful treatment of refractory adult-onset still's disease with tocilizumab combined with methotre-xate:a retrospective study of 28 cases / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab combined with methotrexate (MTX) in the treatment of refractory adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), and to explore whether it is possible to reduce the dose of tocilizumab when disease is under control. Methods Twenty-eight patients with refractory AOSD received the treatment of tocilizumab (8 mg/kg, Intravenous infusion every 4 weeks, and reduced to 8 mg/kg every 8 weeks after 6 months of remission) combined with MTX (12.5 mg oral intake per week). The clinical efficacy, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin level and dose change of glucocorticoid (GC) were observed prior to treatment initiation and 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48 weeks after treatment. All adverse reactions were recorded. The Chi-square test and repetitive measure analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis. Results Compared with the baseline levels, our results showed that after 8-weeks of treatment with tocilizumab all patients had normal body temperature, while skin rash, joint swelling and pain disappeared. CRP [(125.4 ±48.3) mg/L, (6.1 ±2.5) mg/L vs (4.9 ±1.8) mg/L , F=77.034, P<0.01], ESR [(103±31) mm/1 h, (17±7) mm/1 h vs (16±4) mm/1 h, F=55.73, P<0.01], white blood cells count [(18.1± 5.3)×109/L, (8.2±2.9)×109/L vs (7.2±2.1)×109/L, F=24.71, P<0.01], neutrophils count [(16.7±4.9)×109/L, (6.1± 2.2)×109/L vs(4.9±2.3)×109/L, F=35.295, P<0.01], blood platelets [(312±83)×109/L, (199±40)×109/L vs (204± 47)×109/L, F=7.139, P<0.01], hemoglobin [(100±9) g/L, (116±9) g/L vs (277±102) g/L, F=9.852, P<0.01], ferritin level [(3542±1313) ng/ml, (2342±923) ng/ml vs (277±102) ng/ml), F=34.232, P<0.01] were improved significantly, clinical symptoms and laboratory tests continued to improve at week 12, 24, 36 and 48, the doseof prednisone was reduced from (71.4±20.7) mg/d to (55.0±11.1) mg/d (P<0.05) After 2 weeks, and the dosage was gradually reduced to 3.3±2.1 mg/d (P<0.05) at the end of 48 weeks. Five (17.9％) patients discontinued prednisone after 36 weeks, and 7 (25％) patients at week 48, no serious adverse events were found during the treatment. Conclusion Tocilizumab can rapidly and significantly improve clinical symptoms and laboratory tests of patients with refractory AOSD and it also can help with the reduction of GC dosage. In addition, the disease remains stable after the dose reduction of tombuzumab. The safety profile is good.