Successful treatment with adalimumab for severe multifocal choroiditis and panuveitis in presumed (early-onset) ocular sarcoidosis.

Early-onset sarcoidosis (EOS) and Blau syndrome are rare auto-inflammatory diseases characterized by a triad of skin rash, granulomatous uveitis, and symmetrical polyarthritis occurring in early childhood. In this paper, we describe a case report very interesting for the multidisciplinary management (pediatric rheumatologist and ophthalmologist), the challenging diagnosis and the difficult choice of the best treatment. We describe a case report of an 8-year old with recurrent episodes of acute uveitis that developed bilateral granulomatous panuveitis initially treated with topical and systemic steroids. Genetic testing for NOD2/CARD15 revealed a heterozygous mutation on exon 4 in the NBD domain (P268S/SNP5). Therefore, an incomplete EOS was suspected. Because uveitis worsening with multifocal chorioretinitis aggravation, intravenous boluses of methylprednisolone were administered. During the steroids tapering, she flared again, and methotrexate was started along with corticosteroids pulse therapy. However, new ocular granuloma appeared, macular oedema with poor visual outcome occurred, and therefore, adalimumab was added to MTX and steroids. After 6 months since the new therapy started, she had a complete visual recovery, and she was able to stop steroid treatment. At 2 years of follow-up, she is still in remission on treatment, and her visual acuity is normal. No side effects were observed. In our patient, we found a heterozygous mutation on exon 4 in the NBD domain (P268S/SNP5) of NOD2/CARD15 gene and an incomplete EOS was hypothesized. The role of this variant is currently under study. Adalimumab use dramatically changed the course of eye disease, prompting to stop steroid treatment and preserving visual acuity.

Serum Amyloid A Circulating Levels and Disease Activity in Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between circulating levels of serum amyloid A protein (SAA) and disease activity in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Our study group included 41 JIA patients (9 male, 32 female), classified according to the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) criteria (5); 16 had polyarticular onset disease and 25 had oligoarticular onset disease. Among 25 patients with oligoarticular disease, three had extended oligoarthritis. Serum amyloid A (SAA), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in both patients and 26 healthy controls. SAA levels were higher in JIA patients versus healthy controls (p<0.001). Significant positive correlations were found between SAA and the presence of active joints (rho=0.363, p<0.05), the number of active joints (rho=0.418, p<0.05), ESR (R=0.702, p<0.05) and CRP (R=0.827, p<0.05). No significant correlations between ESR and the presence of active joints (rho=0.221, p=0.225) or between ESR and the number of active joints (rho=0.118, p=0.520) were demonstrated in JIA patients. No significant correlations were obtained between CRP and the presence of active joints (rho=0.034, p=0.855) or between CRP and the number of active joints (rho=0.033, p=0.859). We discovered a significant increase in SAA levels in JIA patients, compared to controls, and a strong positive correlation between SAA level and JIA disease activity. We also discerned SAA to be a more sensitive laboratory marker than ESR and CRP for evaluating the presence and number of active joints. We suggest that SAA can be used as an additional indicator of disease activity in JIA.