Should asymptomatic bacteriuria be treated in lupus nephritis?

INTRODUCTION: The risk of infection in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with factors related to disease activity and immunosuppressive treatment. Recently, the persistence of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) has been proposed as an environmental trigger for SLE and its flares, raising the question whether it should be treated systematically to reduce the risk of infection. To our knowledge, there is limited evidence on the screening and treatment of ASB in SLE. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to analyze the occurrence of infection and flare in patients with lupus nephritis with and without ASB. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of a cohort of patients with lupus nephritis during induction therapy with high-dose cyclophosphamide regimen was carried out between January 2018 and 2020, with a total of 37 patients investigated. Urine and blood samples from the two groups (with ASB and without ASB) where taken before the administration of cyclophosphamide. RESULTS: From the sampled 37 patients, 19 (51.4%) had ASB and 18 (48.6%) without ASB; both groups were well balanced in their demographics and clinical characteristics. No statistically significant association was found between the presence of ASB and the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index score (p = 0.604), and neither with the 24-h urine protein and leukocyte count (p > 0.177). Urinary tract infection occurred in 5.3% (1) of the patients with ASB, while 5.6% (1) of the patients in the group without ASB presented the infection, and the RR was 0.944 (0.06, 16.33) 95% CI; in addition, no statistically significant association was found between the presence of ASB and the occurrence of infection (p = 1,000). CONCLUSION: Our study did not find a statistically significant association of ASB with the occurrence of infection or disease activity. Further studies need it to clarify this, since treatment of ASB has been recognized as an important contributor to inappropriate antimicrobial use, which promotes emergence of antimicrobial resistance.

Chorea gravidarum associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome: case report.

Las manifestaciones neuropsiquiátricas en los pacientes con lupus eritematoso sistémico (LES) y síndrome antifosfolípido (SAF) secundario son muy frecuentes. En ambos casos, la fisiopatología se correlaciona con vasculopatía asociada a anticuerpos antifosfolípido y neurotoxicidad por anticuerpos y citocinas. La corea es el único trastorno del movimiento incluido en los 19 síndromes neuropsiquiátricos del LES según el American College of Rheumatology, con presentación inusual (prevalencia del 2%), y puede ocurrir como primera manifestación de la enfermedad. Se describe el caso de una paciente de 17 años con corea desencadenada durante el embarazo como manifestación inicial de LES y SAF.Neuropsychiatric symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) are very common. In both cases, pathophysiology is correlated to vasculopathy associated to antiphospholipid antibodies as well as neurotoxicity mediated by antibodies and cytokines. Chorea, instead, is the only movement disorder included in the 19 SLE's neuropsychiatric syndromes described by the American College of Rheumatology. Nevertheless, its presence is unusual with a prevalence of about 2%, and could appear as an early manifestation of the disease. The case of a 17-year-old pregnant woman in whom chorea was an early manifestation of SLE and APS.

Acute myocardial infarction, as a rare manifestation in granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

La granulomatosis con poliangeítis es una vasculitis de pequeños vasos asociada a la presencia de anticuerpos anticitoplasma de neutrófilos, con manifestaciones cardíacas que son poco frecuentes, como pericarditis, miocarditis, arteritis coronaria y enfermedad valvular. Reportamos el caso de un paciente de 49 años con reciente diagnóstico de granulomatosis con poliangeítis, quien presentó infarto agudo del miocardio. Se consideró la actividad de la enfermedad como causa del infarto. Las manifestaciones clínicas cardiovasculares en la granulomatosis con poliangeítis son relevantes por ser marcadores de mal pronóstico.Granulomatosis with polyangiitis is a small vessel vasculitis associated to anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, in which the cardiac manifestations are not common, as pericarditis, cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease and vascular disease. We report a clinical case of a 49-year-old man with a recent diagnosis of granulomatosis with polyangiitis, he presented myocardial infarction. Disease activity was considered the cause of myocardial infarction. Cardiovascular clinical manifestations in granulomatosis with polyangiitis are relevant because are markers of poor prognosis.