ABSTRACT
Our objective was to study the presence of microchimerism in a series of 47 female Spanish patients with scleroderma (SSc) and to compare with a control group. Polymerase chain reaction was used to identify Y-chromosome sequences in DNA extracted from peripheral blood cells. Y-chromosome sequences were found in DNA from peripheral blood cells in four out of 47 (8.5%) patients with scleroderma (two limited and two diffuse) and in two out of 40 (5%) healthy women (no statistical differences were found). When we compared SSc patients and healthy controls who had had at least one male child, four out of 29 (13.7%) and two out of 26 (7.6%) had microchimerism respectively (no statistically significant differences were found). Patients with both scleroderma and persistent microchimerism had had a male offspring. Foetal microchimerism does not seem to play a major role in most cases of female Spanish patients with SSc.
Subject(s)
Chimera , Maternal-Fetal Exchange , Pregnancy Complications/epidemiology , Scleroderma, Systemic/epidemiology , Scleroderma, Systemic/genetics , Adult , Chromosomes, Human, Y , Female , Humans , Incidence , Leukocytes, Mononuclear , Male , Middle Aged , Pregnancy , SpainSubject(s)
Dermatomyositis/complications , Graves Disease/complications , Antithyroid Agents/therapeutic use , Atenolol/therapeutic use , Dermatologic Agents/therapeutic use , Dermatomyositis/drug therapy , Dermatomyositis/pathology , Drug Therapy, Combination , Female , Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use , Graves Disease/drug therapy , Graves Disease/pathology , Humans , Hydroxychloroquine/therapeutic use , Methimazole/therapeutic use , Middle Aged , Thyroid Function TestsSubject(s)
Mosaicism/genetics , Sjogren's Syndrome/genetics , Y Chromosome/genetics , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Polymerase Chain Reaction , PregnancyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To analyze the clinical and immunological characteristics of a series of 114 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS), and to evaluate the different diagnostic criteria and the association to lymphoproliferative disorders. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We included 114 patients (108 female and 6 male) with a diagnosis of PSS. All patients fulfilled the 1993 European Community criteria for the diagnosis of PSS and 76 patients fulfilled the San Diego Criteria. RESULTS: Mean age was 51 years with a mean follow-up of 7.3 years. The commonest clinical manifestation at onset (70%) was xerostomia/xerophtalmia (sicca syndrome). Extra glandular involvement was articular in 42% of cases, neurologic (35%), respiratory (21%) and hepatic (13%). Eleven patients (9%) developed vasculitis, and three (2%) developed a lympho-proliferative disorder. No statistically significant differences regarding symptoms at onset, frequency of glandular or extra glandular manifestations and severity of disease were observed between the two diagnostic criteria groups. HCV infection was associated with vasculitis (p < 0.001; OR: 20.6; CI 95%, 3.2-129) and lymphoproliferative disorders (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical evolution of PSS does not vary when using different diagnostic criteria (San Diego and European Community criteria). A subset of patients with vasculitis and lymphoproliferative diseases is found to have an associated HCV infection.
Subject(s)
Sjogren's Syndrome/diagnosis , Sjogren's Syndrome/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sjogren's Syndrome/complicationsSubject(s)
Amyloidosis/diagnosis , Exophthalmos/etiology , Orbital Diseases/diagnosis , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Amyloidosis/pathology , Amyloidosis/surgery , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Orbit/pathology , Orbital Diseases/pathology , Orbital Diseases/surgery , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
No disponible
Subject(s)
Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Orbital Diseases , Diagnosis, Differential , Amyloidosis , Exophthalmos , OrbitABSTRACT
Polymyositis and dermatomyositis are idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Respiratory complications are a common feature, but ventilatory insufficiency is rare in these patients. We describe here three patients diagnosed with inflammatory myopathy (polymyositis) with respiratory failure due to muscle weakness who did not respond to immunosuppressive therapy. Mechanical ventilation at home with nasal or tracheal intermittent positive pressure resulted in improved chronic hypoventilation. This treatment improves the quality of life of patients with inflammatory myopathies and can be lifesaving in some cases.
