Periorbital edema as initial manifestation of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus

Periorbital edema occurs frequently in dermatomyositis, but it has rarely been noted in systemic systemic lupus erythematosus. We describe a patient who developed bilateral periorbital edema and erythema as the sole manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. Pan African Medical Journal 2012; 12:5

Syndrome de la personne raide associé à une dermatite herpétiforme: à propos d´un cas

Le syndrome de la personne raide (SPR) est une maladie rare affectant le système nerveux central et qui peut être d´origine auto-immune, paranéoplasique ou idiopathique. Sa présentation classique typique est caractérisée par une rigidité progressive du tronc et des membres, associée à des spasmes. Le diagnostic est soutenu par l'existence d'une activité musculaire continue et spontanée en détection à l'électroneuromyogramme, la présence d'anticorps anti-acide glutamique décarboxylase (anti-GAD) sériques, et une réponse aux benzodiazépines. Nous rapportons le cas d'un patient de 46 ans ayant une forme classique de syndrome de la personne raide auto-immune associée à une dermatite herpétiforme

Wet-cupping in the treatment of recalcitrant oral and genital ulceration of Behçet disease: A randomized controlled trial

615-618The recalcitrant oral ulceration (OU) and genital ulceration (GU) of Behçet disease (BD) can be very distressing and no standard therapy has been established yet. To determine the efficacy of Wet-cupping (W-C) as adjuvant treatment of oral and genital ulceration of BD, 24 patients were included in this prospective and comparative study. All patients included in the study had a recalcitrant oral and/or genital ulceration BD to conventional drug treatment. Treatment with W-C decreased significantly the number of episodes per month, number of ulcers per episode and duration of the episode after 06 months of conventional treatment associated with the W-C of OU and GU compared with the group treated only with conventional treatment. In patients with OU and GU, the difference in improvement ratings between therapy with W-C group and the group treated only with conventional treatment was statistically significant, 91,7%  of patients in intervention group had a complete response to oral aphtose, versus 25% of control group. For aphtosis genital response was complete in 100% cases in Intervention group, versus 25% in control group. Our results showed that combining W-C plus conventional treatment shows great promise as an effective treatment for oral and genital ulceration in patients with Behçet disease

Necrotizing Fasciitis of the Breast Underlying an Autoimmune Disease

Necrotizing fasciitis is a serious soft tissue infection that causes necrosis of the subcutaneous tissues and the muscle fascia. It is associated with a high mortality rate of around 25%. Necrotizing fasciitis of the breast is a rare entity. It is a rapidly progressive life-threatening condition which can lead to sepsis with multiple organ failure. We describe a case of necrotizing fasciitis of the right breast in a 48-year-old patient diagnosed with systemic sclerosis–rheumatoid arthritis overlap syndrom

Myasthenia Gravis Revealing Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Introduction: Myasthenia gravis is a rare autoimmune disease caused by autoantibodies directed against the synapses of the neuromuscular junction. Patient and methods: We report the case of a young patient with myasthenia gravis associated with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Results: A 22-year-old patient presented with a 2-month history of severe weakness associated with muscle fatigability and intermittent ptosis without dysphonia or respiratory signs. Clinical examination revealed generalized myasthenia. The EMG did not show post-synaptic block, and anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies were elevated at 3 nmol/l (normal ≤0.3 nmol/l). CT of the thorax showed an anterior medial mass. Immunohistochemistry of the mass revealed mixed cellularity Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Conclusion: The association of lymphomas with myasthenia gravis has been rarely reported