Cyclophosphamide administration routine in autoimmune rheumatic diseases: a review.

Cyclophosphamide is an alkylating agent widely used for the treatment of malignant neoplasia and which can be used in the treatment of multiple rheumatic diseases. Medication administration errors may lead to its reduced efficacy or increased drug toxicity. Many errors occur in the administration of injectable drugs. The present study aimed at structuring a routine for cyclophosphamide use, as well as creating a document with pharmacotherapeutic guidelines for the patient. The routine is schematized in three phases: pre-chemotherapy, administration of cyclophosphamide, and post-chemotherapy, taking into account the drugs to be administered before and after cyclophosphamide in order to prevent adverse effects, including nausea and hemorrhagic cystitis. Adverse reactions can alter laboratory tests; thus, this routine included clinical management for changes in white blood cells, platelets, neutrophils, and sodium, including cyclophosphamide dose adjustment in the case of kidney disease. Cyclophosphamide is responsible for other rare - but serious - side effects, for instance, hepatotoxicity, severe hyponatremia and heart failure. Other adverse reactions include hair loss, amenorrhea and menopause. In this routine, we also entered guidelines to post-chemotherapy patients. The compatibility of injectable drugs with the vehicle used has been described, as well as stability and infusion times. The routine aimed at the rational use of cyclophosphamide, with prevention of adverse events and relapse episodes, factors that may burden the health care system.

Update on the 2012 Brazilian Society of Rheumatology Guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: position on the use of tofacitinib.

In 2014, tofacitinib, a target-specific, synthetic disease modifying anti rheumatic drug (DMARD) and a selective inhibitor of Janus kinase (JAK) was approved for use in Brazil. This position paper aims to update the recommendations of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology (SBR) on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Brazil, specifically regarding the use of target-specific synthetic DMARDs. The method of this recommendation consisted of a literature review of scientific papers held on the Medline database. After this review, a text was produced, answering questions in Pico structure, considering efficacy and safety issues of tofacitinib use for RA treatment in different scenarios (such as first-line treatment after failure with methotrexate [MTX] or other conventional synthetic DMARDs after failure with biological therapy). Based on existing evidence, and considering the available data on efficacy, safety and cost of medications available to treat the disease in Brazil, the RA Commission of SBR, after a process of discussion and voting on proposals, established the following position on the use of tofacitinib for treatment of RA in Brazil: "Tofacitinib, alone or in combination with MTX, is an alternative for RA patients with moderate or high activity after failure of at least two different synthetic DMARDs and one biological DMARD." The level of agreement with this recommendation was 7.5. This position may be reviewed in the coming years, in the face of a greater experience with the use of this medication.

[Safe use of biological therapies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritides]. / Segurança do uso de terapias biológicas para o tratamento de artrite reumatoide e espondiloartrites.

The treatment of autoimmune rheumatic diseases has gradually improved over the last half century, which has been expanded with the contribution of biological therapies or immunobiopharmaceuticals. However, we must be alert to the possibilities of undesirable effects from the use of this class of medications. The Brazilian Society of Rheumatology (Sociedade Brasileira de Reumatologia/SBR) produced a document based on a comprehensive literature review on the safety aspects of this class of drugs, specifically with regard to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritides. The themes selected by the participating experts, on which considerations have been established as the safe use of biological drugs, were: occurrence of infections (bacterial, viral, tuberculosis), infusion reactions, hematological, neurological, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular reactions, neoplastic events (solid tumors and hematologic neoplasms), immunogenicity, other occurrences and vaccine response. For didactic reasons, we opted by elaborating a summary of safety assessment in accordance with the previous themes, by drug class/mechanism of action (tumor necrosis factor antagonists, T-cell co-stimulation blockers, B-cell depletors and interleukin-6 receptor blockers). Separately, general considerations on safety in the use of biologicals in pregnancy and lactation were proposed. This review seeks to provide a broad and balanced update of that clinical and experimental experience pooled over the last two decades of use of immunobiological drugs for RA and spondyloarthritides treatment.

[Trypanosoma cruzi high parasitemia in patient with systemic lupus erythematosus]. / Alta parasitemia pelo Trypanosoma cruzi em paciente com lupus eritematoso sistêmico.

A case of Trypanosoma cruzi high parasitemia in patient with systemic lupus erythematosus is reported. A xenodiagnostic test was useful in the identification of high and uncommon parasitemia, and Benznidazole was able to reduce the parasitemia. Benznidazole can be an alternative to control the Trypanosoma cruzi high parasitemia in people with autoimmune disease and immunosuppression.

Frequency of sexual dysfunction in women with rheumatic diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women followed up at the Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic of the Hospital Universitário de Brasília and of the Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade de São Paulo with the following rheumatic diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus; rheumatoid arthritis; systemic sclerosis; antiphospholipid antibody syndrome; and fibromyalgia. METHODS: The Female Sexual Function Index (FSfi), obtained by applying a 19-item questionnaire that assesses six domains (sexual desire, arousal, vaginal lubrication, orgasm, sexual satisfaction and pain), was used. RESULTS: This study assessed 163 patients. The mean age was 40.4 years. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 18.4%, but 24.2% of the patients reported no sexual activity over the past 4 weeks. Patients with fibromyalgia and systemic sclerosis had the highest sexual dysfunction index (33%). Excluding patients with no sexual activity, the sexual dysfunction rate reaches 24.2%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of sexual dysfunction found in this study was lower than that reported in the literature. However, 24.2% of the patients interviewed reported no sexual activity over the past 4 weeks, which might have contributed to the low sexual dysfunction index found.

2012 Brazilian Society of Rheumatology Consensus on vaccination of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To elaborate recommendations to the vaccination of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Brazil. METHOD: Literature review and opinion of expert members of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology Committee of Rheumatoid Arthritis and of an invited pediatric rheumatologist. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The following 12 recommendations were established: 1) Before starting disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, the vaccine card should be reviewed and updated; 2) Vaccines against seasonal influenza and against H1N1 are indicated annually for patients with RA; 3) The pneumococcal vaccine should be indicated for all patients with RA; 4) The vaccine against varicella should be indicated for patients with RA and a negative or dubious history for that disease; 5) The HPV vaccine should be considered for adolescent and young females with RA; 6) The meningococcal vaccine is indicated for patients with RA only in the presence of asplenia or complement deficiency; 7) Asplenic adults with RA should be immunized against Haemophilus influenzae type B; 8) An additional BCG vaccine is not indicated for patients diagnosed with RA; 9) Hepatitis B vaccine is indicated for patients with RA who are negative for antibodies against HBsAg; the combined hepatitis A and B vaccine should be considered; 10) Patients with RA and at high risk for tetanus, who received rituximab in the preceding 24 weeks, should undergo passive immunization with tetanus immunoglobulin in case of exposure; 11) The YF vaccine is contraindicated to patients with RA on immunosuppressive drugs; 12) The above described recommendations should be reviewed over the course of RA.

Cyclophosphamide administration routine in autoimmune rheumatic diseases: a review / Rotina de administração de ciclofosfamida em doenças autoimunes reumáticas: uma revisão

Abstract Cyclophosphamide is an alkylating agent widely used for the treatment of malignant neoplasia and which can be used in the treatment of multiple rheumatic diseases. Medication administration errors may lead to its reduced efficacy or increased drug toxicity. Many errors occur in the administration of injectable drugs. The present study aimed at structuring a routine for cyclophosphamide use, as well as creating a document with pharmacotherapeutic guidelines for the patient. The routine is schematized in three phases: pre-chemotherapy, administration of cyclophosphamide, and post-chemotherapy, taking into account the drugs to be administered before and after cyclophosphamide in order to prevent adverse effects, including nausea and hemorrhagic cystitis. Adverse reactions can alter laboratory tests; thus, this routine included clinical management for changes in white blood cells, platelets, neutrophils, and sodium, including cyclophosphamide dose adjustment in the case of kidney disease. Cyclophosphamide is responsible for other rare - but serious - side effects, for instance, hepatotoxicity, severe hyponatremia and heart failure. Other adverse reactions include hair loss, amenorrhea and menopause. In this routine, we also entered guidelines to post-chemotherapy patients. The compatibility of injectable drugs with the vehicle used has been described, as well as stability and infusion times. The routine aimed at the rational use of cyclophosphamide, with prevention of adverse events and relapse episodes, factors that may burden the health care system.

Resumo A ciclofosfamida (CFM) é um agente alquilante vastamente usado para o tratamento de neoplasias malignas e pode ser usado no tratamento de diversas doenças reumatológicas. O erro de administração de medicamentos pode levar à diminuição da eficácia ou ao aumento da toxicidade medicamentosa. Diversos erros ocorrem na administração de medicamentos injetáveis. O trabalho objetivou a estruturação de uma rotina do uso de ciclofosfamida, bem como a criação de um documento de orientações farmacoterapêuticas para o paciente. A rotina foi esquematizada em três fases, a pré-quimioterapia (pré-QT), a administração da ciclofosfamida e a pós-quimioterapia (pós-QT), que levaram em consideração os medicamentos que devem ser administrados antes e depois da ciclofosfamida para prevenção aos efeitos adversos, incluindo náusea e cistite hemorrágica. As reações adversas podem alterar os exames laboratoriais e a rotina incluiu manejo clínico para alteração clínica dos leucócitos, das plaquetas, dos neutrófilos e do sódio incluindo o ajuste de dose de ciclofosfamida em caso de insuficiência renal. A ciclofosfamida é responsável por outras reações adversas raras, mas sérias, como hepatotoxicidade, hiponatremia severa e falência cardíaca. Outras reações adversas incluem perda de cabelo, amenorreia e menopausa. A rotina foi composta também por orientações ao paciente pós-QT. A compatibilidade dos medicamentos injetáveis com o veículo foi descrita, bem como o tempo de estabilidade e o tempo de infusão. A rotina visou ao uso racional da ciclofosfamida e prevenir os efeitos adversos e os episódios de recidiva, os quais podem onerar o sistema de saúde.

Lack of association between the CC genotype of the rs7903146 polymorphism in the TCF7L2 gene and rheumatoid arthritis.

INTRODUCTION: TCF7L2 is a transcription factor involved in Wnt/beta-catenin signaling and which has a variant known to be consistently associated with type 2 diabetes risk and some studies have also indicated its association with risk of certain types of cancer. OBJECTIVE: Since this pathway may be involved in the pathophysiology of other chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, we aimed to investigate the effect of TCF7L2 polymorphism rs7903146 on rheumatoid arthritis severity in a Brazilian population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This polymorphism was genotyped in 208 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and in 104 healthy controls. We also analyzed the association of this polymorphism to smoking history, functional status classification and radiological indicators of disease severity. RESULTS: The distribution of CC, CT and TT genotypes of SNP rs7903146 of the TCF7L2 gene was not different between patients and controls, and no association between the genotype and indicators of disease severity or smoking history was found. When data were evaluated using the dominant model, in which carriers of the CT and TT genotypes were grouped, an increase in the T allele was observed in patients positive for rheumatoid factor and erosions, although this was not significant. The frequency of T allele was also increased in patients with functional class II compared to class I (P = 0.032). CONCLUSION: It is possible that the small number of patients included in this study may have restrained additional findings. Further studies are therefore needed to investigate the role of TCF7L2 gene variants in the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and its severity.

2012 Brazilian Society of Rheumatology Consensus for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To elaborate recommendations for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Brazil. METHOD: Literature review with articles' selection based on evidence and the expert opinion of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Committee of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: 1) The therapeutic decision should be shared with the patient; 2) immediately after the diagnosis, a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) should be prescribed, and the treatment adjusted to achieve remission; 3) treatment should be conducted by a rheumatologist; 4) the initial treatment includes synthetic DMARDs; 5) methotrexate is the drug of choice; 6) patients who fail to respond after two schedules of synthetic DMARDs should be assessed for the use of biologic DMARDs; 7) exceptionally, biologic DMARDs can be considered earlier; 8) anti-TNF agents are preferentially recommended as the initial biologic therapy; 9) after therapeutic failure of a first biologic DMARD, other biologics can be used; 10) cyclophosphamide and azathioprine can be used in severe extra-articular manifestations; 11) oral corticoid is recommended at low doses and for short periods of time; 12) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should always be prescribed in association with a DMARD; 13) clinical assessments should be performed on a monthly basis at the beginning of treatment; 14) physical therapy, rehabilitation, and occupational therapy are indicated; 15) surgical treatment is recommended to correct sequelae; 16) alternative therapy does not replace traditional therapy; 17) family planning is recommended; 18) the active search and management of comorbidities are recommended; 19) the patient's vaccination status should be recorded and updated; 20) endemic-epidemic transmissible diseases should be investigated and treated.

2012 Brazilian Society of Rheumatology Consensus on the management of comorbidities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To elaborate recommendations of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Committee of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology (SBR) to manage comorbidities in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: To review the literature and the opinions of the SBR RA Committee experts. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1) Early diagnosis and proper treatment of comorbidities are recommended; 2) The specific treatment of RA should be adapted to the presence of comorbidities; 3) Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers are preferred to treat systemic arterial hypertension; 4) In patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes mellitus, the continuous use of a high cumulative dose of corticoids should be avoided; 5) Statins should be used to maintain LDL cholesterol levels under 100 mg/dL and the atherosclerotic index lower than 3.5 in patients with RA who have other comorbidities; 6) Metabolic syndrome should be treated; 7) Performing non-invasive tests to investigate subclinical atherosclerosis is recommended; 8) Greater surveillance for the early diagnosis of occult malignancy is recommended; 9) Preventive measures of venous thrombosis are suggested; 10) Bone densitometry is recommended in RA patients over the age of 50 years and in younger patients on corticoid therapy at a dose greater than 7.5 mg for over three months; 11) Patients with RA and osteoporosis should be instructed to avoid falls, to increase their dietary calcium intake and sun exposure, and to exercise; 12) Calcium and vitamin D supplementation is suggested. Bisphosphonates are suggested for patients with T score < -2.5 on bone densitometry; 13) A multidisciplinary team, with the active participation of a rheumatologist, is recommended to treat comorbidities.

2011 Consensus of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology for diagnosis and early assessment of rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Develop guidelines for management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Brazil, focusing on diagnosis and early assessment of the disease. METHOD: Literature review and expert opinions of RA Committee members of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The following ten reccommendations were established: 1) RA diagnosis should be established considering clinical findings and complementary test results; 2) Special attention should be given to the differential diagnosis of arthritis; 3) Rheumatoid factor (RF) is an important diagnostic test, but has limited sensitivity and specificity, mainly in early RA; 4) Anti-CCP (anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody) is a marker with sensitivity similar to that of the RF, but with higher specificity, mainly in the initial phase of disease; 5) Although unspecific, acute-phase reactants should be measured in patients with clinical suspicion of RA; 6) Conventional radiography should be performed for diagnostic and prognostic assessment of the disease. When necessary and available, ultrasound and magnetic resonance may be used; 7) Rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria (ACR/EULAR 2010), although not yet validated, may be used as a guide to aid in diagnosing patients with early RA; 8) One of the combined disease activity indices should be used to assess disease activity; 9) At least one of the functional capacity assessment instruments, such as mHAQ or HAQ-DI, should be regularly used; 10) At the early assessment of the disease, the presence of worse prognostic factors, such as polyarticular involvement, high titers of RF and/or anti-CCP, and early joint erosion, should be investigated.

The Wnt signaling pathway and rheumatoid arthritis.

The Wnt signaling pathways play a key role in cell renewal, and there are two such pathways. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the synovial membrane expresses genes such as Wnt and Fz at higher levels than those observed in patients without RA. The Wnt proteins are glycoproteins that bind to receptors of the Fz family on the cell surface. The Wnt/Fz complex controls tissue formation during embryogenesis, as well as throughout the process of limb development and joint formation. Recent studies have suggested that this signaling pathway plays a role in the pathophysiology of RA. Greater knowledge of the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in RA could improve understanding of the differences in RA clinical presentation and prognosis. Further studies should also focus on Wnt family members as molecular targets in the treatment of RA.

Segurança do uso de terapias biológicas para o tratamento de artrite reumatoide e espondiloartrites / Safe use of biological therapies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritides

O tratamento das doenças reumáticas autoimunes sofreu uma progressiva melhora ao longo da última metade do século passado, que foi expandida com a contribuição das terapias biológicas ou imunobiológicos. No entanto, há que se atentar para as possibilidades de efeitos indesejáveis advindos da utilização dessa classe de medicações. A Sociedade Brasileira de Reumatologia (SBR) elaborou um documento, baseado em ampla revisão da literatura, sobre os aspectos relativos à segurança dessa classe de fármacos, mais especificamente no que diz respeito ao tratamento da artrite reumatoide (AR) e das espondiloartrites. Os temas selecionados pelos especialistas participantes, sobre os quais foram estabelecidas considerações quanto à segurança do uso de drogas biológicas, foram: ocorrência de infecções (bacterianas, virais, tuberculose), reações infusionais, reações hematológicas, neurológicas, gastrointestinais, cardiovasculares, ocorrências neoplásicas (neoplasias sólidas e da linhagem hematológica), imunogenicidade, outras ocorrências e reposta vacinal. Optou-se, por motivos didáticos, por se fazer um resumo da avaliação de segurança, de acordo com os tópicos anteriores, por classe de drogas/mecanismo de ação (antagonistas do fator de necrose tumoral, bloqueador da co-estimulação do linfócito T, depletor de linfócito B e bloqueador do receptor de interleucina-6). Em separado, foram tecidas considerações gerais sobre segurança do uso de biológicos na gravidez e na lactação. Esta revisão procura oferecer uma atualização ampla e equilibrada das experiências clínica e experimental acumuladas nas últimas duas décadas de uso de medicamentos imunobiológicos para o tratamento da AR e espondiloartrites.

The treatment of autoimmune rheumatic diseases has gradually improved over the last half century, which has been expanded with the contribution of biological therapies or immunobiopharmaceuticals. However, we must be alert to the possibilities of undesirable effects from the use of this class of medications. The Brazilian Society of Rheumatology (Sociedade Brasileira de Reumatologia) produced a document based on a comprehensive literature review on the safety aspects of this class of drugs, specifically with regard to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritides. The themes selected by the participating experts, on which considerations have been established as the safe use of biological drugs, were: occurrence of infections (bacterial, viral, tuberculosis), infusion reactions, hematological, neurological, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular reactions, neoplastic events (solid tumors and hematologic neoplasms), immunogenicity, other occurrences and vaccine response. For didactic reasons, we opted by elaborating a summary of safety assessment in accordance with the previous themes, by drug class/mechanism of action (tumor necrosis factor antagonists, T-cell co-stimulation blockers, B-cell depletors and interleukin-6 receptor blockers). Separately, general considerations on safety in the use of biologicals in pregnancy and lactation were proposed. This review seeks to provide a broad and balanced update of that clinical and experimental experience pooled over the last two decades of use of immunobiological drugs for RA and spondyloarthritides treatment.

Posicionamento sobre o uso de tofacitinibe no algoritmo do Consenso 2012 da Sociedade Brasileira de Reumatologia para o tratamento da artrite reumatoide / Update on the 2012 Brazilian Society of Rheumatology Guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: position on the use of tofacitinib

Resumo Em 2014, o tofacitinibe, um medicamento modificador do curso da doença (MMCD) sintético, alvo-específico, inibidor seletivo das Janus quinases (JAK), foi aprovado para uso no Brasil. Este documento de posicionamento tem o objetivo de atualizar as recomendações da Sociedade Brasileira de Reumatologia (SBR) sobre o tratamento da artrite reumatoide (AR) no Brasil, especificamente com relação ao uso de MMCD sintéticos alvo-específicos. O método dessa recomendação incluiu revisão bibliográfica de artigos científicos, feita na base de dados Medline. Após a revisão, foi produzido um texto, que responde a perguntas na estrutura Pico, e considera questões de eficácia e segurança do uso do tofacitinibe para tratamento de AR em diferentes situações (como primeira linha de tratamento, após falha ao metotrexato [MTX] ou outros MMCD sintéticos convencionais, após falha da terapia biológica). Com base nas evidências existentes, e considerando os dados disponíveis sobre eficácia, segurança e custo das medicações disponíveis para tratamento da doença no Brasil, a Comissão de AR da SBR, após processo de discussão e votação de propostas, estabeleceu o seguinte posicionamento sobre o uso de tofacitinibe para o tratamento da AR no Brasil: “Tofacitinibe, em monoterapia ou em associação ao MTX, é uma opção para os pacientes com AR em atividade moderada ou alta, após falha de pelo menos dois esquemas com diferentes MMCD sintéticos e um esquema de MMCD biológico”. O grau de concordância com essa recomendação foi 7,5. Esse posicionamento poderá ser revisto nos próximos anos, com a maior experiência adquirida com o uso do medicamento.

Abstract In 2014, tofacitinib, a target-specific, synthetic disease modifying anti rheumatic drug (DMARD) and a selective inhibitor of Janus kinase (JAK) was approved for use in Brazil. This position paper aims to update the recommendations of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology (SBR) on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Brazil, specifically regarding the use of target-specific synthetic DMARDs. The method of this recommendation consisted of a literature review of scientific papers held on the Medline database. After this review, a text was produced, answering questions in Pico structure, considering efficacy and safety issues of tofacitinib use for RA treatment in different scenarios (such as first-line treatment after failure with methotrexate [MTX] or other conventional synthetic DMARDs after failure with biological therapy). Based on existing evidence, and considering the available data on efficacy, safety and cost of medications available to treat the disease in Brazil, the RA Commission of SBR, after a process of discussion and voting on proposals, established the following position on the use of tofacitinib for treatment of RA in Brazil: “Tofacitinib, alone or in combination with MTX, is an alternative for RA patients with moderate or high activity after failure of at least two different synthetic DMARDs and one biological DMARD.” The level of agreement with this recommendation was 7.5. This position may be reviewed in the coming years, in the face of a greater experience with the use of this medication.

[Vaccination against yellow fever among patients on immunosuppressors with diagnoses of rheumatic diseases]. / Vacinação contra febre amarela em pacientes com diagnósticos de doenças reumáticas, em uso de imunossupressores.

Yellow fever is endemic in some countries. The anti-yellow fever vaccine is the only effective means of protection but is contraindicated for immunocompromised patients. The aim of this paper was to report on a case series of rheumatological patients who were using immunosuppressors and were vaccinated against this disease. This was a retrospective study by means of a questionnaire applied to these patients, who were vaccinated 60 days before the investigation. Seventy patients of mean age 46 years were evaluated. Most of them were female (90%). There were cases of rheumatoid arthritis (54), systemic lupus erythematosus (11), spondyloarthropathy (5) and systemic sclerosis (2). The therapeutic schemes included methotrexate (42), corticosteroids (22), sulfasalazine (26), leflunomide (18), cyclophosphamide (3) and immunobiological agents (9). Sixteen patients (22.5%) reported some minor adverse effect. Among the eight patients using immunobiological agents, only one presented a mild adverse effect. Among these patients using immunosuppressors, adverse reactions were no more frequent than among immunocompetent individuals. This is the first study on this topic.

[Reactive arthritis in HIV-infected patients: immunopathogenic aspects]. / Artrite reactiva em pacientes infectados pelo HIV: aspectos imunopatogênicos.

Reactive arthritis ReA is still an incompletely understood rheumatic disorder whose immunopathogeny involves several mechanisms. There is an association with Class-I histocompatibility antigens HLA-B27 and history of previous gastrointestinal or genitourinary infections. The molecular mimicry between bacterial and self antigens suggests the possibility of cross reactivity as a disease mechanism. The infection pandemics by the human immunodeficiency virus HIV changed the profile of the occurrence of a number of rheumatic diseases including ReA which appears to be more frequent more severe and refractory to the usual treatment for retrovirus-infected patients. The intensity of articular and extra-articular manifestations of ReA often makes the use of immunosuppressant drugs in these patients necessary. Due to the immunosuppression resulting from the retrovirosis itself the treatment becomes a dilemma for rheumatologists. HIV seems to play a role in the main ReA immunopathogenesis mechanisms either acting as direct arthritogenic agent or causing an immune dysfunction in the CD4 T lymphocytes T CD8 relationship leading to the deregulation in the production of cytokines or in advanced immunosuppression stages predisposing to infection by other arthritogenic pathogens. The use of highly active anti-retroviral therapy HAART has changed the profile of rheumatic events and the immunopathogeny of the HIV ReA association. The understanding of the basic ReA immunopathogenic mechanisms in HIV-infected patients is vital in the attempt of elucidating many still existing questions.

Frequência de disfunção sexual em mulheres com doenças reumáticas / Frequency of sexual dysfunction in women with rheumatic diseases

OBJETIVO: Pesquisar a prevalência de disfunção sexual em mulheres com as seguintes doenças reumáticas: lúpus eritematoso sistêmico, artrite reumatoide, esclerose sistêmica, síndrome antifosfolípide e fibromialgia acompanhados no Ambulatório de Reumatologia do Hospital Universitário de Brasília e do Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade de São Paulo. MÉTODOS: Utilizou-se o índice de função sexual feminina (Female Sexual Function Index - FSfi), questionário que contém 19 itens que avaliam 6 domínios: desejo sexual, excitação sexual, lubrificação vaginal, orgasmo, satisfação sexual e dor. RESULTADOS: Foram avaliadas 163 pacientes. A média de idade foi de 40,4 anos. A prevalência de disfunção sexual foi de 18,4%, porém 24,2% das pacientes não apresentaram atividade sexual nas últimas 4 semanas. Entre os subgrupos, as pacientes com fibromialgia e esclerose sistêmica foram as com maior índice de disfunção sexual (33%). Se excluirmos as pacientes sem atividade sexual, a taxa de disfunção sobe para 24,2%. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de disfunção sexual encontrada neste estudo foi menor em relação à literatura. Entretanto, 24,2% das pacientes entrevistadas negaram atividade sexual nas últimas 4 semanas, o que pode ter contribuído para o baixo índice de disfunção sexual.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women followed up at the Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic of the Hospital Universitário de Brasília and of the Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade de São Paulo with the following rheumatic diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus; rheumatoid arthritis; systemic sclerosis; antiphospholipid antibody syndrome; and fibromyalgia. METHODS: The Female Sexual Function Index (FSfi), obtained by applying a 19-item questionnaire that assesses six domains (sexual desire, arousal, vaginal lubrication, orgasm, sexual satisfaction and pain), was used. RESULTS: This study assessed 163 patients. The mean age was 40.4 years. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 18.4%, but 24.2% of the patients reported no sexual activity over the past 4 weeks. Patients with fibromyalgia and systemic sclerosis had the highest sexual dysfunction index (33%). Excluding patients with no sexual activity, the sexual dysfunction rate reaches 24.2%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of sexual dysfunction found in this study was lower than that reported in the literature. However, 24.2% of the patients interviewed reported no sexual activity over the past 4 weeks, which might have contributed to the low sexual dysfunction index found.