Clinical spectrum time course in non-Asian patients positive for anti-MDA5 antibodies.

OBJECTIVES: To define the clinical spectrum time-course and prognosis of non-Asian patients positive for anti-MDA5 antibodies. METHODS: We conducted a multicentre, international, retrospective cohort study. RESULTS: 149 anti-MDA5 positive patients (median onset age 53 years, median disease duration 18 months), mainly females (100, 67%), were included. Dermatomyositis (64, 43%) and amyopathic dermatomyositis (47, 31%), were the main diagnosis; 15 patients (10%) were classified as interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF) and 7 (5%) as rheumatoid arthritis. The main clinical findings observed were myositis (84, 56%), interstitial lung disease (ILD) (108, 78%), skin lesions (111, 74%), and arthritis (76, 51%). The onset of these manifestations was not concomitant in 74 cases (50%). Of note, 32 (21.5%) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit for rapidly progressive-ILD, which occurred in median 2 months from lung involvement detection, in the majority of cases (28, 19%) despite previous immunosuppressive treatment. One-third of patients (47, 32% each) was ANA and anti-ENA antibodies negative and a similar percentage was anti-Ro52 kDa antibodies positive. Non-specific interstitial pneumonia (65, 60%), organising pneumonia (23, 21%), and usual interstitial pneumonia-like pattern (14, 13%) were the main ILD patterns observed. Twenty-six patients died (17%), 19 (13%) had a rapidly progressive-ILD. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical spectrum of the anti-MDA5 antibodies-related disease is heterogeneous. Rapidly-progressive ILD deeply impacts the prognosis also in non-Asian patients, occurring early during the disease course. Anti-MDA5 antibody positivity should be considered even when baseline autoimmune screening is negative, anti-Ro52 kDa antibodies are positive, and radiology findings show a NSIP pattern.

The Course of von Willebrand Factor and Factor VIII Activity in Patients with von Willebrand Disease during Pregnancy.

INTRODUCTION: Women with von Willebrand disease (VWD) are at a higher risk of bleeding, which might affect the health of mother and child during pregnancy and the intra- and postpartum periods. This retrospective cohort study evaluates changes in the coagulation parameters von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF:Ag), von Willebrand ristocetin cofactor (VWF:RCo), and Factor VIII activity (FVIII:C) during pregnancy in patients with VWD. In total, 44 pregnancies of 38 patients were assessed (VWD type 1 n = 32, type 2A n = 3, type 2B n = 1, type 2 subtype unidentified n = 2). The patients' median age at childbirth was 32 years (range 22-40). RESULTS: A significant increase in coagulation parameters was found in patients with VWD type 1 (VWF:Ag, VWF:RCo, and FVIII:C p = 0.000). In the third trimester, VWF:Ag and FVIII:C normalized in all patients with VWD type 1; in 3 patients VWF:RCo remained below the normal range. Patients with VWD type 2 showed a significant increase of VWF:Ag (p = 0.003) and FVIII:C (p = 0.011), and a non-significant increase of VWF:RCo (p = 0.097). In 4 of 9 pregnancies of patients with VWD type 2, all surveyed coagulation parameters normalized until the third trimester. CONCLUSION: For the majority of the observed patients, the von Willebrand parameters increased during pregnancy.

Nailfold Capillaroscopy Characteristics of Antisynthetase Syndrome and Possible Clinical Associations: Results of a Multicenter International Study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) features of patients with antisynthetase syndrome (AS) and to investigate possible correlations with clinical and serological features of the disease. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed NVC images of 190 patients with AS [females/males 3.63, mean age 49.7 ± 12.8 yrs, median disease duration 53.7 mos (interquartile range 82), 133 anti-Jo1 and 57 non-anti-Jo1-positive patients]. For each patient, we examined number of capillaries, giant capillaries, microhemorrhages, avascular areas, ramified capillaries, and the presence of systemic sclerosis (SSc)-like pattern. Finally, we correlated NVC features with clinical and serological findings of patients with AS. Concomitantly, a historical cohort of 75 patients with antinuclear antibody-negative primary Raynaud phenomenon (RP) and longterm followup was used as a control group (female/male ratio 4.13/1, mean age 53.9 ± 17.6 yrs) for NVC measures. RESULTS: NVC abnormalities were observed in 62.1% of AS patients compared with 29.3% of primary RP group (p < 0.001). An SSc-like pattern was detected in 67 patients (35.3%) and it was associated with anti-Jo1 antibodies (p = 0.002) and also with a longer disease duration (p = 0.004). Interestingly, there was no significant correlation between the presence of SSc-like pattern and RP, and only 47% of patients with SSc-like pattern had RP. CONCLUSION: NVC abnormalities are commonly observed in AS, independently from the occurrence of RP. The presence of an SSc-like pattern could allow identification of a more defined AS subtype, and prospective studies could confirm the association with clinical and serological features of AS.