Dermatomyositis

Dermatomiosite é doença idiopática inflamatória crônica que afeta a musculatura estriada, a pele e outros órgãos. Apresenta critérios diagnósticos definidos por Bohan & Peter, podendo os pacientes ser classificados em cinco grupos: dermatomiosite juvenil, dermatomiosite primária idiopática, dermatomiosites amiopáticas, dermatomiosite associada a neoplasias e dermatomiosite associada a outras doenças do tecido conectivo. O sexo feminino é mais afetado, e a idade média do diagnóstico é 40 anos. Manifestações cutâneas são observadas em todos os pacientes. Das alterações sistêmicas, a manifestação muscular mais freqüente é a perda de força proximal, e a manifestação pulmonar mais comum é a pneumopatia intersticial. Podem ser observadas neoplasias durante o seguimento da doença, sendo mais freqüentes nos pacientes acima de 60 anos. A desidrogenase lática é a enzima muscular alterada na maioria dos casos. Para diagnóstico da dermatomiosite, pode ser realizado exame anatomopatológico de biópsia cutânea e biópsia muscular, além de eletroneuromiografia. Os corticóides são a terapia mais utilizada. As causas de óbito mais freqüentes são a neoplasia maligna, a septicemia e a infecção pulmonar.Dermatomyositis is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disorder that affects striated skeletal muscles, the skin, and other organs. Diagnostic criteria were established by Bohan & Peter and patients may be classified into five groups: juvenile dermatomyositis, primary dermatomyositis, amyopatic dermatomyositis, dermatomyositis associated with malignancies and dermatomyositis associated with other connective tissue disorders. Females are more affected and the mean age of diagnosis is 40 years. Skin manifestations are observed in all patients. Loss of proximal strength is the most common systemic alteration and lung involvement is most often manifested as interstitial pneumopathy. Neoplasms may be detected during the course of the disease specially in patients over 60. Lactic dehydrogenase serum levels are altered in the majority of cases and diagnosis can be established or the basis of skin and muscle biopsies and electroneuromiography. Corticosteroids are the first line drugs. The most common causes of death are malignant neoplasms, sepsis and pulmonary infection

Dermatomyositis: analysis of 109 patients surveyed at the CHSPU

Dermatomiosite é doença idiopática inflamatória crônica que afeta musculatura estriada, pele e outros órgãos. Este trabalho tem o objetivo de caracterizar os pacientes com a doença encontrados no HC-FMUSP no período de janeiro de 1992 a dezembro de 2002, avaliando a classificação, as manifestações cutâneas e sistêmicas, achados laboratoriais, terapêuticos e evolutivos em relação à literatura. Este estudo foi baseado nos dados obtidos dos prontuários de 109 pacientes com critérios diagnósticos definidos por Bohan e Peter e modificados por Drake. Os pacientes foram divididos em cinco grupos: 23 dermatomiosites juvenis, 59 dermatomiosites primárias idiopáticas, 6 dermatomiosites amiopáticas, 7 dermatomiosites associada a neoplasias e 14 dermatomiosites associadas a outras doenças do tecido conectivo. Sessenta pacientes foram caracterizados como diagnóstico definido, 33 como possíveis, 4 como prováveis e 12 como amiopáticos. A maior representação foi do sexo feminino (85/109) e a idade média do diagnóstico da doença foi de 36 anos. Manifestações cutâneas foram observadas em todos os pacientes; em relação às alterações sistêmicas a manifestação muscular mais freqüente foi a perda de força proximal (88%); manifestação pulmonar mais comum foi a pneumopatia intersticial (16,5%) e a manifestação digestiva mais observada foi a gastrite (20,2%). Documentaram-se neoplasias durante o seguimento da doença em 6,42% dos casos, sendo mais freqüente nos pacientes acima de 60 anos (71,4%).A enzima muscular alterada na maioria dos casos foi a desidrogenase lática (78,6%). Realizou-se biópsia cutânea em 68 pacientes com alterações compatíveis ao exame anatomopatológico em 78% dos casos. Dentre os casos, 53 pacientes se submeteram à biópsia muscular e 96% deles apresentaram miosite ao exame anatomopatológico. Das 58 eletroneuromiografias efetuadas, mostrou-se padrão miopático compatível com a enfermidade em 81% dos casos. A terapia mais utilizada foram os esteróides e a mortalidade foi de 14,7%, sendo as causas de óbito mais freqüentes a neoplasia maligna, septisemia e infecção pulmonar.Dermatomyositis is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disorder which affects the striated skeletal muscles, the skin, and other organs. This present study aims at characterizing the patients who have been affected by this disease and were under treatment at HCFMUSP from January, 1992 to December, 2002 Its classification, the cutaneous and systemical manifestations, as well as laboratorial, therapeutical and evolutive findings were checked out in accordance with the literature. The base for this study was the data obtained from the analysis of 109 patients´records who met not only Bohan\'s and Peter\'s criteria for dermatomyositis diagnosis but also the ones modified by Drake. The patients were divided into five groups: 23 juvenile dermatomyositis, 59 idiopatic primary dermatomyositis, 6 amyopatic dermatomyositis, 7 dermatomyositis associated to malignancy and 14 dermatomyositis associated to connective tissue disorder Sixty of these patients were classified as definite diagnostic, 33 as possible, 4 as probable and 12 as amyopathic. Most patients were female (85/109) and the average age for the diagnosis of the illness was 36. Skin manifestations were observed in all patients, while regarding the systemical alterations, the most frequent was the loss of proximal strength (88%). As the lung manifestation, the most common was an interstitial pneumopathy (16,5%) and as the digestive manifestation, the one which was more commonly observed was gastritis (20,2%). Neoplasies were documented after the following up of the disease in 6,42% of the cases, which was more frequent in patients over 60 years of age (71,4%). The muscle enzyme modified in the majority of the cases was the lactic dehydrogenize (78,6%). Skin biopsy procedure was carried out in 68 patients who showed compatible changes to anatomo-pathological exam in 78% of the cases; 53 patients went under muscular biopsy and 96 % of them proved to have myositis after anatomo-pathological exams. From the fifty-eight electroneuromiographies that were carried out, 81% of the cases showed to have compatible myopathic patterns. Steroidal drugs were the most common therapy used. The mortality rate was 14,7% and the most usual causes of death were malignant neoplasm, sepsis and pulmonary infection

Evaluated of immune responses anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients with psoriasis moderade to severe undergoing treatment with TNF blocking agent, infliximab

O tratamento de pacientes apresentando doenças inflamatórias imunomediadas com drogas anti-TNF-alfa aumenta o risco da reativação da tuberculose. Isso sugere que tais drogas possam afetar a imunidade celular destes. No entanto, há dados conflitantes sobre se esse tratamento suprime as respostas para o teste tuberculínico (TT) e os ensaios de liberação de interferon-gama (IGRAs) e poucos dados em pacientes com psoríase. O presente estudo avaliou pacientes com psoríase moderada a grave enfocando os efeitos do tratamento com infliximabe em suas respostas imunológicas celulares. Foram avaliadas as respostas imunes celulares de doze pacientes antes e durante o tratamento com infliximabe. As células mononucleares do sangue periférico (PBMC) foram estimuladas com a fito-hemaglutinina (PHA), o superantígeno enterotoxina B (SEB), um lisado de citomegalovírus (CMV), e antígenos de Mycobacterium tuberculosis, e a ativação de linfócitos foi avaliada por ELISPOT para enumerar células secretoras de IFN-y, por ELISA para detecção da secreção de IFN-y, e através da incorporação de[3H] timidina para medir a proliferação. O tratamento com infliximabe não levou à redução de INF-y e da resposta linfoproliferativa nos pacientes. Pelo contrário, aumentou a liberação desta citocina em culturas de PBMC estimulados com PHA e SEB por 12 h. Este efeito foi mais notado no pico do efeito clínico do agente anti-TNF (7 semanas de tratamento) e menos proeminente no seu nadir (logo antes da infusão da próxima dose). Reatividade imunitária ao CMV também não foi significativamente afetada, notando-se leve aumento pelo agente anti-TNF. É de se notar que secreção de IFN-y e resposta proliferativa a Mtb dos dois pacientes TT positivos foram, também, visivelmente aumentadas na semana 7, declinando quando infliximabe atingiu o seu nadir. Os efeitos deletérios do bloqueio do TNF em pacientes com psoríase grave, submetidos ao tratamento com infliximabe parecem ser atenuados, pelo menos parcialmente, por um efeito de aumento na imunidade mediada por células desses pacientes, possivelmente pela diminuição da ação imunossupressora decorrente do excesso de TNFTreatment of patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases with anti-TNF agents increases the risk of tuberculosis reactivation, suggesting that it may affect their cellular immune response. However, there are conflicting data on whether anti-TNF treatment suppresses the responses to tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-y release assays and no information regarding psoriasis patients on anti-TNF treatment. The present study evaluated patients with moderate to severe psoriasis focusing on the effects of treatment with infliximab on their cellular immune responses. Cellular immune responses of twelve patients were evaluated before and during infliximab treatment. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were stimulated with phytohemaglutinin (PHA), the superantigen enterotoxin B (SEB), a cytomegalovirus lysate (CMV), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens, and the lymphocyte activation was evaluated by ELISPOT for enumeration of IFN-y-secreting cells, ELISA for detection of secreted IFN-y, and by [3H]thymidine incorporation for proliferation measurement. Treatment with infliximab does not lead to reduction in the INF-y and lymphoproliferative responses of patients. It rather increased the overnight release of this cytokine in PBMC cultures stimulated with PHA and SEB. This effect was most noted at the peak of the clinical effect of the anti-TNF agent (week 7 of treatment) and less prominent at its nadir (just before infusion of the next dose). Immune reactivity to CMV was also either unaffected or slightly increased by the TNF blocking agent. Of note, the IFN-y and proliferative responses to Mtb from the two TST-responder patients were also remarkably increased at week 7, declining when infliximab reached its nadir. The deleterious consequences of TNF blockade in patients with severe psoriasis undergoing infliximab treatment may be in part attenuated by an enhancing effect on the cell mediated immunity of the patients, possibly due to the abbreviation of the immunosuppressive effect of TNF overexpressio

Dermatomyositis: analysis of 109 patients surveyed at the CHSPU

Dermatomiosite é doença idiopática inflamatória crônica que afeta musculatura estriada, pele e outros órgãos. Este trabalho tem o objetivo de caracterizar os pacientes com a doença encontrados no HC-FMUSP no período de janeiro de 1992 a dezembro de 2002, avaliando a classificação, as manifestações cutâneas e sistêmicas, achados laboratoriais, terapêuticos e evolutivos em relação à literatura. Este estudo foi baseado nos dados obtidos dos prontuários de 109 pacientes com critérios diagnósticos definidos por Bohan e Peter e modificados por Drake. Os pacientes foram divididos em cinco grupos: 23 dermatomiosites juvenis, 59 dermatomiosites primárias idiopáticas, 6 dermatomiosites amiopáticas, 7 dermatomiosites associada a neoplasias e 14 dermatomiosites associadas a outras doenças do tecido conectivo. Sessenta pacientes foram caracterizados como diagnóstico definido, 33 como possíveis, 4 como prováveis e 12 como amiopáticos. A maior representação foi do sexo feminino (85/109) e a idade média do diagnóstico da doença foi de 36 anos. Manifestações cutâneas foram observadas em todos os pacientes; em relação às alterações sistêmicas a manifestação muscular mais freqüente foi a perda de força proximal (88%); manifestação pulmonar mais comum foi a pneumopatia intersticial (16,5%) e a manifestação digestiva mais observada foi a gastrite (20,2%). Documentaram-se neoplasias durante o seguimento da doença em 6,42% dos casos, sendo mais freqüente nos pacientes acima de 60 anos (71,4%).A enzima muscular alterada na maioria dos casos foi a desidrogenase lática (78,6%). Realizou-se biópsia cutânea em 68 pacientes com alterações compatíveis ao exame anatomopatológico em 78% dos casos. Dentre os casos, 53 pacientes se submeteram à biópsia muscular e 96% deles apresentaram miosite ao exame anatomopatológico. Das 58 eletroneuromiografias efetuadas, mostrou-se padrão miopático compatível com a enfermidade em 81% dos casos. A terapia mais utilizada foram os esteróides e a mortalidade foi de 14,7%, sendo as causas de óbito mais freqüentes a neoplasia maligna, septisemia e infecção pulmonar.Dermatomyositis is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disorder which affects the striated skeletal muscles, the skin, and other organs. This present study aims at characterizing the patients who have been affected by this disease and were under treatment at HCFMUSP from January, 1992 to December, 2002 Its classification, the cutaneous and systemical manifestations, as well as laboratorial, therapeutical and evolutive findings were checked out in accordance with the literature. The base for this study was the data obtained from the analysis of 109 patients´records who met not only Bohan\'s and Peter\'s criteria for dermatomyositis diagnosis but also the ones modified by Drake. The patients were divided into five groups: 23 juvenile dermatomyositis, 59 idiopatic primary dermatomyositis, 6 amyopatic dermatomyositis, 7 dermatomyositis associated to malignancy and 14 dermatomyositis associated to connective tissue disorder Sixty of these patients were classified as definite diagnostic, 33 as possible, 4 as probable and 12 as amyopathic. Most patients were female (85/109) and the average age for the diagnosis of the illness was 36. Skin manifestations were observed in all patients, while regarding the systemical alterations, the most frequent was the loss of proximal strength (88%). As the lung manifestation, the most common was an interstitial pneumopathy (16,5%) and as the digestive manifestation, the one which was more commonly observed was gastritis (20,2%). Neoplasies were documented after the following up of the disease in 6,42% of the cases, which was more frequent in patients over 60 years of age (71,4%). The muscle enzyme modified in the majority of the cases was the lactic dehydrogenize (78,6%). Skin biopsy procedure was carried out in 68 patients who showed compatible changes to anatomo-pathological exam in 78% of the cases; 53 patients went under muscular biopsy and 96 % of them proved to have myositis after anatomo-pathological exams. From the fifty-eight electroneuromiographies that were carried out, 81% of the cases showed to have compatible myopathic patterns. Steroidal drugs were the most common therapy used. The mortality rate was 14,7% and the most usual causes of death were malignant neoplasm, sepsis and pulmonary infection

Lucio's phenomenon: another case reported in Brazil

Lucio's phenomenon is defined as a variant of type 2 leprosy reaction. It is a rare event, occurring in the evolution of leprosy of Lucio and other forms of lepromatous leprosy. It has an exacerbated proliferation of Hansen bacilli in its pathophysiology, which invade blood vessel walls and injure endothelial cells, causing endothelial proliferation and decreasing the vascular lumen. This fact, associated with inflammatory reactions and changes in the coagulation system causes vascular thrombosis, ischemia, infarction and tissue necrosis, leading to the histopathological characteristic of the phenomenon. We report a case of lepromatous leprosy with irregular treatment that developed Lucio's phenomenon. Treatment with multidrug therapy, antibiotics, steroids and thalidomide achieved a favorable outcome