Repeated Panniculitis Induced by Pegylated Interferon Alpha 2a in a Patient with Chronic Hepatitis C / 대한소화기학회지

Pegylated interferon alpha (PEG-IFN-α) is widely used to treat chronic hepatitis C in combination with ribavirin. Many adverse effects of PEG-IFN-α, such as hematologic, psychologic, dermatologic, immunologic, and other abnormalities, have been reported, and some serious adverse events lead to PEG-IFN-α treatment discontinuation. For very rare adverse events such as panniculitis, there are no established guidelines on whether to continue PEG-IFN-α treatment. Published reports on panniculitis induced by PEG-IFN-α 2a are sparse. Herein we report a case of repeated occurrences of panniculitis in a patient with chronic hepatitis C, leading to treatment cessation.

The effects of secondhand smoke on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in nonsmoking Korean adults

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Smoking is widely acknowledged as the single most important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the risk of COPD in nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the association of secondhand smoke exposure with COPD prevalence in nonsmokers who reported never smoking. METHODS: This study was based on data obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) conducted from 2008 to 2010. Using nationwide stratified random sampling, 8,596 participants aged > or = 40 years of age with available spirometry results were recruited. After selecting participants who never smoked, the duration of exposure to secondhand smoke was assessed based on the KNHANES questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of COPD was 6.67% in participants who never smoked. We divided the participants who had never smoked into those with or without exposure to secondhand smoke. The group exposed to secondhand smoke was younger with less history of asthma and tuberculosis, higher income, and higher educational status. Multivariate logistic regression analysis determined that secondhand smoke did not increase the prevalence of COPD. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of COPD between participants who had never smoked with or without exposure to secondhand smoke in our study. Thus, secondhand smoke may not be an important risk factor for the development of COPD in patients who have never smoked.

Incidence and Risk Factors of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy after Bronchial Arteriography or Bronchial Artery Embolization / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: In uncontrolled hemoptysis patient, bronchial arteriography and bronchial artery embolization (BAE) is a important procedure in diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study is to assess the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy and the risk factors of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after bronchial arteriography and BAE. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the patients who underwent bronchial arteriography and BAE in two university hospitals from January 2003 to December 2011. CIN was defined as rise of serum creatinine more than 25% of baseline value or 0.5 mg/dL at between 48 hours and 96 hours after bronchial arteriography and BAE. We excluded patients who already had severe renal insufficiency (serum creatinine> or =4.0) or had been receiving dialysis. RESULTS: Of the total 100 screened patients, 88 patients met the enrollment criteria. CIN developed in 7 patients (8.0%). The mean duration between the exposure and development of CIN was 2.35+/-0.81 days. By using multivariate analysis, serum albumin level was found to be significantly associated with the development of CIN (p=0.0219). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the incidence of CIN was higher than expected and patients with hypoalbuminemia should be monitored more carefully to prevent the development of CIN after bronchial arteriography and BAE.

A Case of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Manifesting First as Mesenteric Vasculitis

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem inflammatory disease that manifests various symptoms. Mesenteric vasculitis (MV) is one of the serious complications of SLE and carries a high mortality rate. Although MV is the main cause for acute abdominal pain in patients with SLE, it is very rare for the pain to be the first clinical manifestation of the disease. A 34-year old female presented with sudden onset abdominal pain accompanied by small intestinal bowel edema observed on abdominal computed tomography. We performed a diagnostic laparoscopy, as vital signs were becoming unstable and the diffuse abdominal tenderness was worsening rapidly. The examination showed a severe jejunal infarction; thus, the patient underwent a small bowel segmental resection. A histological examination revealed multiple, hemorrhagic, small-vessel vasculitis, and later serologic autoimmune markers were consistent with SLE. We suggest that SLE be considered in the differential diagnosis of young females presenting with an acute abdomen and unexplained enteropathy. A surgical approach such as exploratory laparoscopy could be an option in search for the cause.

A Case of Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Tarda (SEDT) Misdiagnosed as Ankylosing Spondylitis

The spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda (SEDT) is a hereditary arthropathy that progressively leads to deformities of small and large joints, irregularities of the end plates of vertebral bodies, which causes joint restriction, short stature, and gait difficulties. The typical radiographic findings of SEDT are generalized platyspondyly and dysplasia of the epiphyses, resulting in premature arthrosis. Clinically SEDT is manifested as a form of short-trunk dwarfism and early arthrosis in the period from late childhood to adolescence. The major clinical importance of this rare disease is similarity to juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), which has a rather different prognosis and treatment. A few cases of SEDT have been published. However, no cases have been reported in South Korea. We describe the case of a 29-year old man who suffered from back and multiple joint pain, who was misdiagnosed as having ankylosing spondylitis. We evaluated the patient clinically and radiographically in greater detail, and changed his diagnosis to SED tarda.

A Case of Small Cell Lung Cancer Coexisting with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia / 결핵및호흡기질환

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common type of leukemia occurring in Western nations. In CLL it is well known that the risk of a secondary malignancy is higher than in the normal population. But in Korea, CLL is a rare type of leukemia, so there have been only a few reported cases with a secondary malignancy. CLL is characterized by progressive defects in both cell-mediated and humoral immunity. It is known that defects in the immune system of patients with CLL contribute to the development of a secondary malignancy. We experienced a case of a 71-year-old man who suffered from a chronic cough and was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer coexisting with CLL. Until this case, there was no reported case in Korea of small cell lung cancer coexisting with CLL. We now report a case of small cell lung cancer coexisting with CLL and present a literature review.

Sarcoidosis Induced by Adalimumab in Rheumatoid Arthritis / 결핵및호흡기질환

Adalimumab is a full human monoclonal antibody that inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). This has recently been shown to be effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis, and other conditions. Sacoidosis is known to be the target for adalimumab but we describe a patient who has developed sarcoidosis with lung involvement during adalimumab therapy for RA. A 48-year-old woman, who was treated with adalimumab for 5 months, was admitted because of chronic cough and both hilar lymphadenopathy on chest radiography. Chest computed tomography revealed the enlargement of multiple lymph nodes in the right supraclavicular, subcarinal, both hilar and right axillary area. She was diagnosed with sarcoidosis based on the biopsy of supraclavicular lymph node, skin and lung through video-associated thoracoscopic surgery, which was non-caseating epitheloid cell granuloma and excluded from a similar disease. She was treated for sarcoidosis with prednisolone and methotrexate instead of adalimumab.