Diagnostic approach of tuberculous lymphadenitis in a multicenter study.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculous lymphadenitis (TBLN) is the most common infectious etiology of peripheral lymphadenopathy in adults, in Turkiye. This study aimed to identify the demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables that differentiate TBLN from non-tuberculous lymphadenitis (NTBLN), as well as the etiology of lymphadenopathy in adults. METHODOLOGY: Patients who were over 18 years old and were referred to the infectious disease outpatient clinics with complaints of swollen peripheral lymph nodes, and who underwent lymph node biopsy between 1 January 2010 and 1 March 2021, were included in this multicenter, nested case-control study. RESULTS: A total of 812 patients at 17 tertiary teaching and research hospitals in Turkiye were included in the study. TBLN was the most frequent diagnosis (53.69%). The proportion of patients diagnosed with TBLN was higher among females; and among those who had a higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate, positive purified protein derivative test, and positive interferon-gamma release test result (p < 0.05). However, TBLN was less frequent among patients with generalized lymphadenopathy, bilateral lymphadenopathy, axillary lymphadenopathy, inguinal lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, leukocytosis, and moderately increased C reactive protein levels (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the variables that predict TBLN or discriminate TBLN from NTBLN will help clinicians establish optimal clinical strategies for the diagnosis of adult lymphadenopathy.

Demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics for differential diagnosis of peripheral lymphadenopathy (LAP) and the etiologic distribution of LAP in adults; a multicenter, nested case-control study including 1401 patients from Turkey.

Peripheral lymphadenopathy (LAP) is an important and common abnormal finding of the physical exam in general medical practice. We aimed to reveal the LAP etiology and demographic, clinical and laboratory variables that may be useful in the differential evaluation of LAP. This multicenter, nested case-control study including 1401 patients between 2014 and 2019 was conducted in 19 tertiary teaching and research hospitals from different regions in Turkey. The ratio of infectious, malign and autoimmune/inflammatory diseases was 31.3%, 5% and 0.3%, respectively. In 870 (62%) of patients had nonspecific etiology. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (n: 235, 16.8%) was the most frequent cause of LAP. The ratio of infective etiology of LAP was significantly lower in patients older than 65 years-old compared to younger patients with the rate of 66.67% and 83.84%, respectively (p 0.016, OR 0.386, 95% Cl 0.186-0.803). The probability of malign etiology was higher both in patients who are older than 45 years-old (p < 0.001, OR 3.23, 95% Cl 1.99-5.26) and older than 65 years-old (p 0.002, OR 3.36, 95% Cl 1.69-6.68). Age, localization and duration of LAP, leukocytosis, anemia, thrombocytopenia, CRP and sedimentation rate were important parameters to differentiate infections. Size of lymph node and splenomegaly in addition to the parameters above were useful parameters for differentiating malign from benign etiology. Despite the improvements in diagnostic tools, reaching a definite differential diagnosis of lymphadenopathy is still challenging. Our results may help clinicians to decide in which cases they need an aggressive workup and set strategies on optimizing the diagnostic approach of adulthood lymphadenopathy.

[Dermatomyositis presenting with low back pain]. / Bel agrisi ile basvuran dermatomiyozit olgusu.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare connective tissue disease characterized by skin lesions and inflammatory changes observed in muscle biopsy findings. A definitive diagnosis of DM requires a characteristic rash in addition to proximal muscle weakness and muscle enzyme level elevation. DM is twice as common in women as men, with an age of onset of approximately 50 years. This case report describes a 29-year-old patient with low back pain and proximal muscle weakness in the legs diagnosed as lumbar disc herniation who was then referred by the neurosurgery department to our clinic. A physical examination revealed the characteristic skin lesions for dermatomyositis. Needle electromyography and a skin biopsy were performed, and corticosteroid treatment was initiated. In misdiagnosed patients, fatty infiltration in the muscles may cause irreversible weakness and gait disturbance. Early suppression of inflammation is important and can yield a dramatic response to treatment.

The Effect of Associated Parkinsonism on Rehabilitation in Stroke Patients: A Case Series.

Stroke and Parkinson's disease are 2 major causes of movement impairment and a decreased ability to perform daily activities. The aim of this case series was to demonstrate the difficulty of rehabilitation in stroke patients with accompanying parkinsonism. Four stroke patients with parkinsonism who underwent rehabilitation at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic between March and May of 2016 were evaluated. The Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE), the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), the Barthel Index (BI), the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the Stroke Impact Scale version 3.0 (SIS) were used in the assessment. Of the 4 patients, 3 were female, and the mean age was 74.5±9.3 years. The mean hospital stay was 19±5.3 days. The initial test scores recorded were low, and they remained low at the time of discharge. After rehabilitation, the mean FIM score in the group was 42% of the maximum possible score, the mean SMMSE was 55%, the BI was 18%, the BBS was 0.08%, and the SIS was 25%. Three patients required a wheelchair, and 1 patient could ambulate with a walker at discharge. A stroke accompanied by parkinsonism negatively affects mobility and functional status, primarily through the deterioration of balance. In this study, cognitive function was reduced to half of the maximum, and the balance and function loss was more than 50%. Barthel index; berg balance scale; functional independence measure; mini-mental state examination; parkinsonism; stroke; stroke impact scale.