[A non frequent cause of kidney disease]. / Le cas clinique du mois. Une cause peu fréquente d'insuffisance rénale chronique.

The EDTA (European Dialysis and Transplantation Association) statistic data on kidney diseases in ageing population point out vascular and/or metabolic origins. We report here a case of a rare cause of renal insufficiency, a Gougerot-Sjögren primary syndrome, diagnosed in an old patient. Renal and salivary gland biopsies were performed. The invasive investigation allowed an accurate diagnosis and an etiologic treatment.

Extensive ulcerative colitis and extraintestinal manifestations in a patient with HIV infection and significant CD4 T-cell lymphopenia.

We report a heterosexual patient with HIV infection and a CD4 T-cell count of 0.45 x 10(9)/L who developed mild ulcerative proctitis, sacroileitis and oligoarthiritis. While he was treated with 5-aminosalicylic enemas, the patient rapidly developed severe pancolitis. An emergency colectomy without procetectomy was performed. A few months later, he suffered recurrence of ulcerative proctitis, aggravation of arthritic pain and developed anterior uveitis. All symptoms disappeared after proctectomy. There was no evidence for opportunistic infection or Kaposi's sarcoma. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies were positive and the HLA-B27 antigen was present. CD4 counts were lower during the phases of active disease than during remission. This case demonstrates that severe ulcerative colitis can occur in the presence of moderate T-cell defects. In view of a recent report of remission of Crohn's disease under comparable circumstances, it is possible that the extent of T-cell involvement in both diseases is radically different.

Microspherophakia-metaphyseal dysplasia: a 'new' dominantly inherited bone dysplasia with severe eye involvement.

We report a father and son affected by a hitherto unpublished bone dysplasia with moderately severe dwarfism. On initial radiographs, thickening of the diaphyses of the long bones was striking. The small bones of the extremities were almost unaffected. With age, the metaphyseal deformation became more prominent. The epiphyses became irregular and their growth was delayed (particularly the femoral heads). The femoral neck showed an unusual 'lip' on the inner edge. Later, the stubby appearance of the long bones faded and, in adulthood, only enlarged metaphyses and deformed femoral necks persisted. The vertebrae showed moderate deformation with irregular flattening, and narrowing of the spinal canal with a shortened interpedicular distance. The eye defects consisted of high grade myopia, microspherophakia, lens coloboma, lens luxation, and retinal detachment. The name 'microspherophakia-metaphyseal dysplasia' is suggested for this probably autosomal dominant bone dysplasia.