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1.
Front Immunol ; 14: 1148268, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2317599

ABSTRACT

Introduction: COVID-19 and autoinflammatory diseases, such as Adult-onset Still's Disease (AOSD), are characterized by hyperinflammation, in which it is observed massive production and uncontrolled secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs) family is one the most important processes counteracting hyperinflammation inducing tissue repair and homeostasis restoration. Among SPMs, Protectin D1 (PD1) is able to exert antiviral features, at least in animal models. The aim of this study was to compare the transcriptome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with AOSD and COVID-19 and to evaluate the role of PD1 on those diseases, especially in modulating macrophages polarization. Methods: This study enrolled patients with AOSD, COVID-19, and healthy donors HDs, undergoing clinical assessment and blood sample collection. Next-generation deep sequencing was performed to identify differences in PBMCs transcripts profiles. Plasma levels of PD1 were assessed by commercial ELISA kits. Monocyte-derived macrophages were polarized into M1 and M2 phenotypes. We analyzed the effect of PD1 on macrophages differentiation. At 10 days, macrophages were analyzed for surface expression of subtypes markers by flow cytometry. Cytokines production was measured in supernatants by Bio-Plex Assays. Results: In the transcriptomes from AOSD patients and COVID-19 patients, genes involved in inflammation, lipid catabolism, and monocytes activation were specifically dysregulated in AOSD and COVID-19 patients when compared to HDs. Patients affected by COVID-19, hospitalized in intensive care unit (ICU), showed higher levels of PD1 when compared to not-ICU hospitalized patients and HDs (ICU COVID-19 vs not-ICU COVID-19, p= 0.02; HDs vs ICU COVID-19, p= 0.0006). PD1 levels were increased in AOSD patients with SS ≥1 compared to patients with SS=0 (p=0.028) and HDs (p=0.048). In vitro treatment with PD1 of monocytes-derived macrophages from AOSD and COVID-19 patients induced a significant increase of M2 polarization vs control (p<0.05). Furthermore, a significant release of IL-10 and MIP-1ß from M2 macrophages was observed when compared to controls (p<0.05). Discussion: PD1 is able to induce pro-resolutory programs in both AOSD and COVID-19 increasing M2 polarization and inducing their activity. In particular, PD1-treated M2 macrophages from AOSD and COVID-19 patients increased the production of IL-10 and enhanced homeostatic restoration through MIP-1ß production.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Humans , Transcriptome , Interleukin-10/metabolism , Leukocytes, Mononuclear/metabolism , Chemokine CCL4/metabolism , COVID-19/metabolism , Cytokines/metabolism , Docosahexaenoic Acids/metabolism , Macrophages , Cell Differentiation/genetics
2.
Nat Rev Rheumatol ; 19(2): 61, 2023 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2301235
3.
Clin Exp Rheumatol ; 39(3): 631-638, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2266957

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the similarities and differences between Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and autoimmune and autoinflammatory rheumatic diseases characterised by hyperferritinaemia, such as antimelanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) autoantibody-positive dermatomyositis and adult Still's disease. METHODS: We reviewed consecutive, newly diagnosed, untreated patients with COVID-19, anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis, or adult Still's disease. We compared their clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics, including the prevalence of macrophage activation syndrome and lung involvement in each disease. RESULTS: The numbers of patients with COVID-19, anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis, and adult-onset Still's disease with hyperferritinaemia (serum ferritin ≥500ng/dL) who were included for main analysis were 22, 14, and 59, respectively. COVID-19 and adult Still's disease both featured hyperinflammatory status, such as high fever and elevated serum C-reactive protein, whereas COVID-19 and anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis both presented with severe interstitial lung disease and hypoxaemia. While two-thirds of the patients in each group met the criteria for macrophage-activated syndrome that is used in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, the HScore, an indicator of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, was low in anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis and COVID-19 even in severe or critical cases. The findings of chest computed tomography were similar between COVID-19 and anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 shared clinical features with rheumatic diseases characterised by hyperferritinaemia, including anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis and adult Still's disease. These findings should be investigated further in order to shed light on the pathogenesis of not only COVID-19 but also the aforementioned rheumatic diseases.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Dermatomyositis , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Adult , Autoantibodies , Humans , Interferon-Induced Helicase, IFIH1 , Prognosis , SARS-CoV-2 , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/complications , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/diagnosis
4.
Orphanet J Rare Dis ; 18(1): 50, 2023 03 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2261097

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a multi-system, auto-inflammatory disease characterized by fever, arthralgia, typical rash, leukocytosis, sore throat, and liver dysfunction, among other symptoms. Retrospective studies about the frequencies of AOSD have shown that this disease is very rare. However, there has been an increased scientific interest in the last 2 years, as numerous case studies on AOSD have been published. These case studies describe the occurrence of AOSD after SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination. METHODS: We analyzed the incidence of AOSD to examine a potential association between AOSD and SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination. The TriNetX dataset consists of 90 million patients. We found 8474 AOSD cases, which we analyzed regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccination status. We also analyzed the cohorts considering demographic data, lab values, co-diagnoses and treatment pathways. RESULTS: We divided the AOSD cases into four cohorts: primary cohort (AOSD), Cov cohort (AOSD + SARS-CoV-2 infection), Vac cohort (AOSD + COVID-19 vaccination) and Vac + Cov cohort (AOSD + COVID-19 vaccination + SARS-CoV-2 infection). For the primary cohort, we found an annual incidence of 0.35 per 100.000. We found an association between AOSD and SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination. According to the numerical analysis, the incidence of AOSD doubled for the Cov cohort and Vac cohort. Moreover, the incidence of AOSD was 4.82 times higher for Vac + Cov cohort. The lab values for inflammatory markers were increased. Co-diagnoses such as rash, sore throat, and fever appeared in all AOSD cohorts, with the highest occurrences in the AOSD + COVID-19 vaccination + SARS-CoV-2 infection cohort. We identified several lines of treatments, mainly in association with adrenal corticosteroids. CONCLUSIONS: This research supports the assumption of an association between AOSD and SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination. However, AOSD remains a rare disease and the usage of vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic should not be questioned because of the increased incidence of AOSD.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Adult , Humans , COVID-19/complications , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , Incidence , Retrospective Studies , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/chemically induced , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/diagnosis , Vaccination/adverse effects
6.
Autoimmun Rev ; 22(5): 103309, 2023 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2251880

ABSTRACT

A role for COVID19 in "hyperferritinemic syndromes" has been proposed based on its clinical and serological characteristics and its similarities with AOSD. To better understand the molecular pathways responsible of these similarities, we evaluated in the PBMCs of 4 active AOSD patients, 2 COVID19 patients with ARDS, and 2 HCs the expression of genes associated with iron metabolisms, with monocyte/macrophages activation, and finally with NETs formation.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Humans , Ferritins , COVID-19/genetics , COVID-19/complications , Macrophages , Receptors, Scavenger
7.
Joint Bone Spine ; 90(2): 105524, 2023 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2165494

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is an auto-inflammatory polygenic disorder, for which the diagnosis is essentially clinical. The exclusion of mimickers [such as common bacterial and viral infections, hematologic malignancies, and, more recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)] is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Anti-interleukin (IL)-1 therapy is considered a treatment milestone for AOSD. Herein, we present a short series of newly-diagnosed AOSD or upcoming macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) cases who received intravenous (IV) anakinra, an IL-1 receptor blocker. METHODS: Four patients with newly-diagnosed AOSD or upcoming MAS were treated with IV anakinra at the Rheumatology Unit of Padova University Hospital, Italy. We obtained informed consent from the patients for use of their cases and medical images for publication purposes. RESULTS: All patients presented with AOSD or MAS during the COVID-19 pandemic, making diagnosis challenging due to similar immunological and clinical characteristics across both pathologies. All patients presented with hyperpyrexia and elevated inflammatory markers; two patients had a skin rash typically seen in AOSD. IV anakinra slowed down AOSD progression in all patients, prevented severe outcomes and mitigated the risk of multiorgan failure. All cases improved within 24hours of anakinra administration. CONCLUSION: We found that administration of anakinra in patients with newly-diagnosed AOSD and/or upcoming MAS reduced hyperinflammation and prevented life-threatening complications. The IV route appears to be preferable in the hospital setting, where comorbidities such as coagulopathies and thrombocytopenia can complicate the use of other routes of administration.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Macrophage Activation Syndrome , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Adult , Humans , Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein/therapeutic use , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/complications , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/diagnosis , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/drug therapy , Macrophage Activation Syndrome/diagnosis , Macrophage Activation Syndrome/drug therapy , Macrophage Activation Syndrome/etiology , Cytokine Release Syndrome/etiology , Cytokine Release Syndrome/complications , Pandemics , COVID-19/complications , SARS-CoV-2
8.
J Autoimmun ; 134: 102980, 2023 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2159181

ABSTRACT

Cases of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) have been reported after COVID-19 vaccination. Here we provide a comprehensive description and analysis of all cases of AOSD reported in the literature and in pharmacovigilance databases through April 2022. Disproportionality analyses of pharmacovigilance data were performed in order to further explore the association between vaccination and AOSD. We included 159 patients, 144 from the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database and 15 from the literature. Detailed clinical characteristics were described for the cases from the literature and from the French pharmacovigilance database (n = 9). The cases of AOSD after COVID-19 vaccination concerned women in 52.2% of cases. The median age was 43.4 years. More than 80% of AOSD reports occurred during the first three weeks and concerned mostly the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. We identified 14.5% of disease flare with a median time-to-onset of AOSD flare-up significantly shorter than for the new onset form. More than 90% patients received steroids. Although all cases were considered serious and required hospitalization, most cases presented a favorable outcome (67.1%) with a good response to corticosteroid therapy with a mean time to recovery of 7.2 days. Disproportionality analyses suggested that AOSD was associated with COVID-19 vaccines as well as other vaccines. AOSD was nearly five times more frequently reported with COVID-19 vaccines than with all other drugs. Clinicians should be informed about the potential risk of AOSD onset or flare following COVID vaccines and the importance of its early detection to optimize its management.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Adult , Female , Humans , BNT162 Vaccine , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/diagnosis , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/drug therapy , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/epidemiology , Vaccination/adverse effects
9.
Int J Mol Sci ; 23(21)2022 Oct 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2118692

ABSTRACT

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder with an unknown cause characterized by high-spiking fever, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, hyperferritinemia, and leukocytosis. The clinical course can be divided into three significant patterns, each with a different prognosis: Self-limited or monophasic, intermittent or polycyclic systemic, and chronic articular. Two criteria sets have been validated. The Yamaguchi criteria are the most generally used, although the Fautrel criteria offer the benefit of adding ferritin and glycosylated ferritin values. AOSD's pathogenesis is not yet completely understood. Chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-18, play a crucial role in the progression of illness, resulting in the development of innovative targeted therapeutics. There are no treatment guidelines for AOSD due to its rarity, absence of controlled research, and lack of a standard definition for remission and therapy objectives. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids (CS), and conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) are used in AOSD treatment. Biological therapy, including IL-1, IL-6, IL-18, and IL-17 inhibitors, as well as TNFα or Janus-kinases (JAKs) inhibitors, is administered to patients who do not react to CS and csDMARDs or achieve an inadequate response.


Subject(s)
Antirheumatic Agents , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Adult , Humans , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/diagnosis , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/drug therapy , Interleukin-18 , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/therapeutic use , Interleukin-6 , Antirheumatic Agents/therapeutic use , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use , Interleukin-1/therapeutic use
10.
Front Immunol ; 13: 953730, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2065508

ABSTRACT

Adult onset Still disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by skin rash, spiking fever, arthritis, sore throat, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. Although the etiology of this disease has not been fully clarified, both innate and acquired immune responses could contribute to its pathogenesis. Hyperactivation of macrophages and neutrophils along with low activation of natural killer (NK) cells in innate immunity, as well as hyperactivation of Th1 and Th17 cells, whereas low activation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in acquired immunity are involved in the pathogenic process of AOSD. In innate immunity, activation of monocytes/macrophages might play central roles in the development of AOSD and macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), a severe life-threating complication of AOSD. Regarding the activation mechanisms of monocytes/macrophages in AOSD, in addition to type II interferon (IFN) stimulation, several pathways have recently been identified, such as the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)-pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) axis, and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)-DNA. These stimulations on monocytes/macrophages cause activation of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain (NLRP) 3 inflammasomes, which trigger capase-1 activation, resulting in conversion of pro-IL-1ß and pro-IL-18 into mature forms. Thereafter, IL-1ß and IL-18 produced by activated monocytes/macrophages contribute to various clinical features in AOSD. We identified placenta-specific 8 (PLAC8) as a specifically increased molecule in monocytes of active AOSD, which correlated with serum levels of CRP, ferritin, IL-1ß, and IL-18. Interestingly, PLAC8 could suppress the synthesis of pro-IL-1ß and pro-IL-18 via enhanced autophagy; thus, PLAC8 seems to be a regulatory molecule in AOSD. These findings for the activation mechanisms of monocytes/macrophages could shed light on the pathogenesis and development of a novel therapeutic strategy for AOSD.


Subject(s)
Macrophage Activation Syndrome , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Humans , Interleukin-18/metabolism , Macrophage Activation Syndrome/etiology , Macrophage Activation Syndrome/metabolism , Macrophages , Monocytes/metabolism , Proteins/metabolism
11.
Medicine (Baltimore) ; 101(40): e30953, 2022 Oct 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2063076

ABSTRACT

RATIONALE: Adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) is a systemic autoinflammatory illness of unknown cause. Its manifestations comprise fever; arthritis or arthralgia; and skin rash with high inflammatory markers and ferritin levels. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shares several clinical features and laboratory markers of AOSD: making it challenging to differentiate between the 2 conditions. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 29-year-old woman presented with fever, skin rash, and polyarthritis 4 weeks before admission. Two weeks after illness onset, she had an infection with symptoms similar to those of COVID-19. She observed that her symptoms worsened, and new symptoms appeared including headache; vomiting; diarrhea; and loss of taste and smell. The patient tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 using polymerase chain reaction. DIAGNOSIS: The patient was diagnosed with AOSD complicated with COVID-19 after exclusion of other possible causes of her illness, such as infections, malignancy, or underlying rheumatological disease. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was administered corticosteroids and methotrexate. The patient responded quickly, particularly to corticosteroids. OUTCOMES: This is the second reported case of COVID-19 in a patient with AOSD. She experienced COVID-19 shortly after having AOSD, indicating that those with AOSD might have a higher risk of COVID-19 infection. Furthermore, she developed the most prevalent COVID-19 symptoms. However, distinguishing most of these symptoms from AOSD manifestations was difficult. LESSONS: Early diagnosis and differentiation between AOSD and COVID-19 and prompt initiation of treatment are required.


Subject(s)
Arthritis , COVID-19 , Exanthema , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use , Adult , Arthritis/diagnosis , Biomarkers , COVID-19/complications , COVID-19/diagnosis , Exanthema/drug therapy , Female , Ferritins , Fever/etiology , Humans , Methotrexate/therapeutic use , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/complications , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/diagnosis , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/drug therapy
12.
BMJ Case Rep ; 15(8)2022 Aug 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2019947

ABSTRACT

A woman in her 60s with a history of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) in remission for 14 years received the ChAdOx1-S vaccine as a booster to her initial vaccination schedule (two doses of CoronaVac vaccine 6 months apart). Two weeks later, she consulted for symptoms suggestive of AOSD reactivation. This was confirmed during hospitalisation, where renal and cardiac involvement were also observed. Despite using high-dose corticosteroids, troponin T and N-terminal pro hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were persistently elevated. Tocilizumab was used, with which the patient achieved complete remission of her symptoms and normalised her laboratory tests.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/adverse effects , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Adrenal Cortex Hormones , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Remission Induction
13.
Sci Rep ; 12(1): 10240, 2022 06 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1921703

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the role of Toll-like receptor 1 (TLR1), TLR2, TLR4, TLR7, and TLR9 in patients with adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD). This study included 20 patients with AOSD and 15 healthy controls (HCs). TLR expression in the peripheral blood was quantified using flow cytometry; TLR expression pattern, in the skin lesions and lymph nodes (LNs) of patients with AOSD, was evaluated immunohistochemically. Significantly higher mean intensities of cells presenting TLR2 and TLR7 from whole blood were observed in patients with AOSD than in HCs. TLR2 expression in whole cells correlated with systemic scores, levels of lactate dehydrogenase and ferritin and serum levels of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, and IL-18. The percentage of TLR2-positive inflammatory cells was higher in skin biopsy samples from patients with AOSD than those in HCs. TLR9-expressing positive inflammatory cell counts were higher in skin lesions from patients with AOSD than those in the HC, eczema, and psoriasis groups. The expression levels of TLR1, TLR4, TLR7, and TLR9 were higher in LNs of patients with AOSD than in those with T cell lymphoma and reactive lymphadenopathy. Circulating TLR2- and TLR7-positive cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of AOSD. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining for TLRs in skin lesions and LNs may aid in differentiating AOSD from similar conditions.


Subject(s)
Skin Diseases , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Toll-Like Receptor 2 , Adult , Biomarkers , Humans , Skin Diseases/genetics , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/genetics , Toll-Like Receptor 2/genetics , Toll-Like Receptors
14.
Autoimmun Rev ; 21(7): 103114, 2022 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1859332

ABSTRACT

From the introduction of hyperferritinemic syndrome concept, a growing body of evidence has suggested the role of ferritin as a pathogenic mediator and a relevant clinical feature in the management of patients with inflammatory diseases. From a pathogenic point of view, ferritin may directly stimulate the aberrant immune response by triggering the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in inducing a vicious pathogenic loop and contributing to the occurrence of cytokine storm syndrome. The latter has been recently defined as a clinical picture characterised by elevated circulating cytokine levels, acute systemic inflammatory symptoms, and secondary organ dysfunction beyond that which could be attributed to a normal response to a pathogen It is noteworthy that the occurrence of hyperferritinemia may be correlated with the development of the cytokine storm syndrome in the context of an inflammatory disease. In addition to adult onset Still's disease, macrophage activation syndrome, catastrophic anti-phospholipids syndrome, and septic shock, recent evidence has suggested this association between ferritin and life-threatening evolution in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, with anti-MDA5 antibodies in the context of poly-dermatomyositis, with severe COVID-19, and with multisystem inflammatory syndrome. The possible underlying common inflammatory mechanisms, associated with hyperferritinemia, may led to the similar clinical picture observed in these patients. Furthermore, similar therapeutic strategies could be suggested inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines and improving long-term outcomes in these disorders. Thus, it could be possible to expand the spectrum of the hyperferritinemic syndrome to those diseases burdened by a dreadful clinical picture correlated with hyperferritinemia and the occurrence of the cytokine storm syndrome. In addition, the assessment of ferritin may provide useful information to the physicians in clinical practice to manage these patients. Therefore, ferritin may be considered a relevant clinical feature to be used as biomarker in dissecting the unmet needs in the management of these disorders. Novel evidence may thus support an expansion of the spectrum of the hyperferritinemic syndrome to these diseases burdened by a life-threatening clinical picture correlated with hyperferritinemia and the occurrence of the cytokine storm syndrome.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Hyperferritinemia , Macrophage Activation Syndrome , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Adult , COVID-19/complications , Cytokine Release Syndrome/therapy , Cytokines , Ferritins , Humans , Hyperferritinemia/therapy , Macrophage Activation Syndrome/complications , Macrophage Activation Syndrome/diagnosis , Macrophage Activation Syndrome/therapy , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/complications , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/diagnosis , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/therapy
17.
Clin Rheumatol ; 41(5): 1591-1596, 2022 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1729320

ABSTRACT

We report the case of an 18-year-old male with Still's disease for the last 3 years, in remission, who developed two flares of his disease after receiving two doses of the ChAdOX1 nCoV-19 vaccine. While the first flare was mild requiring steroid initiation and resolved rapidly, the second flare after the second dose was much severe, requiring pulse steroid and tocilizumab. We also review three reported cases of flares of Still's disease after COVID-19 vaccination. The temporal association of the flares with both vaccine doses strengthens the association between the vaccine administration and the flare. The proposed mechanism may be due to activation of the innate immune system by the vaccine adjuvants. This review serves to inform the medical community regarding a possible role of the vaccine in producing a systemic inflammatory response. Early detection and treatment can help reduce morbidity in these cases.


Subject(s)
Arthritis, Juvenile , COVID-19 , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Adolescent , Arthritis, Juvenile/drug therapy , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 , Humans , Male , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/complications
18.
J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci ; 1194: 123184, 2022 Apr 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1701949

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Ferritin is the major iron-storage glycoprotein found in all tissues. Ferritin glycosylation can be assessed by the differential affinities of ferritin glycoforms for Concanavalin A (ConA), a lectin. The fraction of serum ferritin bound to ConA is called "glycosylated ferritin" (GF). Low GF reflects macrophagic activation and is an essential biomarker used in adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) and Gaucher disease diagnosis and therapeutic management. To date, no complete assay description and method validation according to the ISO 15189 standard has been published. This study aimed to describe and validate our method used for GF measurement and describe GF values observed in patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ferritin glycoforms were separated based on their affinities for ConA using commercially available TRIS-barbital buffer, Sepharose and ConA/Sepharose 4B gels. Ferritin concentrations were measured on the Siemens Dimension Vista 1500®. We analysed 16,843 GF values obtained between 2000 and 2021 from our database of patients. RESULTS: Optimal separation of ferritin glycoforms was obtained by 15-min incubation of serum with ConA/Sepharose at pH 8. The optimized volume were 0.4 mL for total serum ferritin (TSF) 30-1000 µg/L and 0.5 mL for TSF 1000-2500 µg/L. Serum with higher TSF should be pre-diluted in the TRIS-barbital buffer. Reproducibility of ferritin measurement in the TRIS-barbital buffer matrix was excellent (intra-assay CV < 1%; inter-assay CV < 4%). Reproducibility of GF assay was good (intra-assay CV < 10% for low and high ferritin samples, respectively; and inter-assay CV < 10%). Inter-operator variability was 21.6% for GF < 20%. Ferritin was stable for up to 3 days in the TRIS-barbital buffer. An inter-laboratory exchange program conducted with another French hospital showed good agreement between results. In our database, <20% GF levels were scarce, compatible with the low prevalence of Still's disease, MAS, and Gaucher disease. The 95% confidence interval for GF was [26-58]%, lower than values described in the literature for healthy individuals. CONCLUSION: Thanks to good performances, this technique can become readily available for laboratories servicing patients with AOSD, MAS (including severe COVID-19 patients) and Gaucher disease patients.


Subject(s)
Chemistry Techniques, Analytical/methods , Concanavalin A/metabolism , Ferritins/blood , Macrophage Activation Syndrome/blood , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/blood , Biomarkers/blood , Biomarkers/metabolism , Ferritins/metabolism , Gaucher Disease/blood , Gaucher Disease/metabolism , Humans , Macrophage Activation Syndrome/metabolism , Protein Binding , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/metabolism
19.
Clin Rheumatol ; 41(5): 1583-1589, 2022 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1704897

ABSTRACT

The upheaval caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has allowed to large population to use new vaccines urgently. Although vaccine development programs and available epidemiological data reassure us, there are concerns about specific risks associated with vaccinations in patients with autoimmune-autoinflammatory diseases. These patients have the potential to decrease humoral and cellular immune responses caused by biologic agents and develop an acute flare of underlying disease following vaccination. We herein present a rare case of a 49-year-old female with a flare of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) after the first dose of BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. She had been diagnosed with AOSD 7 years earlier and had achieved remission with tocilizumab. This patient came to the emergency room with fever and nausea that occurred 4 days after the first vaccination. Based on laboratory results and clinical manifestations, we suspected AOSD flare and was treated with steroid pulse therapy. In this report, we also discuss possible mechanisms linking vaccination with a flare of AOSD. Considering the close time relationship between COVID-19 vaccinations and a flare of AOSD, physicians should be aware of adverse events from this new vaccination and evaluate the benefits and risks of vaccination for each patient. KEY POINTS: • COVID-19 vaccination may cause an AOSD flare in patients who are in remission with tocilizumab.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset , Adult , BNT162 Vaccine , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , RNA, Messenger , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/complications , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/etiology , Vaccination/adverse effects
20.
Exp Biol Med (Maywood) ; 247(4): 338-344, 2022 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1649460

ABSTRACT

The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic diffused worldwide has encouraged the rapid development of vaccines to counter the spread of the virus. At present in Italy, 75.01% of the population completed the vaccination course (AIFA.gov.it) and very few adverse events have been recorded by now. Side-effects related to a theoretical over-reaction of the immune system in response to vaccines administration have been described, and the possibility that an autoimmune or a hyperinflammatory condition may occur was recently observed. Herein, we report four cases of hyperinflammatory syndrome with features indicative of Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), occurred after anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine injection and seen at our Unit between March and May 2021. Since interleukin (IL)-1 is one of the pivotal cytokines involved in AOSD pathogenesis, the inhibition of IL-1 is crucial in ameliorating the clinical symptoms of those patients. Moreover, it has been highlighted the central role of IL-1 as a hallmark of the hyperinflammatory status elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this case series, we successfully employed the IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra to curb the cytokine release likely unleashed by the vaccine stimulation in potentially predisposed subjects. We also made a literature search to detect other patients with hyperinflammation temporally related to vaccines injection who benefited from IL-1 inhibition, while other AOSD/MAS-like described syndromes improved with other immunomodulatory strategies.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , Inflammation/chemically induced , Inflammation/drug therapy , Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein/therapeutic use , mRNA Vaccines/adverse effects , BNT162 Vaccine/adverse effects , ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Interleukin-1/immunology , Interleukin-1/metabolism , Male , Middle Aged , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/chemically induced , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/etiology , Vaccines, DNA/adverse effects
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