ABSTRACT
Here, we describe the case of a 74-year-old man who was incidentally found to have a hepatic lesion during routine screening. Additional diagnostic studies demonstrated elevated IgG4 levels, IgG4 plasma cell-predominant lymphadenopathy and an inflammatory retroperitoneal mass encasing the bilateral ureters and the aorta. Given the concurrence of a lymphomatous process and IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), a multidisciplinary approach was required to determine whether targeting the lymphoma or IgG4-RD would be most efficacious. Discussions led to the decision to target treatment against IgG4-RD with systemic glucocorticoids, and subsequent imaging showed resolution of all lesions. To date, the patient remains symptom-free and has not experienced recurrence of his disease. This case highlights the importance of multidisciplinary care and the challenge inherent in targeting treatment between IgG4-RD and a concomitant lymphomatous process.
Subject(s)
Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease , Lymphadenopathy , Lymphoma , Aged , Humans , Immunoglobulin G , Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease/complications , Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease/diagnosis , Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease/drug therapy , Lymphadenopathy/diagnosis , Lymphoma/diagnosis , Male , Neoplasm Recurrence, LocalABSTRACT
This study describes the physical, psychological and social context of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain from the male veterans. A qualitative, descriptive design was employed using a purposive sampling to ensure representation of male veterans. Interviews were conducted with 12 male veterans of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. Socio-demographic characteristics, clinical profiles and descriptors of rheumatoid pain experienced by male veterans' since their diagnoses were gathered. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Grounded Theory analysis techniques were used to identify concepts related to living with RA Pain. Six concepts related to RA pain adaptation emerged. Three concepts were associated with movement (keep moving, consequences of not moving, staying physically active) and three were related to emotion (thinking positive thoughts, doing jobs, focusing on male identity). The "keep moving" concept explained coping with chronic RA pain through three activity types: physical, cognitive and socio-economic activities. These activities fluctuated in intensity depending upon the disease stage and RA symptoms. The forward and backward pendulum swing described the unpredictable course and pain coping strategy of the veterans. Further studies are recommended to determine the transferability of our findings to other populations and to confirm the impact of continuous motion as an effective pain management strategy for RA.