It Takes a Village: The Management of Extreme Sequelae of Skin Popping.

INTRODUCTION: Skin popping (SP) is a popular technique for drug misuse, for its ease of administration and longer duration of effect. Skin infection is a well-described sequela of SP, but less is known about the more extreme sequelae of this practice. METHODS: Five patients who engaged in SP requiring major surgical intervention were identified on case review to highlight extreme diseases resulting from the practice of SP. Each patient reported using heroin or tested positive for opioid on admission. Each patient admitted to practicing SP or maintained a shooter's patch. A multidisciplinary approach was employed to care for the patient. Members of the departments of medicine, surgery, nursing, addiction medicine, infectious disease, rehabilitation, and social work collaborated in the complex management of each patient. RESULTS: Five patients presented to Rush University Medical Center between 2017 and 2019 for complications of SP. All 5 patients were actively using nonprescription opioids; 2 were concurrently undergoing treatment for opioid use disorder. Recurrent SP led to failed surgical treatment in all but 1 patient. Surgical outcome was directly related to recidivism. CONCLUSION: The successful surgical management of severe sequelae of SP depends upon the successful management of the patient's addiction. Multidisciplinary care by surgical, medical, psychiatric, addiction, nursing, rehabilitation, and social work specialists is necessary to achieve a successful outcome. Based on this experience, the author's institution no longer offers nonurgent closure procedures to patients whose addiction is not well controlled.

Renal involvement in relapsing polychondritis.

Twenty-nine of the 129 patients with RP seen at the Mayo Clinic between 1943 and 1984 had renal involvement. These patients were older, had arthritis and extrarenal vasculitis more frequently, and had a significantly worse survival rate than those without renal involvement. Renal biopsies were obtained in 11 of these 29 patients. The predominant lesions were mild mesangial expansion and cell proliferation, and segmental necrotizing glomerulonephritis with crescents. Small amounts of electron-dense deposits, predominantly mesangial, were noted on electron microscopy. Immunofluorescence revealed faint deposition of C3 and/or IgG or IgM, predominantly in the mesangium. Autopsies were obtained in 13 of the 47 patients who had died. Information regarding the renal pathology was available in 10 of these 13 autopsies. At the time of the initial evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, 6 of these 10 patients had evidence of renal involvement. At autopsy, none of these 10 patients had evidence of active renal vasculitis or segmental necrotizing glomerulonephritis, but 8 of the 10 patients exhibited variable degrees of vascular and glomerular sclerosis, segmental mesangial proliferation, tubular loss, and interstitial lymphocytic infiltrates. These observations expand the limited information available in the literature, which is based on 11 previously published case reports of renal involvement in RP. In only a few of our patients and previously reported patients were the manifestations of the disease limited to the systems characteristically involved in pure RP. The frequent coexistence of other autoimmune and connective tissue diseases supports the role of immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of this syndrome. Deposition of immune complexes is likely to play a role in the pathogenesis of the glomerular lesions associated with RP. Administration of corticosteroids alone is sufficient to induce a complete remission in some cases, while in others the addition of a cytotoxic agent is necessary to control the activity of the disease or to spare corticosteroid side effects and maintain a remission. Immunosuppression-related infectious complications and undetected relapses after discontinuation of immunosuppressive therapy are largely responsible for the morbidity and mortality observed in these patients.

Trigeminal sensory neuropathy associated with connective tissue diseases.

We reviewed the clinical and laboratory features of 81 patients who had trigeminal sensory neuropathy (TSN) and a connective tissue disease (CTD). The neuropathy developed before the symptoms of CTD in 6/81 patients (7%), and in 38/81 patients (47%) TSN and CTD were diagnosed concurrently. The most frequently associated CTDs were undifferentiated connective tissue disease (38/81, 47%), mixed connective tissue disease (21/81, 26%), and scleroderma (15/81, 19%). Of 66 patients followed for more than 1 year (median, 5 years; range, 1 to 26 years), 8/66 patients (12%) had mild improvement and 2/66 (3%) had marked improvement of numbness; no patient had complete return of sensation. The facial numbness was frequently associated with moderate to severe facial pain that was usually resistant to pharmacologic therapy. None of the patients developed clinical or laboratory evidence of systemic vasculitis. The etiology of this cranial sensory neuropathy remains obscure.

Auranofin-associated colitis and eosinophilia.

Gold compounds, often used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, have been associated with gastrointestinal disturbances in some patients. Use of auranofin, an oral gold preparation, in a 50-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis resulted in diarrhea, abdominal tenderness, nausea, and vomiting, which persisted despite discontinuation of auranofin therapy. The presumptive diagnosis was gold-induced colitis and eosinophilia. Administration of cromolyn sodium provided relief. Although this complication may be rare, evolving bowel symptoms in patients receiving auranofin demand prompt attention.

Poststreptococcal reactive arthritis in adults: a case series.

OBJECTIVE: To guide primary care physicians regarding the diagnosis and treatment of poststreptococcal reactive arthritis (PSReA) in adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed an indexed database of all patients evaluated or hospitalized between 1976 and 1998 at Mayo Clinic Rochester and identified 35 patients with the diagnosis of reactive streptococcal arthritis, arthralgia, or arthritides. Twenty-nine patients with the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever (ARF), septic streptococcal arthritis, or nonspecific reactive arthritis were excluded. RESULTS: PSReA was confirmed in 6 adults (3 women, 3 men; age range, 25-66 years). All patients were symptomatic with polyarthritis and oligoarthritis disproportionate to the objective findings on physical examination. Although all patients had negative throat cultures at the onset of arthritis, increased titers of anti-DNase B and antistreptolysin O confirmed recent streptococcal infection. Antecedent events included pharyngitis in 3 patients (who had received a minimum of a 10-day course of penicillin) and toxic shock syndrome in 1 patient. The latency of onset of arthritis ranged from 4 days to 6 weeks. The arthritic symptoms had a protracted course beyond the typical maximum of 3 weeks described for ARF. Treatment with aspirin did not provide symptomatic relief in any of the patients, whereas the response to therapy with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was at least partial in all cases. Symptomatic relief occurred in 1 patient who received indomethacin and in 1 patient treated with prednisone. Penicillin prophylaxis was recommended in 1 patient. CONCLUSION: PSReA should be included in the differential diagnosis of all adult patients presenting with arthritis. Treatment strategies include aspirin, other NSAIDs, and corticosteroids. In adult patients with PSReA, there is no evidence to support the use of penicillin prophylaxis at this time.

Eosinophilic fasciitis: report of 15 cases.

Clinical and histopathologic features of 15 cases of diffuse fasciitis with eosinophilia are reviewed. The patients experienced an inflammatory scleroderma-like illness without Raynaud's phenomenon or internal organ involvement. Polyarthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome were observed. The clinical courses demonstrated the potential for spontaneous remission, relapse, and late recurrence. Histopathologic features are discussed, as is their relationship to other forms of localized scleroderma. None of the 12 patients treated with corticosteroids has had complete resolution of the skin changes after a median follow-up of 10 months. Unusual associated diseases--acute myelomonocytic leukemia and an evolving myeloproliferative disorder--were observed in two patients.

Economic outcome under Medicare prospective payment at a tertiary-care institution: the effects of demographic, clinical, and logistic factors on duration of hospital stay and part A charges for medical back problems (DRG 243).

We investigated the effects of prospectively identified factors on the duration of hospital stay and part A charges in 240 hospitalizations (of 230 patients) for the diagnosis-related group "medical back problems" (DRG 243) at a tertiary-care institution in 1985 to determine whether heterogeneity existed within this reimbursement category. We confirmed our initial postulates that nonosteoporotic fractures and neck problems, as well as hospitalizations primarily for myelography after outpatient neurologic evaluation, had considerably different economic outcomes and thus excluded these categories from further analysis. Statistical analysis (forward stepwise regression) of the remaining 132 patients who had "general medical back problems" showed that increasing age, associated osteoporosis, and therapeutic injections best explained variation in the natural logarithm of duration of stay (R2 = 0.16). Total number of diagnoses, spondylosis, associated osteoporosis, age, therapeutic injections, and performance of special procedures best explained the variation in the logarithm of part A charges (R2 = 0.29). The ability to identify factors within a specified category that affect the duration of hospitalization and part A charges jeopardizes the fairness of prospective payment, and we believe that DRG 243 should be adjusted for age, comorbidity, and readily identifiable clinical syndromes that have disparate economic consequences. Because of poorly substantiated efficacy and a significant association with longer hospital stays and higher part A charges, clinicians should review the use of therapeutic injections for medical back problems. Analysis of case-mix such as ours should be helpful in promoting efficient practice and ensuring the fairness of any reimbursement system.

Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus and other connective tissue diseases in Rochester, Minnesota, 1950 through 1979.

The incidence and prevalence rates of connective tissue disease syndromes in Rochester, Minnesota, from 1950 through 1979 are reported. The incidence of definite systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has not increased since 1960. The incidence of SLE in the elderly population was higher than that in previous reports. Rates of SLE and discoid lupus erythematosus were approximately equal. Other diagnoses (in decreasing order of frequency) were suspected lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, drug-induced lupus, and overlapping connective tissue disease syndromes. The 10-year survival of patients with definite SLE was decreased, and the survival of patients with suspected SLE was the same as that of the general population.

Idiopathic symptomatic osteoarthritis of the hip and knee: a population-based incidence study.

We identified all residents of Rochester, Minnesota, who sought medical assistance for the first time in 1985 because of symptomatic osteoarthritis of the hip or knee that was unrelated to a specific disease. Of these residents, 98 (59 women and 39 men) had 122 symptomatic joints (95 knees and 27 hips), for age- and sex-adjusted incidence rates of 205 new patients and 255 newly affected joints per 100,000 person-years. The incidence of osteoarthritis of the hip was greater in women than in men, whereas the sex ratio for occurrence of osteoarthritis of the knee approached unity. Rates at both sites increased steadily with aging in men but plateaued after the menopause in women; similar patterns were seen whether or not grade 1 disease was included. Projected nationally, these first population-based data indicate that as many as approximately half a million new symptomatic cases of idiopathic osteoarthritis of the knee and hip may arise annually in the white population of the United States. With increasing longevity, osteoarthritis may exact an even greater toll in the future.

Total knee arthroplasty: a population-based study.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is being used increasingly for the management of chronic arthritis of the knee. In this report, we review the frequency of application of TKA in the population of Olmsted County, Minnesota, from 1971 through 1986. The utilization rate of TKA increased from 20.5 per 100,000 person-years for 1971 through 1974 to 60.8 per 100,000 for 1983 through 1986. Although rates were higher in women, they increased with advancing age in both sexes. Rates between the urban and rural populations of Olmsted County did not differ. The two most common underlying diseases that necessitated TKA were osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis; they were the cause of more than 90% of all operations. By extrapolating the rates of TKA in Olmsted County to the total 1986 US population, we estimate a need for at least 143,000 TKAs annually at a direct cost of more than $2.3 billion each year.

Common rheumatologic diseases in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE: To review common rheumatologic disorders that affect elderly patients and emphasize the unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges inherent in the management of rheumatologic diseases in this age-group. DESIGN: We summarize our approach to treatment and management of specific rheumatologic problems in geriatric patients and discuss pertinent studies from the literature. RESULTS: Among the spectrum of rheumatologic disorders frequently encountered in the elderly population are polymyalgia rheumatica, fibromyalgia, giant cell arteritis, crystalline arthropathies (gout and pseudogout), and degenerative joint disease. The initial manifestations of these rheumatologic diseases in elderly patients may differ from the typical findings in younger patients. Geriatric patients may have nonspecific complaints, a decline in physical function, or even confusion. Because of physiologic changes associated with aging and a decrease in functional reserves, elderly patients are susceptible to adverse effects of pharmacologic therapy (including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroids, narcotic analgesics, allopurinol, and colchicine). Clinicians should be alert for such problems as hepatotoxicity and occult gastrointestinal blood loss. Comorbid conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment may complicate management strategies and may limit the goals of both surgical intervention and rehabilitation programs in elderly patients. CONCLUSION: Rheumatologic disorders in geriatric patients pose special challenges to primary-care physicians. In the selection of optimal pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapeutic modalities, clinicians should focus on maintaining or improving the patient's quality of life and level of independent function.

Eosinophilic fasciitis: clinical spectrum and therapeutic response in 52 cases.

The clinical course of 52 cases with eosinophilic fasciitis observed at the Mayo Clinic has been described. Cutaneous changes included pitting edema, peau d'orange, and induration, and may affect virtually any body surface area. In addition, localized morphea was present in 15 cases. Arthritis was observed in 21 patients; 29 patients had flexion contractures and 12 had carpal tunnel syndrome. Associated hematologic diseases were found in five patients; thrombocytopenia in two, myeloproliferative disorder in one, myelomonocytic leukemia in one, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in one. Peripheral blood eosinophilia was noted in 33 of 52 patients, hypergammaglobulinemia was noted in 17 of 49, and elevated sedimentation rate was noted in 15 of 52. Nonspecific EMG changes were seen in 11 of 15 patients. None had clinical involvement of the kidneys, lungs, or heart. No significant association between any HLA-A, -B, or -DR and eosinophilic fasciitis was seen. Prednisone and hydroxychloroquine seemed equally beneficial in treatment; however, some cases showed spontaneous recovery, making evaluation of therapeutic efficacy difficult. Relapses occurred in some cases.

Thromboangiitis obliterans with eosinophilia (Buerger's disease) of the temporal arteries.

Thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger's disease) is a nonatherosclerotic, inflammatory, occlusive vascular disease occurring almost exclusively in young male smokers. It involves principally medium sized and small arteries and veins of the lower and upper extremities, and only rarely the visceral and cerebral blood vessels. Buerger's disease of the temporal arteries, unassociated with the involvement of blood vessels of either the upper or lower extremities has not been previously reported. Three such cases, clinically mimicking the classic (giant cell) temporal arteritis of the elderly, are described. This unusual arterial lesion also bears some resemblance to subcutaneous angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (Kimura's disease).

A population-based case-control study of temporal arteritis: evidence for an association between temporal arteritis and degenerative vascular disease?

The first population-based incident case-control study of temporal arteritis (TA) in the US was conducted using the unique data resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project. During the period 1950-1985, 88 newly diagnosed cases of biopsy-proven TA were identified among residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota. Cases were each matched to four Olmsted County community controls on age, sex and duration of community medical record. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated for marital status, education, Quetelet index, pregnancy, age at menopause, thyroid disease, diabetes, smoking, hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke. Multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis identified statistically significant adjusted OR for smoking (2.3, 95% CI = 1.3-4.1). Elevated ORs which were not statistically significant were noted for angina, myocardial infarction, and peripheral vascular disease. These data suggest that TA and arteriosclerosis may share a common causal pathway. Alternatively, histopathological misclassification of temporal artery biopsies may have resulted in the observed association. Due to the limited power of this population-based study, multicentre collaboration should be encouraged to more precisely define the epidemiology of TA.

Epidemiology of vasculitis.

Knowledge of the epidemiology of vasculitic syndromes in the general population is limited. With few exceptions, most of the syndromes are sufficiently infrequent that accurate population-based data are lacking.

Vasculitis and relapsing polychondritis.

Relapsing polychondritis is a systemic disease of unknown etiology with predominate manifestations of multiorgan cartilaginous inflammation. Although relapsing polychondritis occurs predominantly as a separately defined clinical complex, a significant number of patients may suffer from another rheumatic disease. Vasculitic syndromes are the most commonly observed disorders associated with relapsing polychondritis.

Polymyalgia rheumatica/giant cell arteritis and other vasculitides.

The epidemiology of vasculitic syndromes encompasses a broad spectrum of diverse clinical syndromes. Almost all lack identified etiologic agents, and their clinical characteristics are determined predominantly by the size of the involved vessel and the end organs damaged. With the exception of giant cell arteritis/polymyalgia rheumatica in the elderly, and Henoch-Schönlein purpura and Kawasaki disease in the pediatric population, the vasculitic syndromes are infrequently observed diseases.

Incidence of psoriasis in Rochester, Minn, 1980-1983.

This population-based study was carried out using the medical records linkage data resource for the population of Rochester, Minn, at Mayo Clinic. There were 132 newly diagnosed cases of psoriasis identified during a 4-year period (1980 through 1983); 88% of the cases had been seen and diagnosed by a dermatologist. The overall crude incidence rate was 57.6 per 100,000 population; for men and women, the rates were 54.4 and 60.2, respectively. The overall sex- and age-adjusted (1980 US white population) incidence rate was 60.4 per 100,000 person-years. The highest rate of occurrence (112.6) was in the 60- to 69-year-old age group. Most of the cases of psoriasis diagnosed in this study (58%) were mild, and the patients had psoriatic lesions on less than 10% of their body. There are no other published incidence rates for this condition with which to make comparisons.

Hip arthroplasty in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Forty-three prosthetic hip replacements (twenty-nine conventional total hip replacements and fourteen bipolar endoprosthetic replacements) were implanted between January 1971 and June 1982 in thirty-one patients who had systemic lupus erythematosus. All but four patients had stage-III or IV osteonecrosis of the femoral head. The median age at operation was forty-three years, and the median length of follow-up was fifty-seven months. Ratings were good or excellent for all but three total hip arthroplasties at a mean of sixty-six months of follow-up. Complications included delayed wound-healing (in approximately 15 per cent) and superficial wound infection (in approximately 10 per cent). The occurrence of these complications could not be correlated with the use of corticosteroids at the time of the operation. Twenty-five per cent of the patients, who were a mean of forty-three years old at operation, died less than five years postoperatively from complications related to systemic lupus erythematosus. Conclusions regarding the systemic effects of hip arthroplasty in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus could not be drawn on the basis of this study. Total hip arthroplasty uniformly provided a good or excellent result in patients of all ages who had systemic lupus erythematosus at a mean length of follow-up of sixty-six months. An increased incidence of local wound complications, which were unrelated to the use of corticosteroids, should be expected in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who undergo prosthetic arthroplasty of the hip.

Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of chronic joint disease. This article provides an overview of the epidemiology and pathogenesis. Approaches to the differential diagnosis and management of multiple clinical regional osteoarthritis syndrome are reviewed.