[Cutaneous pyoderma gangrenosum with hepatosplenic localization and monoclonal gammapathy. A case report]. / Pyoderma gangrenosum cutané avec localisation hépatosplénique et dysglobulinémie monoclonale.

Pyoderma gangrenosum is an ulcerative disease of the skin. The histopathological lesions are nonspecific, characterized by a diffuse neutrophilic infiltrate in the dermis. Pyoderma gangrenosum is associated with inflammatory, digestive or articular disease, or acute or chronic hemotology disorders in 50% of the cases, more rarely with monoclonal gammapathy. A visceral localization of pyoderma gangrenosum is rare, simulating a systemic disease or an underlying neoplasia. We report a case of cutaneous pyoderma gangrenosum with splenic and hepatic localizatios associated with an IgG monoclonal gammapathy. We emphasize the efficacy of immunosuppressor treatment and the importance of long-term monitoring of these patients.

Adverse drug reactions in a department of systemic diseases-oriented internal medicine: prevalence, incidence, direct costs and avoidability.

OBJECTIVE: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a major cause of hospital admission and in-hospital morbidity. Departments of internal medicine are at the forefront of this problem. To increase the knowledge base, we did a study of the frequency, hazard function, avoidability, and cost of ADRs as a cause for admission in internal medicine, or when occurring after admission. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was based on all admissions to an internal medicine unit over a 4-month period. Patients were intensively followed in order to assess any ADR occurring during the hospital stay. Causality, direct costs, and preventability were assessed. RESULTS: Of 444 admissions (2569 patient-days), 156 ADRs occurred in 116 patients (26.1% of all admissions); 95 (21.4%) of these had ADRs at admission, which were the reason for admission in 32 (7.2%). Twenty-one patients (4.7%) presented with 26 ADRs during hospitalization. The in-hospital ADR incidence rate was 10.1 per 1000 patient-days. The cost of ADRs leading to hospitalization was estimated at Euro 11,357 per hospital bed per year. Eighty percent of ADRs could be considered preventable. CONCLUSION: ADRs in hospitalized patients are common and often preventable. Since most ADRs occurred before admission, prevention strategies should preferentially target primary health care providers.

[Schnitzler syndrome: a rare cause of systemic urticaria]. / Syndrome de Schnitzler: une cause rare d'urticaire systémique.

INTRODUCTION: The Schnitzler's syndrome first described in 1972, associates urticaria, bone pain, and monoclonal IgM gammapathy. EXEGESIS: A 50-year-old man presented symptoms of urticaria restricted to the trunk and lower members, with episodes of fever accompanied by inflammatory pain in the knees and legs. Slight deterioration of his general condition was also observed. Biological findings showed the existence of an inflammatory syndrome. Electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis provided evidence for the existence of underlying IgM gammapathy. Bone X-ray demonstrated the presence of tibial and peroneal metaphysis thickening, with hyperfixation on bone scintigraphy. The patient's condition improved after cortisone and colchicine treatment, allowing decrease in coricosteroid doses. Two years later, except for urticaria, clinical features have disappeared and no hematological disorder has been observed.

[Exudative enteropathy in disseminated lupus erythematosus. Report of 3 cases and review of the literature]. / Les entéropathies exsudatives au cours du lupus érythémateux disséminé. A propos de trois cas et revue de la litterature.

Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is characterized by loss of essentially protein substances into the gastrointestinal tract. Few reports of PLE supervening in patients who have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have appeared in the literature. We report three new cases. All three were women who had a severe form of SLE involving several organs. PLE was diagnosed on the basis of an increased clearance of alpha 1 antitrypsin. The severeness of the clinical picture in all three patients justified the use of immunosuppressive agents (corticosteroids and pulse cyclophosphamide therapy) which were effective. These cases are compared to the 24 previously reported. The frequency of PLE during an SLE flare-up is probably underestimated. It should be looked for in SLE patients who have edema by means of the simple alpha 1 antitrypsin test. PLE is often found in severe clinical forms of SLE and should be managed using corticosteroids either alone or in association with immunosuppressive drugs.

Chronic immunity-driven polyarthritis in hairy cell leukemia. Report of a case and review of the literature.

Hairy cell leukemia can be responsible for polyarthritis due either to leukemic infiltration or to immunity-drive inflammation. The second variant can antedate or post-date the clinical onset of leukemic symptoms and usually presents as rheumatoid arthritis, more rarely as lupus or scleroderma. The presence of hairy cells in the joint fluid does not rule out autoimmune polyarthritis. The main differential diagnoses are Felty's syndrome and large granular lymphocyte leukemia. We report a case of hairy cell leukemia with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis.