Pure red cell aplasia accompanied by COVID-19 successfully treated using cyclosporine.

A 67-year-old Japanese man was admitted to our hospital with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in March 2020. Mechanical ventilation was initiated 8 days after admission, due to severe respiratory failure. Multiple severe complications such as liver dysfunction, arrhythmia, brain infarction, and venous thromboembolism were also observed. We initially diagnosed Coombs test-positive warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Corticosteroids proved ineffective and anemia worsened with severe erythroid hypoplasia (0.5% erythroblasts in bone marrow), so we diagnosed pure red cell aplasia (PRCA). We also identified massive infiltration of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes expressing CD8, granzyme B, and perforin in bone marrow. Systemic cyclosporine was started, with full resolution of anemia and no need for blood transfusions after 4 weeks. We believe that this represents the first report of COVID-19-associated PRCA successfully treated using cyclosporine.

[BRONCHIAL ASTHMA WITH VOCAL CORD DYSFUNCTION DIFFERENTIATED FROM SEVERE ASTHMA BY BRONCHOSCOPY].

Although an important cause of vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is psychogenic reaction, VCD may be associated with severe asthma and must be distinguished from the disease. A 30-years-old woman was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea despite treatment for asthma. Inspiratory stridor and expiratory wheezes were noted, and neck and chest computed tomography showed normal airways and lungs. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide levels were also normal. Pulmonary function test with a flow-volume loop curve showed normal expiratory loop with flattening of the inspiratory loop after methacholine inhalation. During the attack, bronchoscopy revealed the vocal cord closing with stridor during the inspiratory phase. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with VCD. The dyspnea improved with respiratory rehabilitation and pursed-lip breathing. VCD should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intractable severe asthma. In this case, bronchoscopy and bronchial inhalation challenge with methacholine helped in the diagnosis.

[Rapid specific IgE assay (ImmunoCAP® RAPID) and skin prick test in the diagnosis of allergic disease].

BACKGROUND: ImmunoCAP® Rapid is a rapid test kit to measure the allergen-specific IgE to the eight major inhalation allergen (cat, mite, orchard grass, ragweed, wormwood, dog, cockroach, Japan cedar). METHODS: We performed ImmunoCAP® Rapid 83 patients with allergic disease (26 males, 57 females, median aged 43 years, 53 of asthma, 43 of allergic rhinitis) in our allergy center. ImmunoCAP® Rapid results were compared with those of skin prick test (SPT). RESULTS: Although total positive allergens of SPT were higher than that of ImmunoCAP® Rapid (26.5% vs 22.5%, p<0.05), there was no significantly difference of each positive allergen between two tests. The rate of ImmunoCAP® Rapid to Japan cedar was almost equivalent to SPT in all patients (68.7% vs 55.4%, p=0.07). In contrast, the rate of ImmunoCAP® Rapid to Japan cedar was higher than SPT in patients with rhinitis (90.4% vs 71.4%, p<0.05). Efficiency between ImmunoCAP® Rapid and SPT was 86.4%, sensitivity was 66.9%, and specificity was 93.4%. The reactivity of ImmunoCAP® Rapid to allergens significantly correlated with sizes of SPT (erythema: r=0.645, urticaria: r=0.657). CONCLUSION: Although identification rate in the screening ImmunoCAP® Rapid slightly inferior to SPT, this test system was useful for diagnosis of Japan cedar and mite.

[Prevalence of allergic rhinitis among asthmatic patients in two different seasons].

INTRODUCTION: Allergic rhinitis and asthma are often comorbid, and allergic rhinitis has been shown to be a risk factor for asthma in adults and children. Recently, the prevalence of allergic rhinitis among bronchial asthma (BA) patients was reported to be 67.3% in Japan. However, seasonal variation in the prevalence of rhinitis in Japan remains unclear. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: To investigate the seasonal differences in comorbid allergic rhinitis among asthmatic patients, a survey of BA outpatients aged six years and older was conducted at the Allergy Center, Saitama Medical University. In total, 150 patients (mean age, 43.8±21.8 years old) in summer 2012 and 181 patients (mean age, 48.7±18.3 years old) in spring 2013 completed the Self Assessment of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma (SACRA) questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in BA patients was 50% in the summer of 2012 and 85.6% in the spring of 2013, indicating a significant seasonal variation. Control of asthma was significantly poorer in both seasons in patients with rhinitis compared to those without rhinitis. Furthermore, in patients with moderate/severe-persistent rhinitis, control of asthma was significantly worse than in patients with mild-intermittent rhinitis in spring 2013, but not in summer 2012. CONCLUSION: Although the comorbidity rate of rhinitis among BA patients was greater in the spring than in the summer, rhinitis is thought to be closely related with asthma control regardless of the season.

Predicting the presence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea based on mandibular measurements using quantitative analysis of facial profiles via three-dimensional photogrammetry.

BACKGROUND: In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the upper airway is obstructed during sleep due to obesity and/or posterior collapse of the tongue root. Maxillofacial morphological abnormalities increase the risk of OSA in the Asian population. This study sought to elucidate whether three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry measurements correlate with the severity of OSA irrespective of sex and degree of obesity. METHODS: A prospective pilot study was performed, in which 37 consecutive adult patients (M/F = 28/9) underwent polysomnography and 3D photogrammetry in the supine position for the diagnosis of OSA. Measurements obtained from 3D photogrammetry included mandibular width (Mw), mandibular length (Ml), mandibular depth (Md), mandibular width-length angle (Mwla), and mandibular area (Ma). The effects of sex and body mass index (BMI) on the measurements and their association with the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) were statistically analyzed. The inter-rater reliability of the measurements was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). RESULTS: Mwla (R = 0.73, p < 0.01), Mw (R = 0.39, p < 0.05), and Md (R = -0.34, p < 0.05) were significantly correlated with the severity of OSA. On multivariate analysis, Mwla (p < 0.01) and Md (p < 0.05) remained independent factors for AHI after adjusting for sex, age, BMI, and neck circumference. In addition, diagnosability analysis revealed that Mwla was useful for identifying the presence of OSA (AHI ≥5) (cutoff: 78.6°, sensitivity: 0.938, specificity: 0.800, area under the curve: 0.931). The ICC was >0.9, showing high reliability. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that Mwla measured using 3D photogrammetry can predict the presence of OSA and correlates with the severity of OSA, independent of obesity and sex.

[A case of bronchial asthma caused by occupational exposure to trichophyton].

A case involved a 39-year-old female nurse in a health-care facility for elderly individuals requiring long-term care, who presented with insufficient control of bronchial asthma. Although she did not have tinea, she had opportunities for contact with patients who did. Careful interview of history suggested a relationship between asthma exacerbation and workplace, so we measured the specific IgE antibody to Trichophyton and confirmed a positive result. As occupational exposure to Trichophyton was considered as a cause of asthma exacerbations, avoidance of Trichophyton as well as anti-asthma treatment was conducted and symptoms improved. Identification and avoidance of specific allergens is essential for successful long-term management of asthma. However, measurement of specific IgE antibody to Trichophyton is not routinely performed, although this fungus could induce not only tinea, but also asthma. The possibility that occupational exposure to trichophyton could exacerbate asthma symptoms needs to be kept in mind, particularly in the case of nurses who may be in contact with elderly individuals with tinea.

A cohort study of mortality predictors in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic fibrosing interstitial pneumonia.

OBJECTIVES: To assess clinical, laboratory and radiographic findings associated with outcomes and to clarify more practical ways to predict hospital mortality in patients with acute exacerbation (AE) of chronic fibrosing interstitial pneumonia (CFIP). DESIGN: Single-centre retrospective cohort study. SETTING: University Hospital in Japan. PARTICIPANTS: We identified 51 consecutive patients with AE of idiopathic CFIP through multidisciplinary discussion. Patients who had connective tissue disease, drug-induced lung disease, pneumoconiosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, sarcoidosis, pulmonary histiocytosis, lymphangioleiomyomatosis and eosinophilic pneumonia were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: There were no interventions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome was determination of in-hospital mortality predictors. Other outcomes included clinical, laboratory and radiographic differences between non-survivors and survivors in patients with AE of CFIP. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients with AE of CFIP was 71 years. Compared with survivors, non-survivors had a significantly shorter duration of symptoms before admission, lower prevalence of peripheral distribution of ground-glass opacity and centrilobular emphysema (CLE) on thin-section CT, lower peripheral lymphocyte count, higher brain natriuretic peptide titre, lower Pao2:Fio2 (P:F) ratio, higher prevalence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and higher SIRS score on admission (p=0.0069, 0.0032, 0.015, 0.040, 0.0098, 0.012, 9.9×10(-7) and 5.4×10(-6), respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed SIRS (HR=6.2810, p=0.015), CLE (HR=0.0606, p=3.6×10(-5)) and serum procalcitonin level (HR=2.7110, p=0.022) to be independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. A Kaplan-Meier estimate on the basis of stratification according to the presence or absence of SIRS and CLE demonstrated a distinct survival curve for each subset of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Distinct survival curves documented by stratification according to the presence or absence of SIRS and CLE may provide basic information for a rational management strategy for patients with AE of CFIP on admission.