Prevalence and Patterns of Renal Involvement Among Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematous at a Tertiary Center.

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by widespread inflammation and damage to multiple organ systems. One of the most common and severe manifestations of SLE is lupus nephritis (LN). OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of LN among subjects with SLE and to identify the demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters of SLE in subjects diagnosed with LN. METHODS: This is a descriptive study conducted at a tertiary hospital. Medical records were reviewed from outpatients who visited between January 2015 and October 2019 and who has fulfilled the classification criteria for diagnosis of SLE and had LN. RESULTS: Among 365 patients with SLE, 36% had LN. The most prevalent World Health Organization class of LN was IV, which significantly correlated with both abnormal creatinine levels and nephrotic range proteinuria. Elevated serum creatinine correlated with the presence of hypertension and thrombocytopenia. Cutaneous manifestations were noted to be present in 100% of LN patients, followed by arthritis and/or arthralgia (82.9%), anemia (94.6%), and lymphopenia (87.6%). CONCLUSION: This study aids in the recognition of the demographic, clinical, laboratory features, and the histological patterns of LN patients in Saudi Arabia, that probably has a role in the development and disease progression. A significant correlation was found between abnormal kidney function and hypertension, thrombocytopenia and nephrotic range proteinuria. The presence of World Health Organization class IV LN correlated with both impaired kidney function and nephrotic range proteinuria.

Castleman's Disease and Anticonvulsant Therapy: A Case of 52-Year-Old Female.

Castleman's disease is a disorder of the lymph nodes that encompasses heterogeneous clinical conditions and can be classified into two main types - hyaline vascular and plasma cell. The affected age group ranges widely from two to 80 years old at the time of diagnosis, with a variable clinical presentation. The etiology of Castleman's disease is not yet well-understood; however, a number of factors have been linked to its pathogenesis including certain cytokines, viral infections, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, chronic inflammation, and Kaposi sarcoma. In this study, we present a case of a 52-year-old Saudi female with a history of pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis, who was then found to have mild splenomegaly, mediastinal, bilateral hilar, supraclavicular, paraaortic, and right axillary lymphadenopathy on CT scan, to be later diagnosed as a multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD). Moreover, the clinical picture, pathogenesis, clinical and histological variants, as well as the treatment options of MCD are discussed.

Prevalence of fibromyalgia in physicians in training: a cross-sectional study.

The prevalence of fibromyalgia (FM) in physicians in training (PIT) in Saudi Arabia is unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of FM in PIT using different screening tools and factors associated with its development. We also aimed at evaluating the level of agreement and correlation between screening tools. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a single academic institution. PIT were invited to fill three questionnaires: Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening tool (FirST), Fibromyalgia Survey Questionnaire (FSQ), and London Fibromyalgia Epidemiology Study Screening Questionnaire (LFESSQ). A total of 182 PIT completed the questionnaire. They were predominantly males (57.1%), single (56.0%), and at resident level (86.7%). The median age was 28 (interquartile range = 4). The average number of house-calls/month was 3.2 (SD = 2.3). The prevalence of FM using the FirST, FSQ, and LFESSQ was 6.0%, 8.2%, and 11.6%, respectively. Six (3.3%) fulfilled the three criteria concurrently. After adjusting for different variables using the FSQ, PIT with family history of FM had 23.6 times the odds for testing positive (95% CI = 3.12, 178.37), and every extra house-call/month was associated with a 50% increase in the odds for testing positive for FM (95% CI = 1.00, 2.25). Percent agreement between tools was high (all > 86%). Results for kappa coefficient showed moderate agreement between FSQ scores and each of FirST and LFESSQ. There was poor agreement between FirST and LFESSQ. FM is prevalent among PIT. There is a high percent agreement and poor to moderate correlation between the screening tools used.