French protocol for the diagnosis and management of familial Mediterranean fever.

Familial Mediterranean fever is the most common monogenic auto-inflammatory disease in the world. It mainly affects people originating from the Mediterranean region. The mutated gene is MEFV, which codes for pyrin. Transmission is autosomal recessive. Patients present with recurrent attacks of fever since childhood associated with abdominal and/or thoracic pain lasting an average of 2-3days and a biological inflammatory syndrome. Other symptoms include arthralgia or arthritis in large joints such as the knees and ankles, myalgia in the lower limbs and pseudo-erysipelas in the ankles. The most serious complication is inflammatory amyloidosis, which can lead to kidney failure. Treatment is based on colchicine, which helps to prevent flares and the onset of renal amyloidosis. This paper proposes national guidelines for the diagnosis, management and follow-up of familial Mediterranean fever in France, where we estimate there are between 5000 and 10,000 patients with the disease at all stages of life. The diagnosis is suspected on the basis of clinical and anamnestic factors and confirmed by genetic analysis. These guidelines also suggest a "treat-to-target" approach to disease management, particularly in case of suspected colchicine resistance - a very rare situation that should remain a diagnosis of elimination, especially after colchicine compliance has been verified. Two special situations are also addressed in these guidelines: kidney failure and pregnancy.

French practical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of AA amyloidosis.

AA amyloidosis is secondary to the deposit of excess insoluble Serum Amyloid A (SAA) protein fibrils. AA amyloidosis complicates chronic inflammatory diseases, especially chronic inflammatory rheumatisms such as rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis; chronic infections such as tuberculosis, bronchectasia, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease; and auto-inflammatory diseases including familial Mediterranean fever. This work consists of the French guidelines for the diagnosis workup and treatment of AA amyloidosis. We estimate in France between 500 and 700 cases in the whole French population, affecting both men and women. The most frequent organ impaired is kidney which usually manifests by oedemas of the lower extremities, proteinuria, and/or renal failure. Patients are usually tired and can display digestive features anf thyroid goiter. The diagnosis of AA amyloidosis is based on detection of amyloid deposits on a biopsy using Congo Red staining with a characteristic green birefringence in polarized light. Immunohistochemical analysis with an antibody directed against Serum Amyloid A protein is essential to confirm the diagnosis of AA amyloidosis. Peripheral inflammatory biomarkers can be measured such as C Reactive protein and SAA. We propose an algorithm to guide the etiological diagnosis of AA amyloidosis. The treatement relies on the etiologic treatment of the undelying chronic inflammatory disease to decrease and/or normalize Serum Amyloid A protein concentration in order to stabilize amyloidosis. In case of renal failure, dialysis or even a kidney transplant can be porposed. Nowadays, there is currently no specific treatment for AA amyloidosis deposits which constitutes a therapeutic challenge for the future.

Is neutrophilic dermatosis a manifestation of familial Mediterranean fever?

Objectives: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most frequent monogenic autoinflammatory disease. It is associated with MEFV mutations. Its main features are recurrent episodes of fever and serositis. Patients can display dermatological manifestations such as erysipelas-like erythema, generally considered as a neutrophilic dermatosis (ND). It has been suggested that FMF can be associated with other types of ND. Our aim was to perform a systematic review of the literature to assess the link between ND and FMF.Method: A systematic review of the literature was performed using MEDLINE from 1946 to 2018. Three independent investigators identified reports of non-erysipelas-like erythema neutrophilic dermatosis (NEND) associated with FMF, selected the criteria to establish the diagnosis of FMF and ND, and evaluated the link between the two conditions. FMF-associated NEND was supported by confirmation of both diagnoses and exclusion of other causes of ND.Results: Eighteen articles were selected. Nine articles reported FMF patients with the following NEND: neutrophilic panniculitis (n = 4), Sweet syndrome (n = 6), and pyoderma gangrenosum (n = 1). None of these cases was supported by histological confirmation, fulfilled diagnostic criteria for definitive or probable FMF, or confirmed the exclusion of all the most frequent diseases associated with NEND. As a result, there is insufficient evidence to support a potential relationship between NEND and FMF.Conclusions: The association between FMF and NEND remains unclear. In FMF patients with NEND, every differential diagnosis and alternative cause of NEND should be excluded before drawing any conclusions about a potential causal relationship.

Poor performance of albumin or protein-adjusted plasma calcium to diagnose dyscalcemia in hospitalized patients: A confirmatory study in a general internal medicine department.

INTRODUCTION: Hypo- and hypercalcemia are common and some causes require urgent diagnosis and treatment. Measurement of ionized calcium is the reference test to diagnose calcium disorders but total calcium adjusted for protein or albumin concentration is more often used. METHODS: Patients hospitalised in a general internal medicine department from September 2013 to December 2015 who had a total plasma calcium concentration and a serum albumin or protein concentration measured within 24h of a ionized calcium blood measurement were included. Total calcium was adjusted for protein or albumin concentration using widely used formulas and compared to ionized calcium as the gold standard. RESULTS: Among 210 included patients, 46 (22%) had hypocalcemia, 124 (59%) normocalcemia and 40 (19%) hypercalcemia according to ionized calcium concentration. Total calcium had 50% sensitivity and 95% specificity to diagnose hypocalcemia and a 93% sensitivity and 89% specificity to diagnose hypercalcemia. Adjusting total calcium for protein or albumin concentrations did not increase and sometimes decreased diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSION: Total calcium, with or without albumin/protein adjustment, is poorly sensitive to screen for hypocalcemia. Unadjusted total calcium is as sensitive as protein- or albumin-adjusted total calcium to screen for hypercalcemia. These data argue against the use of albumin- or protein-adjusted calcium. Ionized calcium measurement should be performed to confirm dyscalcemia in patients with abnormal total calcium concentration and to rule out hypocalcemia in patients with total calcium concentration in the lower range of normal values.

[Periodic fever syndrome associated with mutations in the TNF type 1 receptor gene: A differential diagnosis of familial Mediterranean fever that should not be overlooked in patients of Mediterranean origin]. / Le syndrome de fièvre prolongée associée aux mutations du gène du récepteur au TNF de type 1 : un diagnostic différentiel de la fièvre méditerranéenne familiale à ne pas méconnaître chez les patients d'origine méditerranéenne.

INTRODUCTION: Tumor Necrosis Factor Type 1 Receptor Associated Periodic Syndrome (TRAPS) is a rare autosomal dominant autosomal autoinflammatory disease associated with mutations in the TNF type 1 receptor gene (TNFRSF1A). It is characterized by relatively long recurrent febrile seizures with an average duration of 7 days accompanied by arthralgia, myalgia, and usually a rash. In a patient of Mediterranean origin with recurrent fever, familial Mediterranean fever is the first diagnosis to be suspected by argument of frequency. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted on patients from Mediterranean origin followed for TRAPS and included in the "Juvenile Inflammatory Rheumatism" (JIR) observational cohort in the national French autoinflammatory center. The age of onset of symptoms, age of diagnosis, number of years of wandering and treatments received were collected for each index case. RESULTS: Nine patients from 6 families of Mediterranean origin were included. A molecular diagnosis confirmed TRAPS in all patients. The median age at diagnosis was 26 years, the mean number of years of wandering was 17 years. The diagnosis of FMF was made first in all patients. AA amyloidosis revealed TRAPS in 2 patients. Colchicine was started without any efficacy in all cases. Five patients were treated with interleukin-1 inhibitory biotherapy with 100% efficacy. CONCLUSION: In a patient of Mediterranean origin presenting with recurrent febrile abdominal pain of AA amyloidosis, the first diagnosis to be suspected is FMF. Long relapses, dominant transmission, a non-Mediterranean relative, and the ineffectiveness of colchicine should evoke TRAPS.

AA amyloidosis secondary to adult onset Still's disease: About 19 cases.

OBJECTIVE: Adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) is an inflammatory disorder characterized by high spiking fever, evanescent rash, polyarthritis, and many other systemic manifestations. Recurrent or persistent disease can lead to AA amyloidosis (AAA). Our objectives were to present 3 French cases and perform a systematic review of the literature, in order to determine the prevalence, characteristics, predisposing factors, and therapeutic response of AOSD-related AAA. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed by searching MEDLINE from 1971 to 2018. Two independent investigators selected reports of AAA complicating AOSD. New French cases were identified with the help of the Reference Center for rare Auto-Inflammatory Diseases and Amyloidosis (CEREMAIA). Patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis were excluded. RESULTS: The prevalence of AAA in AOSD was 0.88% (95%CI [0.49-1.28]) based on 45 articles. In addition to 3 new cases from the CEREMAIA, 16 patients were assessed for clinical presentation, risk factors, and therapeutic response of AOSD-related AAA. Mean age at AOSD onset was 29.6 ±â€¯12.6 years, with a mean delay before AAA diagnosis of 16.75±5.8 years. Renal involvement was the most common manifestation of AAA. The majority of patients presented active AOSD at AAA diagnosis. Various treatments of AOSD-related AAA were attempted including corticosteroids and biotherapies. CONCLUSION: AAA is a rare and severe complication that may occur during the course of uncontrolled active AOSD. It could be prevented by early diagnosis and better control of AOSD, with more frequent use of biotherapies.

[NLRC4 associated autoinflammatory diseases: A systematic review of the current literature]. / Les maladies auto-inflammatoires associées aux mutations de NLRC4 : revue systématique de la littérature.

The auto-inflammatory diseases linked to NLRC4 mutations are recently described entities. Transmission is autosomal dominant in 80 % of cases; cases of somatic mutation have already been reported. The disease may display two very different clinical phenotypes: the phenotype 1 (30 %), severe, is dominated by a multisystemic inflammation starting in the first year of life with symptoms of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), macrophagic actication syndrome (MAS), or even a presentation suggesting a cryopyrinopathy in its CINCA form; the mortality of this phenotype is high (25 %). The phenotype 2 (70 %), mild, usually starts after the age of 3 and is characterized by cold urticaria, arthralgia, ocular features and fever in 50 % of cases without visceral failure. Anti-interleukin-1 inhibitors are effective in most cases (83 %). Interleukin-18 (IL-18) levels are very high in both clinical forms. Interleukin-18 inhibitors and anti-interferon-gamma inhibitors were remarkably effective in two very severe phenotype 1 patients. Thus, NLRC4 mutations can induce various clinical manifestations with two distinct phenotypes. Although still rare, because very recently described, this group of diseases could be evoked by an internist in front of cold familial urticarial; probably more and more cases will be diagnosed thanks to the major progresses of genetic diagnostic tools such as next generation sequencing.

[Clinical overview of auto-inflammatory diseases]. / Panorama des maladies auto-inflammatoires.

Monogenic auto-inflammatory diseases are characterized by genetic abnormalities coding for proteins involved in innate immunity. They were initially described in mirror with auto-immune diseases because of the absence of circulating autoantibodies. Their main feature is the presence of peripheral blood inflammation in crisis without infection. The best-known auto-inflammatory diseases are mediated by interleukines that consisted in the 4 following diseases familial Mediterranean fever, cryopyrinopathies, TNFRSF1A-related intermittent fever, and mevalonate kinase deficiency. Since 10 years, many other diseases have been discovered, especially thanks to the progress in genetics. In this review, we propose the actual panorama of the main known auto-inflammatory diseases. Some of them are recurrent fevers with crisis and remission; some others evaluate more chronically; some are associated with immunodeficiency. From a physiopathological point of view, we can separate diseases mediated by interleukine-1 and diseases mediated by interferon. Then some polygenic inflammatory diseases will be shortly described: Still disease, Schnitzler syndrome, aseptic abscesses syndrome. The diagnosis of auto-inflammatory disease is largely based on anamnesis, the presence of peripheral inflammation during attacks and genetic analysis, which are more and more performant.

[Familial Mediterranean fever]. / La fièvre méditerranéenne familiale.

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is the most frequent monogenic auto-inflammatory disease. FMF is an autosomal recessive disease, which affects populations from Mediterranean origin and is associated with MEFV gene mutations encoding for the protein pyrin. Pyrin activation enhances the secretion of interleukin 1 by myelo-monocytic cells. Main features of the disease are acute attacks of serositis mainly located on the abdomen, less frequently on chest and joints, accompanied by fever and biological inflammatory markers elevation. Usually attacks last 1 to 3 days and spontaneously stop. A daily oral colchicine intake of 1 to 2mg/day is able to prevent attack's occurrence, frequency, intensity and duration among most patients. Colchicine is also able to prevent the development of inflammatory amyloidosis, the most severe complication of FMF. This state of the art article will focus on the diagnosis of FMF, the treatment and an update on the pathophysiology including the recent described dominant form of MEFV-associated new auto-inflammatory diseases.

[Tumor necrosis receptor associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS): State of the art]. / La fièvre récurrente liée au récepteur 1 du TNF (TNF receptor associated periodic syndrome ­ TRAPS).

Tumour necrosis receptor associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) is a rare cosmopolitan dominant autosomal disease that belongs to the group of recurrent autoinflammatory syndromes. TRAPS is characterized by recurrent bouts of fever lasting more than 7 days, with arthralgia, myalgia, abdominal pain, erythematous rash and sometimes ocular symptoms. During flares, raised inflammatory markers are constant. The age of onset may occur during childhood but also during adulthood. TRAPS is caused by mutations in the TNF receptor 1 (TNFRSF1A) gene that may occur in most of the populations over the world. In the majority of patients, history shows affected relatives, even if sporadic cases do exist. Management of TRAPS usually involves corticosteroid therapy during inflammatory flares. The most severe cases require a treatment with biological agents (mainly interleukin 1 inhibitors). The prognosis of TRAPS is overall good; the main risk is represented by the development of secondary inflammatory amyloidosis. This risk is greatest in patients with structural mutations leading to conformation abnormalities of the TNFRSF1A receptor. Regular clinical and biological monitoring is essential in the follow-up of TRAPS patients.

[Multiple facets of ADA2 deficiency: Vasculitis, auto-inflammatory disease and immunodeficiency: A literature review of 135 cases from literature]. / Les multiples facettes du déficit en ADA2, vascularite, maladie auto-inflammatoire et immunodéficit : mise au point à partir des 135 cas de la littérature.

Deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2) is a recently described auto-inflammatory disorder. It is an autosomal recessive inherited disease, caused by mutations in the ADA2 gene (formerly known as CECR1) encoding ADA2 enzyme. Besides its role in the purine metabolism, it has been postulated that ADA2 may act as a growth factor for endothelial cells and in the differenciation of monocytes. Thus, deficiency of ADA2 would lead to endothelial damage and a skewing of monocytes into M1 pro-inflammatory macrophage, causing DADA2 manifestations. Three core clinical features have been described: inflammatory-vascular signs, hematologic abnormalities and immunodeficiency. Clinically, patients display intermittent fever, cutaneous vascular manifestations, such as livedo, ischemic strokes, arthralgia and abdominal pain crisis. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents (i.e. cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, ciclosporin, methotrexate) appear to be poorly effective. Although the mechanism has not been elucidated, anti-TNF agents have been proven efficient in DADA2 and should therefore be used as first line therapy for vasculitis. Role of anti-platelet and anticoagulant therapies in stroke-prophylaxis remains to be discussed, as those patients display a high risk of intracranial bleeding.

Real-World Experience and Impact of Canakinumab in Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndrome: Results From a French Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE: The ENVOL study was designed to assess the psychosocial impact of disease and therapy in a French cohort of cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) patients (and caregivers) treated with canakinumab. METHODS: The ENVOL study was a multicenter, observational study of CAPS patients given ≥1 canakinumab dose. Data were collected before treatment, at 6 and 12 months afterward, and at the last visit. Patients and caregivers completed questionnaires assessing changes from the 12 months of pretreatment to 12 months prior to interview. Data were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The study included 10 physicians and 68 patients (53 adults, 15 children). Sixty-five patients (95.6%) were still receiving canakinumab at the last visit (median 5 years after starting therapy). The mean ± SD score for patient-reported general health increased from 7 ± 2.9 before canakinumab to 2.7 ± 2.7 after treatment (P < 0.001). Physical and emotional symptoms resolved or improved in a substantial proportion of patients, including bodily pain (38 of 46 patients), fever (32 of 39), skin disease (35 of 41), fatigue (31 of 47), self-confidence (29 of 46), and energy (34 of 47). Social activity, relationships, sexuality, and energy measures improved in >40% of respondents. Caregivers spent a median of 3 versus 0.5 hours/week on care in the 12 months of pretreatment versus 12 months prior to interview (P < 0.001). Following treatment, patients required fewer consultations with general practitioners (mean ± SD per patient per year: 5.2 ± 7.4 versus 8.5 ± 7.2 pretreatment), internists/rheumatologists/dermatologists (2.0 ± 2.1 versus 3.7 ± 3.9), and pediatricians (1.8 ± 1.5 versus 4.4 ± 4.2). CONCLUSION: Long-term treatment with canakinumab achieves a highly relevant improvement in the physical, emotional, and social lives of patients with CAPS, accompanied by a marked reduction in support required from caregivers and in health care consultations.

Schnitzler syndrome: validation and applicability of diagnostic criteria in real-life patients.

BACKGROUND: Schnitzler syndrome is characterized by an urticarial rash, a monoclonal gammopathy, and clinical, histological, and biological signs of neutrophil-mediated inflammation. The aim of this study was to assess the applicability and validity of the existing diagnostic criteria in real-life patients. METHODS: This multicentric study was conducted between 2009 and 2014 in 14 hospitals in which patients with Schnitzler syndrome or controls with related disorders were followed up. We compared the sensitivities and specificities and calculated the positive and negative predictive values of the Lipsker and of the Strasbourg criteria for the patients with Schnitzler syndrome and for the controls. We included 42 patients with Schnitzler syndrome, 12 with adult-onset Still's disease, 7 with cryopyrin-associated periodic disease, 9 with Waldenström disease, and 10 with chronic spontaneous urticaria. RESULTS: All patients with Schnitzler syndrome met the Lipsker criteria. According to the Strasbourg criteria, 34 patients had definite Schnitzler syndrome, five had probable Schnitzler syndrome, and three did not meet the criteria. One control met the Lipsker criteria and had probable Schnitzler syndrome according to the Strasbourg criteria. Sensitivity and specificity of the Lipsker criteria were 100% and 97%, respectively. For the Strasbourg criteria, sensitivity for definite and probable diagnosis was 81% and 93%, respectively, with a corresponding specificity of 100% and 97%. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic criteria currently in use to diagnose Schnitzler syndrome are reliable. More investigations must be done to attest their efficiency in patients with recent-onset manifestations.

[Assessment of clinical observation skills of last year medical students]. / Évaluation du savoir-faire en sémiologie clinique des étudiants en fin de deuxième cycle des études médicales.

PURPOSE: Clinical examination skills are poorly evaluated by theoretical tests. We observed the clinical examination of real patients by 6th year medical students. METHODS: Four internists involved in teaching activities defined 11 clinical examination items, with two objective performance criteria each. The students were evaluated in two internal medicine departments during the rotation preceding or following their national graduation test. Scores by item and by criterion and an overall score were calculated and correlated with their rank at the national graduation test. RESULTS: Thirty-two students were evaluated in one department and 18 in the other; each evaluation lasted approximately 30 minutes. The results were similar in both departments. Only 2 items got a score over 75% in this students' sample (acute respiratory failure, peripheral pulses); 4 items were satisfied at less than 50% (lymph nodes, right heart failure, liver failure, and attention). The mean overall score was 6.5/11 (standard deviation 1.5). National rankings were good (median 1605/8001, interquartile 453-3036) but uncorrelated with the global score (Spearman coefficient -0.13; P=0.39). CONCLUSION: Bedside evaluation of the students reveals substantial deficiencies, a few months or weeks before taking their position as residents. Several elementary skills are mastered by a minority of them (search for an asterixis, distended jugular veins, deep tendon reflexes), even among those successful at the national graduation test. Bedside evaluation of clinical examination skills should be more systematically performed.