A 1-Year Prospective French Nationwide Study of Emergency Hospital Admissions in Children and Adults with Primary Immunodeficiency.

PURPOSE: Patients with primary immunodeficiency (PID) are at risk of serious complications. However, data on the incidence and causes of emergency hospital admissions are scarce. The primary objective of the present study was to describe emergency hospital admissions among patients with PID, with a view to identifying "at-risk" patient profiles. METHODS: We performed a prospective observational 12-month multicenter study in France via the CEREDIH network of regional PID reference centers from November 2010 to October 2011. All patients with PIDs requiring emergency hospital admission were included. RESULTS: A total of 200 admissions concerned 137 patients (73 adults and 64 children, 53% of whom had antibody deficiencies). Thirty admissions were reported for 16 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients. When considering the 170 admissions of non-transplant patients, 149 (85%) were related to acute infections (respiratory tract infections and gastrointestinal tract infections in 72 (36%) and 34 (17%) of cases, respectively). Seventy-seven percent of the admissions occurred during winter or spring (December to May). The in-hospital mortality rate was 8.8% (12 patients); death was related to a severe infection in 11 cases (8%) and Epstein-Barr virus-induced lymphoma in 1 case. Patients with a central venous catheter (n = 19, 13.9%) were significantly more hospitalized for an infection (94.7%) than for a non-infectious reason (5.3%) (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Our data showed that the annual incidence of emergency hospital admission among patients with PID is 3.4%. The leading cause of emergency hospital admission was an acute infection, and having a central venous catheter was associated with a significantly greater risk of admission for an infectious episode

Demographic, clinical and antibody characteristics of patients with digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis: data from the DUO Registry

OBJECTIVES: The Digital Ulcers Outcome (DUO) Registry was designed to describe the clinical and antibody characteristics, disease course and outcomes of patients with digital ulcers associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: The DUO Registry is a European, prospective, multicentre, observational, registry of SSc patients with ongoing digital ulcer disease, irrespective of treatment regimen. Data collected included demographics, SSc duration, SSc subset, internal organ manifestations, autoantibodies, previous and ongoing interventions and complications related to digital ulcers. RESULTS: Up to 19 November 2010 a total of 2439 patients had enrolled into the registry. Most were classified as either limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc; 52.2%) or diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc; 36.9%). Digital ulcers developed earlier in patients with dcSSc compared with lcSSc. Almost all patients (95.7%) tested positive for antinuclear antibodies, 45.2% for anti-scleroderma-70 and 43.6% for anticentromere antibodies (ACA). The first digital ulcer in the anti-scleroderma-70-positive patient cohort occurred approximately 5 years earlier than the ACA-positive patient group. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides data from a large cohort of SSc patients with a history of digital ulcers. The early occurrence and high frequency of digital ulcer complications are especially seen in patients with dcSSc and/or anti-scleroderma-70 antibodies

Dermo-hypodermite bactérienne « à bascule » chez un patient atteint d’hypogammaglobulinémie liée à l’X [Shifting cellulitis in a patient with X-linked hypogammaglobulinemia]

National audienceIntroduction Dans une situation d’immunodépression, une infection systémique peut se révéler par des manifestations atypiques, notamment dermatologiques. Observation Nous décrivons le cas d’un homme de 19 ans suivi pour une hypogammaglobulinémie liée à l’X, ou maladie de Bruton, substituée par immunoglobulines intraveineuses. Durant 6 semaines, le patient développait des placards inflammatoires récurrents des deux jambes, d’un côté puis de l’autre, sans fièvre. La cinquième paire d’hémocultures révélait une bactériémie à Campylobacter jejuni. Une tomodensitométrie abdominale trouvait un foyer infectieux appendiculaire, sans manifestation clinique digestive associée. Une antibiothérapie par azithromycine pendant deux semaines permettait une résolution complète. Discussion Les bactériémies à Campylobacter sont des infections sévères, à l’origine d’un décès dans les 30 jours chez 15 % des patients. Elles sont plus fréquentes en cas d’immunodépression humorale. C. jejuni a été rapporté comme responsable de bactériémies à l’origine de dermo-hypodermites dans dix cas, dont six sur un terrain d’hypogammaglobulinémie. Nous avançons l’hypothèse d’emboles septiques à l’origine des manifestations cutanées. Le déficit immunitaire du patient était supplémenté par une préparation à base d’immunoglobulines G ; le rôle des IgA et des IgM semble essentiel dans la lutte contre C. jejuni et leur défaut pourrait expliquer la susceptibilité à l’infection observée chez notre patient. Selon les recommandations américaines, il faut chercher des germes inhabituels en répétant les prélèvements bactériologiques sanguins et cutanés en cas de dermo-hypodermite bactérienne dans un contexte d’immunodépression cellulaire. Nous proposons d’étendre cette attitude aux patients atteints d’immunodépression humorale

Modeling human expertise on a cheese ripening industrial process using GP

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