Rapid onset of muscle weakness (rhabdomyolysis) associated with the combined use of simvastatin and colchicine.

We report a case of a patient with mild chronic renal insufficiency who had been taking simvastatin for over a year and developed acute weakness within 3 weeks after the start of treatment with colchicine for acute gouty bursitis. Profound muscle weakness of lower extremities with inability to stand up and/or walk was present. Elevated muscle enzymes and findings on electromyography were consistent with myopathy. Rapid improvement in muscle strength accompanied by prompt resolution of abnormal elevation of muscle enzymes followed cessation of both medications. Both colchicine and statin therapy may be associated with myopathy, which usually occurs after several months of therapy. The concomitant use, however, of colchicine and statin has been associated with the rapid onset of muscle weakness. Four patients with similar clinical and laboratory characteristics to our patient's after the combined use of colchicine and statins have been described in the literature. Patients receiving combination therapy with colchicine and simvastatin, particularly in the presence of renal insufficiency, should be monitored for the development of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis.

Nocardia brain abscesses in a male patient with SLE: successful outcome despite delay in diagnosis.

We report a 37-year-old African-American man with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosed in May 2001 when he presented with biopsy-proven nephritis. He had been treated intermittently from May 2001 to November 2004 with intravenously (i.v.) administered cyclophosphamide and high doses of prednisone due to unrelenting proteinuria. In November 2004, he was admitted to the hospital because of deterioration of renal function and massive proteinuria (21 g dl(-1) 24 h(-1)) and treated with pulses of methylprednisolone and two courses of i.v. administered cyclophosphamide. His hospital course was complicated by cellulitis and bacteremia with Pseudomonas spp. and Streptococcus bovis. He was discharged on prednisone 60 mg daily, ciprofloxacin, augmentin, and hemodialysis. He was readmitted a week later with new onset of seizure activity, slurred speech, and left-sided hemiparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed multiple ringlike enhancing foci in the frontal and occipital lobes. Brain biopsy was performed, and Gram stain and initial cultures were negative. Empiric tobramycin, cefepime, and metronidazole were administered. Diagnosis was delayed for several months, but culture eventually grew Nocardia asteroides. Trimethoprim-sulfomethoxazole and linezolid therapy was begun. This was followed by slow, but steady, clinical improvement. Risk factors, diagnostic clues, and treatment are reviewed.

Treatment of early and refractory dermatomyositis with infliximab: a report of two cases.

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies embody the largest group of acquired and potentially treatable causes of skeletal muscle weakness. The three major groups of this disorder are polymyositis (PM), dermatomyositis (DM), and inclusion body myositis. Corticosteroids continue to be the mainstay of initial treatment in the majority of cases of PM/DM. The treatment of refractory disease can be challenging despite the utilization of the medications currently available. We report two patients with refractory DM who were treated with infliximab. We describe their presentation, clinical course, treatment, and outcomes.