ABSTRACT
The parasite Toxoplasma gondii mainly encysts in brain, retina, myocardium, and skeletal muscle. It has been implicated in the genesis of inflammatory myopathies for years, but the parasite usually cannot be detected in the muscle. It is established, however, that toxoplasmosis can cause myositis either by recent infection or by reactivation. The case of a non-HIV patient who developed an acute polymyositis upon infection by T. gondii is reported. We suggest that all patients with polymyositis should have serological tests for toxoplasmosis as a part of their initial evaluation and early trial of antiprotozoal therapy in case of positive findings.
Subject(s)
Chorioretinitis/etiology , Immunocompetence , Polymyositis/etiology , Toxoplasma/isolation & purification , Toxoplasmosis/complications , Adult , Animals , Chorioretinitis/diagnosis , Chorioretinitis/drug therapy , Diagnosis, Differential , Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Polymyositis/diagnosis , Polymyositis/drug therapy , Prednisolone/therapeutic use , Toxoplasma/immunology , Toxoplasmosis/drug therapy , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Hypoparathyroidism is a rare disease. The main cause of hypoparathyroidism is postsurgical hypoparathyroidism. However, cases of hypoparathyroidism in patients suffering from SLE exist although it is uncommon. Only three previous cases have been reported. We present the case of a woman suffering both from systemic lupus erythematosus and hypoparathyroidism. This reported association of hypoparathyroidism with lupus expands the spectrum of endocrine disorders seen in this disease. We suggest that there may be a common underlying pathophysiological process linking these diseases.
