Hyper-IgG4 disease: report and characterisation of a new disease

BACKGROUND: We highlight a chronic inflammatory disease we call 'hyper-IgG4 disease', which has many synonyms depending on the organ involved, the country of origin and the year of the report. It is characterized histologically by a lymphoplasmacytic inflammation with IgG4-positive cells and exuberant fibrosis, which leaves dense fibrosis on resolution. A typical example is idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis, but the initial report in 2001 was of sclerosing pancreatitis. METHODS: We report an index case with fever and severe systemic disease. We have also reviewed the histology of 11 further patients with idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis for evidence of IgG4-expressing plasma cells, and examined a wide range of other inflammatory conditions and fibrotic diseases as organ-specific controls. We have reviewed the published literature for disease associations with idiopathic, systemic fibrosing conditions and the synonyms: pseudotumour, myofibroblastic tumour, plasma cell granuloma, systemic fibrosis, xanthofibrogranulomatosis, and multifocal fibrosclerosis. RESULTS: Histology from all 12 patients showed, to varying degrees, fibrosis, intense inflammatory cell infiltration with lymphocytes, plasma cells, scattered neutrophils, and sometimes eosinophilic aggregates, with venulitis and obliterative arteritis. The majority of lymphocytes were T cells that expressed CD8 and CD4, with scattered B-cell-rich small lymphoid follicles. In all cases, there was a significant increase in IgG4-positive plasma cells compared with controls. In two cases, biopsies before and after steroid treatment were available, and only scattered plasma cells were seen after treatment, none of them expressing IgG4. Review of the literature shows that although pathology commonly appears confined to one organ, patients can have systemic symptoms and fever. In the active period, there is an acute phase response with a high serum concentration of IgG, and during this phase, there is a rapid clinical response to glucocorticoid steroid treatment. CONCLUSION: We believe that hyper-IgG4 disease is an important condition to recognise, as the diagnosis can be readily verified and the outcome with treatment is very good

Use of Kampo diagnosis in randomized controlled trials of Kampo products in Japan: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The Committee for Evidence-based Medicine (EBM) of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine started compiling Evidence Reports of Kampo Treatment (EKAT) in 2007. EKAT is a compilation of structured abstracts of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), along with comments by a third party reviewer. As of 31 December, 2012, there were 378 RCTs of Kampo medicines in Japan. The primary research question of this study is "How frequently is Kampo diagnosis used in RCTs of Kampo medicines?" The secondary research question is "When is Kampo diagnosis used in RCTs?" MATERIALS AND METHODS: The structured abstract (SA) of each RCT article was reviewed to examine how Kampo diagnosis was used in RCTs, especially how Kampo diagnosis was used in the randomization process. RESULTS: Kampo diagnosis was used before randomization in 27 RCTs (7.1%), after randomization in 31 RCTs (8.2%), and not used in 320 RCTs (84.7%). Before randomization, Kampo diagnosis was used as a criterion for inclusion in 10 RCTs, criterion for exclusion in 9 RCTs, and criteria for both inclusion and exclusion in 2 RCTs. Kampo formulas were determined according to Kampo diagnosis in 7 RCTs. After randomization, subgroup analyses according to Kampo diagnosis were done in 27 RCTs, and grade of disease severity at Kampo diagnosis was used for analysis as an endpoint in 4 RCTs. CONCLUSIONS: Kampo diagnosis was used before randomization only in approximately 15% of RCTs, and the number of RCT articles using Kampo diagnosis after randomization was almost the same as that before randomization. Further studies to determine the good RCTs conforming to CONSORT requirements and good systematic reviews conforming to PRISMA requirements are needed to clarify the significance of Kampo diagnosis