Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura and Ganglionic Tuberculosis: An Unlikely Link.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading infectious causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Either in its pulmonary (PTB) or extrapulmonary forms (EPTB), TB has a wide variety of manifestations, including hematological ones like thrombocytosis (especially in PTB) and thrombocytopenia (mainly with disseminated or miliary TB). Hematological manifestations are infrequently presenting features of TB, and within them, immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)-associated TB is one of the rarest presenting features. We report a case of a 22-year-old woman with a diagnosis of ganglionic tuberculosis (GTB) presenting with ITP. The therapeutic approach was challenging and included the use, originally, of intravenous immunoglobulin 30 mg/day for five days and, posteriorly, of high-dose corticosteroids (dexamethasone 40 mg/day) and anti-tubercular therapy with satisfactory outcomes.

Syphilitic Stomatitis: Raising Awareness on an Often-Overlooked Presentation of Secondary Syphilis.

Syphilis, a disease caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum, has a multitude of clinical manifestations and is classified into primary syphilis, secondary syphilis and tertiary syphilis, based on clinical presentations and the time elapsed since the primary infection. The secondary stage of the disease can affect multiple organs and systems, and some of these involvements may be general and non-specific, justifying its name as 'the great imitator'. We present a case of a 30-year-old woman with a history of painful neck lymph nodes with progressive enlargement, persistent headache, weight loss, myalgia and alopecia. During investigations, stomatitis on the dorsal face of the tongue developed. A secondary study showed serum positive for rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and T. pallidum haemagglutination (TPHA), negative RPR in cerebrospinal fluid and normal MRI, thus the diagnosis of secondary syphilis was made. The patient was treated with a single dose of penicillin with complete resolution of symptoms. The case highlights the need for an exhaustive clinical examination, especially in cases presenting with non-specific and general symptoms, and raises awareness for this disease which has increased its prevalence in the last decades. LEARNING POINTS: Syphilis is a resurgent infection with increasing prevalence, and its manifestations in the secondary stage of the disease are general and non-specific, being able to affect every organ system.The oral mucosa may be involved at any stage of the disease and the tongue, often a neglected organ, can be particularly affected and should be routinely observed.The internist, integrating a cornerstone speciality able to manage and diagnose systemic diseases, must be aware of the individual aspects of the physical examination, notably the appreciation and interpretation of each clue and sign found.

Predictors of Long-COVID-19 and its Impact on Quality of Life: Longitudinal Analysis at 3, 6 and 9 Months after Discharge from a Portuguese Centre.

INTRODUCTION: Long-COVID-19 impacts health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) but data is scarce. The aim of this study was to describe and prospectively assess the prevalence and risk factors for long-COVID-19 after hospital discharge, and to evaluate its impact on patient HR-QoL. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Single-centre longitudinal study including all COVID-19 patients discharged between December 2020 and February 2021. Patients were contacted remotely at three, six and nine months. Data were collected as follows: 1) Long-COVID-19 symptoms were self-reported; 2) HRQoL were assessed using the 3-level EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire. Pregnant women, demented, bedridden, and non-Portuguese-speaking patients were excluded. RESULTS: The three-, six- and nine-month assessments were completed by 152, 117 and 110 patients (median age: 61 years; male sex: 56.6%). Long-COVID-19 (≥ 1 symptom) was reported by 66.5%, 62.4% and 53.6% of patients and HR-QoL assessment showed impairment of at least some domain in 65.8%, 69.2% and 55.4% of patients at three, six and nine months, respectively. Fatigue was the most common long-COVID-19 symptom. Anxiety/depression domain was the most frequently affected in all three time-points, peaking at six months (39%), followed by pain/discomfort and mobility domains. Long-COVID-19 was associated with the impairment of all EQ-5D-3L domains except for self-care domain at each time-point. Neither intensive care unit admission nor disease severity were associated with long-COVID-19 nor with impairment of any EQ-5D-3L domain. After adjusting for sex, age, frailty status, and comorbid conditions, long-COVID-19 remained significantly associated with HR-QoL impairment at three (OR 4.27, 95% CI 1.92 - 9.52, p < 0.001), six (OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.40 - 8.57, p = 0.007) and nine months (OR 4.13, 95% CI 1.62 - 10.55, p = 0.003) after hospital discharge. In a longitudinal analysis, patients reporting long-COVID-19 at three months had an EQ-5D-3L index value decreased by 0.14 per visit (p < 0.001) compared to those without long-COVID-19 and both groups had a non-significant change in mean EQ-5D-3L index over the nine-month period (time-point assessment, Z = 0.91, p = 0.364). CONCLUSION: Clinical sequelae associated with long-COVID-19 can persist for at least nine months after hospital discharge in most patients and can impair long-term HR-QoL in more than half of patients regardless of disease severity, and clinicodemographic characteristics.

Humoral Immune Response of SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients with Cancer: Influencing Factors and Mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected patients with cancer show worse outcomes compared with patients without cancer. The humoral immune response (HIR) of patients with cancer against SARS-CoV-2 is not well characterized. To better understand it, we conducted a serological study of hospitalized patients with cancer infected with SARS-CoV-2. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a unicentric, retrospective study enrolling adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 admitted to a central hospital from March 15 to June 17, 2020, whose serum samples were quantified for anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain or spike protein IgM, IgG, and IgA antibodies. The aims of the study were to assess the HIR to SARS-CoV-2; correlate it with different cancer types, stages, and treatments; clarify the interplay between the HIR and clinical outcomes of patients with cancer; and compare the HIR of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with and without cancer. RESULTS: We included 72 SARS-CoV-2-positive subjects (19 with cancer, 53 controls). About 90% of controls revealed a robust serological response. Among patients with cancer, a strong response was verified in 57.9%, with 42.1% showing a persistently weak response. Treatment with chemotherapy within 14 days before positivity was the only factor statistically shown to be associated with persistently weak serological responses among patients with cancer. No significant differences in outcomes were observed between patients with strong and weak responses. All IgG, IgM, IgA, and total Ig antibody titers were significantly lower in patients with cancer compared with those without. CONCLUSION: A significant portion of patients with cancer develop a proper HIR. Recent chemotherapy treatment may be associated with weak serological responses among patients with cancer. Patients with cancer have a weaker SARS-CoV-2 antibody response compared with those without cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: These results place the spotlight on patients with cancer, particularly those actively treated with chemotherapy. These patients may potentially be more vulnerable to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, so it is important to provide oncologists further theoretical support (with concrete examples and respective mechanistic correlations) for the decision of starting, maintaining, or stopping antineoplastic treatments (particularly chemotherapy) not only on noninfected but also on infected patients with cancer in accordance with cancer type, stage and prognosis, treatment agents, treatment setting, and SARS-CoV-2 infection risks.