Implementación de una unidad de artritis reumatoide temprana en pacientes chilenos derivados desde centros de atención primaria de salud / Implementation of an early rheumatoid athritis unit for the early recognition and treatment of the disease

Background: Early recognition of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) provides clinical benefits in terms of remission induction, reduced disease progression, and eventually treatment free remission. Aim: To describe the setting of a Unit devoted exclusively to the recognition and treatment of early RA in patients referred from primary healthcare centers (PHC) in Chile. Materials and Methods: Patients were referred from nine participating PHC from 2014 through 2016. PHC physicians received a formal training to enhance criteria recognition and program adherence. Mandatory referral criteria were an age above 17 years, and arthralgia of less than 1-year duration, plus at least one of the following: morning stiffness of more than 30 minutes, swelling involving more than 3 joints for more than 1 month, a positive squeeze test or abnormal inflammatory serum markers. Results: One hundred twenty patients aged 45 ± 12 years (90% women) were assessed at the early rheumatoid arthritis unit. Median time to referral from PHC to the Unit was 14.6 days. The median duration of symptoms for the overall sample of patients was 10.8 months. RA was identified in 43 patients (36%), with a delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis of 8.3 months. Regarding the performance of referral criteria, the most sensitive was morning stiffness (80%, sensitivity 95% confidence intervals (CI) 64-89%) and synovitis was the most specific (specificity 83%, 95% CI 72-90%). The positive predictive value of the three clinical criteria altogether was 68.1% (95% CI 47-83%). Conclusions: Institution of an early RA unit was feasible within the Chilean healthcare system enabling the identification of early RA in one-third of patients.

Osteoma cutis, a propósito de un caso / Osteoma cutis, about a case

El osteoma cutis (OC) es una lesión compuesta de tejido óseo en dermis y/o hipodermis. Se clasifican en primarios, cuando se desarrollan en piel sana, y secundarios, cuando aparecen sobre lesiones preexistentes. Mujer de 61 años con antecedente de linfoma de Hodgkin en remisión, presentó una lesión de larga data, desarrollada en piel sana, en primer dedo de la mano izquierda, que cursaba con brotes recurrentes y autolimitados de dolor y aumento de temperatura local. La exploración física mostró un nódulo pétreo, con úlcera de fondo calcáreo. El estudio histopatológico de la biopsia escisional reveló tejido óseo, sin otras lesiones cutáneas asociadas. El estudio complementario, incluyendo hemograma, función renal y hepática, calcio y fósforo séricos, PTH, TSH, vitamina D y calciuria fue normal. Descartándose alteraciones en el metabolismo calcio-fosforo y otras lesiones cutáneas preexistentes, se realizó el diagnostico de OC primario en forma de placa. El OC es una lesión benigna, pudiendo ser primario o secundario. Los secundarios representan cerca del 85% y se originan por la osificación de lesiones preexistentes tumorales o inflamatorias. Los OC primarios se presentan aislados o formando parte de síndromes como la fibrodisplasia osificante progresiva, la osteodistrofia hereditaria de Albright y la heteroplasia osificante progresiva. A pesar de la asociación a mutaciones en GNAS de OC y estos síndromes, el diagnóstico de ambos es fundamentalmente clínico. Los OC primarios sin síndrome asociado, se dividen en osteomas miliares de la cara y osteomas en forma de placa (plate-like OC), como este caso. Ante un OC primario, debemos descartar síndromes asociados a osificaciones heterotópicas.

Osteoma cutis (OC) is a lesion composed of bone tissue located in the dermis and/or hypodermis. It is classified as primary when it develops over healthy skin; and secondary when it develops over preexisting lesions. A 61-year-old woman with history of Hodgkin lymphoma in remission, presents a longstanding lesion located on the first finger of her left hand which developed over healthy skin, associated with recurrent and self-limited episodes of pain and increased local temperature. Physical examination reveals a stone-hard nodule, with a calcareous-bottomed ulcer. The histopathological evaluation of the excisional biopsy revealed bone tissue. Complementary studies included: complete blood count, renal and hepatic function, plasma calcium and phosphorus, PTH, TSH, vitamin D, and urinary calcium, all of them in normal ranges. Once systemic disease was ruled out, platelike OC was diagnosed. OC is a benign lesion which can be primary or secondary. Secondary OC represent nearly 85% of cases, and it corresponds to an ossification of preexisting tumoral or inflammatory lesions. Primary OC is less frequent, it appears isolated or as part of syndromes like fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, Albright hereditary osteodystrophy, and progressive osseous heteroplasia. GNAS mutations have been described in primary OC as in these syndromes, but the final diagnosis relies on the clinical picture. Isolated primary OC is classified in milliary osteomas of the face and plate-like OC, like our case. When facing primary OC, syndromes that present with heterotopic ossification must be ruled out.