Comparison of patients with isolated cutaneous lupus erythematosus versus systemic lupus erythematosus with cutaneous lupus erythematosus as the sole clinical feature: A monocentric study of 149 patients.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) may present as an isolated entity or be classified as Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by the presence of laboratory abnormalities, including cytopenia, low complement levels, and/or autoantibodies (CLE with laboratory SLE). OBJECTIVE: To compare isolated CLE and CLE with laboratory SLE and to validate an existing 3-item score with age < 25 years (1 point), phototypes V to VI (1 point), antinuclear antibodies ≥ 1:320 (5 points) to predict the risk of progression from CLE to severe SLE (sSLE). METHODS: Monocentric cohort study including consecutive patients with CLE. CLE with laboratory SLE was defined by 2019 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for SLE score of ≥10 points at baseline with CLE as the sole clinical feature. RESULTS: Of the 149 patients with CLE, 20 had CLE with laboratory SLE. The median follow-up duration was 11.3 years (IQR: 5.1-20.5). Ten patients (7%) had sSLE developed. In survival analysis, the risk of progression to sSLE was higher among CLE with laboratory SLE (hazard ratio = 6.69; 95% CI: 1.93-23.14, P < .001) compared to isolated CLE. In both groups, none of the patients with a risk score ≤ 2 had sSLE developed. LIMITATIONS: Monocentric study with a limited number of patients. CONCLUSIONS: CLE with laboratory patients with SLE have a higher risk of progression to sSLE than isolated CLE.

The 2023 ACR/EULAR Antiphospholipid Syndrome Classification Criteria.

OBJECTIVE: To develop new antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) classification criteria with high specificity for use in observational studies and trials, jointly supported by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and EULAR. METHODS: This international multidisciplinary initiative included 4 phases: 1) Phase I, criteria generation by surveys and literature review; 2) Phase II, criteria reduction by modified Delphi and nominal group technique exercises; 3) Phase III, criteria definition, further reduction with the guidance of real-world patient scenarios, and weighting via consensus-based multicriteria decision analysis, and threshold identification; and 4) Phase IV, validation using independent adjudicators' consensus as the gold standard. RESULTS: The 2023 ACR/EULAR APS classification criteria include an entry criterion of at least one positive antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) test within 3 years of identification of an aPL-associated clinical criterion, followed by additive weighted criteria (score range 1-7 points each) clustered into 6 clinical domains (macrovascular venous thromboembolism, macrovascular arterial thrombosis, microvascular, obstetric, cardiac valve, and hematologic) and 2 laboratory domains (lupus anticoagulant functional coagulation assays, and solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for IgG/IgM anticardiolipin and/or IgG/IgM anti-ß2 -glycoprotein I antibodies). Patients accumulating at least 3 points each from the clinical and laboratory domains are classified as having APS. In the validation cohort, the new APS criteria versus the 2006 revised Sapporo classification criteria had a specificity of 99% versus 86%, and a sensitivity of 84% versus 99%. CONCLUSION: These new ACR/EULAR APS classification criteria were developed using rigorous methodology with multidisciplinary international input. Hierarchically clustered, weighted, and risk-stratified criteria reflect the current thinking about APS, providing high specificity and a strong foundation for future APS research.

2023 ACR/EULAR antiphospholipid syndrome classification criteria.

OBJECTIVE: To develop new antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) classification criteria with high specificity for use in observational studies and trials, jointly supported by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and EULAR. METHODS: This international multidisciplinary initiative included four phases: (1) Phase I, criteria generation by surveys and literature review; (2) Phase II, criteria reduction by modified Delphi and nominal group technique exercises; (3) Phase III, criteria definition, further reduction with the guidance of real-world patient scenarios, and weighting via consensus-based multicriteria decision analysis, and threshold identification; and (4) Phase IV, validation using independent adjudicators' consensus as the gold standard. RESULTS: The 2023 ACR/EULAR APS classification criteria include an entry criterion of at least one positive antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) test within 3 years of identification of an aPL-associated clinical criterion, followed by additive weighted criteria (score range 1-7 points each) clustered into six clinical domains (macrovascular venous thromboembolism, macrovascular arterial thrombosis, microvascular, obstetric, cardiac valve, and hematologic) and two laboratory domains (lupus anticoagulant functional coagulation assays, and solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for IgG/IgM anticardiolipin and/or IgG/IgM anti-ß2-glycoprotein I antibodies). Patients accumulating at least three points each from the clinical and laboratory domains are classified as having APS. In the validation cohort, the new APS criteria vs the 2006 revised Sapporo classification criteria had a specificity of 99% vs 86%, and a sensitivity of 84% vs 99%. CONCLUSION: These new ACR/EULAR APS classification criteria were developed using rigorous methodology with multidisciplinary international input. Hierarchically clustered, weighted, and risk-stratified criteria reflect the current thinking about APS, providing high specificity and a strong foundation for future APS research.

Risk factors of progression from discoid lupus to severe systemic lupus erythematosus: a registry-based cohort study of 164 patients.

BACKGROUND: No study has assessed the risk factors of progression from discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (sSLE) (defined as requiring hospitalization and specific treatment). OBJECTIVE: To identify the risks factors of and generate a predicting score for progression to sSLE among patients with isolated DLE or associated with systemic lupus erythematosus with mild biological abnormalities. METHODS: In this registry-based cohort study, multivariable analysis was performed using risk factors identified from literature and pruned by backward selection to identify relevant variables. The number of points was weighted proportionally to the odds ratio (OR). RESULTS: We included 30 patients with DLE who developed sSLE and 134 patients who did not. In multivariable analysis, among 12 selected variables, an age of <25 years at the time of DLE diagnosis (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.1-7.0; 1 point), phototype V to VI (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1-7.0; 1 point), and antinuclear antibody titers of ≥1:320 (OR, 15; 95% CI, 3.3-67.3; 5 points) were selected to generate the score. Among the 54 patients with a score of 0 at baseline, none progressed to sSLE, whereas a score of ≥6 was associated with a risk of approximately 40%. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective design. CONCLUSION: In our cohort, an age of <25 years at the time of DLE diagnosis, phototype V to VI, and antinuclear antibody titers of ≥1:320 were risk factors for developing sSLE.

Cutaneous vasculitis occurring in the setting of systemic lupus erythematosus: a multicentre cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical and pathological features of biopsy-proven cutaneous vasculitis (CV) associated with SLE, focusing on diagnosis classification and impact on overall SLE activity. METHODS: Retrospective multicentric cohort study including SLE patients with biopsy-proven CV identified by (i) data from pathology departments of three university hospitals and (ii) a national call for cases. SLE was defined according to 1997 revised ACR and/or 2019 ACR/EULAR criteria. CV diagnosis was confirmed histologically and classified by using the dermatological addendum of the Chapel Hill classification. SLE activity and flare severity at the time of CV diagnosis were assessed independently of vasculitis items with the SELENA-SLEDAI and SELENA-SLEDAI Flare Index. RESULTS: Overall, 39 patients were included; 35 (90%) were female. Cutaneous manifestations included mostly palpable purpura (n = 21; 54%) and urticarial lesions (n = 18; 46%); lower limbs were the most common location (n = 33; 85%). Eleven (28%) patients exhibited extracutaneous vasculitis. A higher prevalence of Sjögren's syndrome (51%) was found compared with SLE patients without CV from the French referral centre group (12%, P < 0.0001) and the Swiss SLE Cohort (11%, P < 0.0001). CV was mostly classified as urticarial vasculitis (n = 14, 36%) and cryoglobulinaemia (n = 13, 33%). Only 2 (5%) patients had no other cause than SLE to explain the CV. Sixty-one percent of patients had inactive SLE. CONCLUSION: SLE-related vasculitis seems very rare and other causes of vasculitis should be ruled out before considering this diagnosis. Moreover, in more than half of patients, CV was not associated with another sign of active SLE.

Aseptic Abscess Syndrome: Clinical Characteristics, Associated Diseases, and up to 30 Years' Evolution Data on a 71-Patient Series.

Aseptic abscess (AA) syndrome is a rare type of inflammatory disorder involving polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), often associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study sought to describe the clinical characteristics and evolution of this syndrome in a large cohort. We included all patients included in the French AA syndrome register from 1999 to 2020. All patients fulfilled the criteria outlined by André et al. in 2007. Seventy-one patients were included, 37 of which were men (52.1%), of a mean age of 34.5 ± 17 years. The abscesses were located in the spleen (71.8%), lymph nodes (50.7%), skin (29.5%), liver (28.1%), lung (22.5), and rarer locations (brain, genitals, kidneys, ENT, muscles, or breasts). Of all the patients, 59% presented with an associated disease, primarily IBD (42%). They were treated with colchicine (28.1%), corticosteroids (85.9%), immunosuppressants (61.9%), and biologics (32.3%). A relapse was observed in 62% of cases, mostly in the same organ. Upon multivariate analysis, factors associated with the risk of relapse were: prescription of colchicine (HR 0.52; 95% CI [0.28-0.97]; p = 0.042), associated IBD (HR 0.57; 95% CI [0.32-0.99]; p = 0.047), and hepatic or skin abscesses at diagnosis (HR 2.14; 95% CI [1.35-3.40]; p = 0.001 and HR 1.78; 95% CI [1.07-2.93]; p = 0.024, respectively). No deaths occurred related to this disease. This large retrospective cohort study with long follow up showed that AA syndrome is a relapsing systemic disease that can evolve on its own or be the precursor of an underlying disease, such as IBD. Of all the available treatments, colchicine appeared to be protective against relapse.

Prevalence and factors associated with long-term remission in cutaneous lupus: A longitudinal cohort study of 141 cases.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the prevalence and factors associated with long-term remission in cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE). OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence, the factors associated with remission, and the long-term remission with and without treatment during CLE. METHODS: Longitudinal cohort study including biopsy-proven patients with CLE seen between November 1, 2019 and April 30, 2021, with at least 6 months of follow-up after diagnosis. Demographic data, CLE subtypes, remission status, and treatments were recorded. Remission was defined by a Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index activity score of 0. Long-term remission was defined by remission >3 years. RESULTS: Among 141 patients included (81% of women), 93 (66%) were in remission at last follow-up with a median duration since diagnosis of 11.4 years (interquartile range, 4.2-24.7). Long-term remission was observed in 22 (19%) of 114 patients with at least 3 years of follow-up, including 5 (4.4%) with no systemic treatment. Active smoking (odds ratio, 0.22 [95%CI: 0.05-0.97]; P = .04) and discoid CLE lesions (odds ratio, 0.14 [95%CI, 0.04-0.48]; P = .004) were associated with a lower risk of long-term remission. LIMITATIONS: Partial retrospective data collection and tertiary center population. CONCLUSION: Long-term remission is rare in CLE and negatively associated with active smoking and discoid CLE.

Nailfold capillaroscopy findings in cutaneous lupus erythematosus patients with or without digital lesions and comparison with dermatomyositis patients: A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Differential diagnosis between cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) and dermatomyositis (DM) may be challenging if digital lesions occur. OBJECTIVES: To compare nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) findings in CLE patients with or without digital involvement, and to compare capillaroscopic findings between CLE patients with digital lesions and DM patients. METHODS: Prospective monocentric study including CLE and DM patients. NFC was performed and standardized items were recorded. RESULTS: Fifty-one CLE patients and 10 DM patients with digital lesions were included. A scleroderma pattern was found in 6 patients (12%): in 5 out of 17 patients with digital lesions, compared with only 1 out of 34 patients without digital lesions (p = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, CLE digital lesions and digital ulcerations were statistically associated with scleroderma pattern. CLE digital lesions were significantly associated with architectural disorganization (p = 0.0003) and capillary rarefaction (p = 0.0038). A scleroderma pattern was significantly more frequent in DM patients (80%) than in CLE patients with digital lesions (30%, p = 0.018). Capillaroscopic findings were not significantly different between CLE patients with digital lesions and DM patients. CONCLUSION: Although scleroderma pattern is more frequent in DM patients than in CLE patients with digital lesions, NFC cannot formally distinguish CLE from DM.

Systemic sclerosis is associated with lower limb vascular stiffness and microvascular impairment: results from a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterized by microangiopathy. Peripheral arterial disease, increasingly studied during SSc, is responsible for digital ulcers, associated with a high risk of amputation. The aim of our study was to assess the frequency of lower limb arterial impairment in SSc patients by measuring ankle-brachial index (ABI), toe pressure (TP), and toe-brachial index (TBI). METHODS: Systemic sclerosis patients were included prospectively during 1 year in Tenon and Saint-Antoine Hospitals, Paris. Clinical and biological data were recorded. For each patient, ABI, TP, and TBI were measured and an arterial duplex ultrasonography was prescribed in case of abnormal results. RESULTS: Eighty-six patients were included (94% women, median age 62 years). Only 24% of them had no lower limb hemodynamic vascular abnormalities; 44% had an isolated microvascular abnormality (normal ABI and TBI<0.75); 31% had at least a macrovascular injury associated or not with microvascular impairment (abnormal ABI) and 12.6% had a TP<50 mmHg. During follow-up, there was a trend towards association of low TBI with more major adverse event (all-cause mortality, non-fatal stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and lower limb ischemic manifestations) than normal TBI. CONCLUSION: By measuring ABI and TP, we showed that 76% of SSc patients had hemodynamic arterial lower limb abnormalities related to macro- and/or microvascular impairment and that 28% had vascular stiffness. In SSc patients, ABI is not an accurate tool to detect lower limb arterial disease, likely due to underlying micro- and macrovascular changes. Key Points • The presence of lower limb macro-and/or microvascular involvement was detected in 76% of SSc patients. • In SSc patients, ABI is not an accurate tool to detect lower limb arterial disease, likely due to underlying microvascular changes and frequent arterial stiffness.

Echocardiographic features in antiphospholipid-negative Sneddon's syndrome and potential association with severity of neurological symptoms or recurrence of strokes: a longitudinal cohort study.

AIMS: Sneddon's syndrome (SS) may be classified as antiphospholipid positive (aPL+) or negative (aPL- SS). An association between Libman-Sacks (LS) endocarditis and strokes has been described in aPL+ patients. To describe cardiac involvement in aPL- SS and assess the potential association between LS endocarditis and severity or recurrence of neurological symptoms. METHODS AND RESULTS: This longitudinal cohort study included aPL- SS patients followed in our departments between 1991 and June 2018. All patients underwent transthoracic 2D and Doppler echocardiography at diagnosis. Follow-up echocardiography was performed annually and the potential relationship between LS endocarditis development and neurovascular relapse as well as long-term cardiac worsening was prospectively assessed. We included 61 patients [52 women; median age 45 (range 24-60)]. For valvular involvement, 36 (59%) patients showed leaflet thickening; 18 (29.5%) had LS endocarditis at baseline. During a median follow-up of 72 months, LS endocarditis developed in eight (17.4%) patients, and 13 (28.3%) showed significant worsening of their cardiac status, including two who needed valvular replacement. After adjusting for baseline antithrombotic treatment regimen, neither the presence of LS endocarditis at baseline nor development during follow-up was associated with neurological relapse [hazard ratio (HR): 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33-4.74, P = 0.92] and [HR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.02-1.89, P = 0.31], respectively. CONCLUSION: A long-term follow-up is needed to detect cardiac complications in aPL- SS. No change in neurological relapse was observed in patients presenting LS endocarditis occurrence during follow-up without any modification in antithrombotic treatment. Further research is necessary to assess the usefulness of treatment escalation in these patients.

Severe onychomycosis management with oral terbinafine in a kidney transplantation setting: Clinical follow-up by image analysis.

BACKGROUND: Severe onychomycosis treatment in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) is challenging because of drug interactions and adverse events. Tacrolimus remains the antirejection treatment (ART) of choice in kidney transplantation but tolerance with systemic terbinafine for the management of severe onychomycosis has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: This study illustrates severe onychomycosis management in a kidney transplantation setting and investigates systemic terbinafine tolerance profile in KTR. PATIENTS/METHODS: We retrospective analysed clinical data of KTR with a confirmed diagnosis of severe onychomycosis. RESULTS: We retrieved a total of 29 KTR with severe onychomycosis needing an oral treatment to manage onychomycosis. In 55.1% (16/29) KTR, altered renal biological parameters or lack of guidelines to manage severe onychomycosis were the main reasons to deterring clinicians from prescribing oral treatments. 13 patients received an oral terbinafine treatment (9, 3 and 1 with a tacrolimus, cyclosporine and everolimus-based ART, respectively). Clinical and biological follow-up did not reveal severe drug interactions. ART blood levels showed significant variations in 2 patients without clinical consequences in renal graft. Two patients reported mild adverse events but after only one dose of terbinafine. Using an open-source image analysis program, clinical evolution of onychomycosis could be retrospectively quantified and followed up. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented here suggest that oral terbinafine can be proposed to treat severe onychomycosis with an acceptable tolerance profile in KTR with different ART such as tacrolimus and highlight the need of multicentric studies to establish guidelines for onychomycosis treatment in KTR.

Cutaneous Kikuchi disease-like inflammatory pattern without lymph node involvement is associated with systemic disease and severe features in lupus erythematous: A case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a self-limited histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis sometimes affecting the skin. "Kikuchi disease-like inflammatory pattern" (KLIP) has been described in cutaneous lesions as similar pathological features in patients without lymph node involvement and as a potential clue for the diagnosis of lupus. We aimed to describe KLIP-associated clinical and immunological features in lupus patients with a retrospective case-control study. METHODS: Thirteen cases of KLIP were included as well as thirty-nine age- and sex-matched control lupus patients without KLIP. At the time of KLIP diagnosis, 4/13 patients (31%) had isolated cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) and 9/13 had (69%) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) including 6 (46%) with severe haematological, lung, cardiac or renal disease. KLIP features were observed in skin biopsies of different clinical presentations. RESULTS: Compared with our control group, KLIP patients more frequently had SLE 9/13 (69%) versus 8/39 (21%) (OR 12.9; IC95% [2.86-58.2]; p = 0.0004) and more frequently severe SLE. Two out of four CLE exhibiting KLIP lesions (50%) developed severe SLE with cardiac or renal involvement after 12 and 24 months, respectively.Treatment with thalidomide 100 mg/day allowed rapid and complete clearance of cutaneous lesions in 6/6 KLIP patients. The need to use thalidomide tended to be more frequent in KLIP patients than in controls. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that KLIP features in lupus skin lesions are associated with SLE and severe systemic features. Despite a limited number of isolated CLE patients with KLIP features in the skin, this observation may warrant closer follow-up on patients with a higher risk of developing SLE.

Development of a New International Antiphospholipid Syndrome Classification Criteria Phase I/II Report: Generation and Reduction of Candidate Criteria.

OBJECTIVE: An international multidisciplinary initiative, jointly supported by the American College of Rheumatology and European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology, is underway to develop new rigorous classification criteria to identify patients with high likelihood of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) for research purposes. The present study was undertaken to apply an evidence- and consensus-based approach to identify candidate criteria and develop a hierarchical organization of criteria within domains. METHODS: During phase I, the APS classification criteria steering committee used systematic literature reviews and surveys of international APS physician scientists to generate a comprehensive list of items related to APS. In phase II, we reviewed the literature, administered surveys, formed domain subcommittees, and used Delphi exercises and nominal group technique to reduce potential APS candidate criteria. Candidate criteria were hierarchically organized into clinical and laboratory domains. RESULTS: Phase I generated 152 candidate criteria, expanded to 261 items with the addition of subgroups and candidate criteria with potential negative weights. Using iterative item reduction techniques in phase II, we initially reduced these items to 64 potential candidate criteria organized into 10 clinical and laboratory domains. Subsequent item reduction methods resulted in 27 candidate criteria, hierarchically organized into 6 additive domains (laboratory, macrovascular, microvascular, obstetric, cardiac, and hematologic) for APS classification. CONCLUSION: Using data- and consensus-driven methodology, we identified 27 APS candidate criteria in 6 clinical or laboratory domains. In the next phase, the proposed candidate criteria will be used for real-world case collection and further refined, organized, and weighted to determine an aggregate score and threshold for APS classification.

Risk factors for hydroxychloroquine retinopathy in systemic lupus erythematosus: a case-control study with hydroxychloroquine blood-level analysis.

OBJECTIVE: HCQ is an essential medication in SLE, proven to lengthen survival and reduce flares. Its use, however, is limited by its rare but severe ophthalmological complications. Here, we aimed to analyse factors associated with HCQ retinopathy including HCQ blood levels. METHODS: This case-control study compared SLE patients with and without HCQ retinopathy, defined by abnormal results for at least two of the following ophthalmological tests: automated visual fields, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) and fundus autofluorescence. We compared clinical and laboratory findings to assess risk factors for HCQ retinopathy. RESULTS: The study included 23 patients with confirmed retinopathy (cases) and 547 controls. In the univariate analysis, age (P < 0.001), height (P = 0.045), creatinine clearance (P < 0.001), haemoglobin concentration (P = 0.01), duration of HCQ intake, (P < 0.001), higher cumulative HCQ dose (P < 0.001) and geographical origin (West Indies and sub-Saharan Africa) (P = 0.007) were associated with the risk of retinopathy, while HCQ blood levels were not. In the multivariate analysis, only cumulative dose (P = 0.016), duration of intake (P = 0.039), creatinine clearance (P = 0.002) and geographical origin (P < 0.0001, odds ratio 8.7) remained significantly associated with retinopathy. CONCLUSION: SLE patients on HCQ should be closely monitored for retinopathy, especially those from the West Indies or sub-Saharan Africa, or with renal insufficiency, longer HCQ intake or a high cumulative dose. Although reducing the daily dose of HCQ in patients with persistently high HCQ blood levels seems logical, these concentrations were not associated with retinopathy in this study with controls adherent to treatment.