Sarcoidosis and spondyloarthritis: A coincidence or common etiopathogenesis?

Background: Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease. Co-existence with spondyloarthritis (SA) has been more described as an adverse effect of anti-TNF α therapy than an association. We report herein a case of a typical sarcoidosis confirmed by histological proofs and an advanced SA with a bamboo column. Case Presentation: A 48-years-old woman presented with inflammatory back pain for 5 years and ankle swelling for 1 year. On physical examination, she had an exaggerated dorsal kyphosis and disappearance of lumbar lordosis with limitation in motion of the cervical and lumbar spine. Laboratory tests did not show an inflammatory syndrome or hypercalcemia. Plain radiographies of the spine and pelvic revealed a triple ray appearance with sacroiliitis grade 4. Chest radiography and CT confirmed the presence of bilateral hilar lymph nodes and parenchymal nodes. Bronchoscopy and biopsies were performed showing non-calcified granulomatous reaction without cell necrosis. The diagnosis of SA was performed based on 9 points of Amor criteria associated with pulmonary sarcoidosis. She was treated with 15 mg per week of methotrexate and 1mg/kg/day of prednisone for pulmonary disease with good outcomes. Conclusions: Sarcoidosis may be associated to SA besides paradoxical drug effect. The same physio pathological pathways mediate by TNF α are arguments for association than hazardous coincidence

Sarcoidosis and spondyloarthritis: A coincidence or common etiopathogenesis?

Background: Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease. Co-existence with spondyloarthritis (SA) has been more described as an adverse effect of anti-TNF α therapy than an association. We report herein a case of a typical sarcoidosis confirmed by histological proofs and an advanced SA with a bamboo column. Case Presentation: A 48-years-old woman presented with inflammatory back pain for 5 years and ankle swelling for 1 year. On physical examination, she had an exaggerated dorsal kyphosis and disappearance of lumbar lordosis with limitation in motion of the cervical and lumbar spine. Laboratory tests did not show an inflammatory syndrome or hypercalcemia. Plain radiographies of the spine and pelvic revealed a triple ray appearance with sacroiliitis grade 4. Chest radiography and CT confirmed the presence of bilateral hilar lymph nodes and parenchymal nodes. Bronchoscopy and biopsies were performed showing non-calcified granulomatous reaction without cell necrosis. The diagnosis of SA was performed based on 9 points of Amor criteria associated with pulmonary sarcoidosis. She was treated with 15 mg per week of methotrexate and 1mg/kg/day of prednisone for pulmonary disease with good outcomes. Conclusions: Sarcoidosis may be associated to SA besides paradoxical drug effect. The same physio pathological pathways mediate by TNF α are arguments for association than hazardous coincidenc

Zoledronate Associated Seizure in Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is an auto-inflammatory disease characterized by sterile bone lesions. We report a case of a patient with CRMO who developed a seizure post bisphosphonate administration. Although, the treatment of CRMO is currently not codified, the most promising results have been observed in patients under treatment with bisphosphonates. Keywords: CRMO; Bisphosphonate; tonico-clonic seizure

Wrist synovectomy confirmed tuberculous tenosynovitis in 8 cases: A follow-up study

AbstractAim of the workTuberculosis is still one of the important health problems. Because of its insidious evolution, tuberculous (TB) tenosynovitis (TS) is usually misdiagnosed and undertreated. The aim of this study was to investigate clinical and therapeutic outcomes of TB TS.Patients and methodsA retrospective study of 8 patients followed-up for TB TS was conducted. Clinical and therapeutic data were collected.ResultsThe median age was 45years (range 33–59years), they were 5 females and 3 males with a median duration till diagnosis of 15months. Fever, night sweats, and weight loss were reported by 3 patients. Physical examination showed swelling of the wrist and crepitation of the palmar side with affected fingers movements in 7 cases. A carpal tunnel syndrome was found in another case. The median erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 15mm/1st hour and the C-reactive protein 5mg/dl. Plain radiographies of the wrists were normal. Ultrasonography showed flexor TS in all cases. Since tuberculin skin tests were positive in all patients, TB TS was suspected. Surgical synovectomy was conducted and histological examination confirmed TB. In addition to surgical synovectomy, patients were treated with anti-TB drugs for 12months. No relapse was noted for a mean follow-up duration of 2years.ConclusionsTB TS can be misdiagnosed because of its insidious evolution. Histological examination confirms the diagnosis. Surgical synovectomy could confirm the diagnosis rapidly by the histological examination and be part of the treatment. Medical treatment should be well-conducted and maintained to avoid relapse and future complications

Patient satisfaction with medication in rheumatoid arthritis: an unmet need

Objectives Shared decision-making between rheumatologists and patients has become an overarching principle in current treatment recommendations in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to assess the satisfaction of patients with RA with their treatment and to investigate the associated factors. Material and methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Rheumatology Department of Mongi Slim Hospital. We included adults with RA receiving their current disease-modifying anti- rheumatic drugs for at least 12 months. Satisfaction among patients was assessed by the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medica-tion (TSQM) and it was defined by a score ≥ 80%. The factors indirectly influencing patient satisfac-tion that were assessed were: satisfaction with medical care management, disease activity, function-al impact, professional impact, and the impact of RA. Multivariable regression analysis was applied to determine the predictors of satisfaction. Results We included 70 patients (63 female/7 male) with a mean age of 57.8 ±10.6 years. The mean disease duration was 13.71 ±7.2 years. Mean TSQM scores were 65.42 ±14.77 for convenience, 68.71 ±18 for effectiveness, 70.60 ±24.5 for side effects, and 67.95 ±17.10 for global satisfaction. Satisfaction rates were: 20% for convenience, 39% for effectiveness, 46% for side effects and 30% for global satisfaction. In multivariable analysis, the predictors of global dissatisfaction were Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID) overall score (p = 0.003) and the degree of physical difficulties (p = 0.001). Satisfac-tion with the physician was correlated with better global satisfaction (p = 0.029). Difficulties in adapt-ing to RA (p = 0.043) and current treatment with biologics (p = 0.027) were predictors of dissatisfaction with convenience. Predictors of dissatisfaction with efficiency were the RAID over-all score (p = 0.032) and the difficulties of adapting to RA (p = 0.013). The predictors of satisfaction with side effects were a lower degree of interference with domestic work (p = 0.02) and better in-volvement of the patient in the treatment decision (p = 0.014). Conclusions The satisfaction with the attending physician, the participation in the treatment decision, and the impact of RA seem to influence treatment satisfaction the most. These data suggest that a better understanding of patients’ medical needs and preferences would improve satisfaction outcomes

Lower urinary tract symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis male patients versus controls

Background. We aimed to evaluate the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) male patient versus control, then to determine the relation of LUTS with rheumatic diseases (RD) characteristics and with erectile dysfunction (ED)

Validity of Remission Criteria in Rheumatoid Arthritis Compared to Ultrasound-Defined Remission

Objectives: Remission is the ultimate purpose of treatment in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). However, even when the most stringent composite scores were used, structural damages can occur. For that purpose ultrasonography (US) appears to be the best way to assess real remission. Our principal aim was to investigate the validity of different RA remission scores using the US as the reference. Methods: An analytic diagnostic study of 30 RA patients in remission according to DAS28 and a control group with active RA was conducted between January and October of 2018. Among them, we identified patients in remission according to the SDAI, the CDAI, and the ACR/EULAR remission score. The validity of each activity score for remission was calculated using as a gold standard the absence of PD signal. Results: All patients were in remission according to DAS28 with an average score of 2.03 [1.13-2.6]. US examination showed PD signals in 57% of all patients. Twenty-six patients were in remission according to CDAI, a Doppler signal was detected in 58% of those cases. SDAI remission was accomplished in 19 patients with PD activity in 53% of cases. For the 14 patients in remission according to ACR/EULAR criteria, synovial hyper-vascularization was found in 64%. Considering true remission as the absence of PD signals, the most sensitive and specific score was DAS28 (93% and 68% respectively). Conclusion: Considering remission in RA as the absence of vascularized synovitis, the DAS28 was the most sensitive and the most specific score. Keywords: Rheumatoid Arthritis, remission, ultrasonography, validit