Safety and efficacy of colchicine in crystal-induced arthritis flare in 54 patients with severe chronic kidney disease.

INTRODUCTION: Colchicine, commonly used in gout flare, is contraindicated in severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) (estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min). However, in this context, there are few alternatives, and colchicine use persists. We evaluated the tolerance of colchicine and its efficacy in patients with severe CKD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All prescriptions of colchicine for managing crystal-induced arthritis flare (gout or calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease) in a hospitalised patient with severe CKD were screened from September 2020 to September 2021. After patient consent and treatment information, clinical and biological safety and efficacy data were prospectively collected from day 1 (D1) to D11. RESULTS: We included 54 patients (median age 75 years (IQR 67-83)) with 62 colchicine prescriptions (cases). Twelve (22%) patients were on dialysis. The main reason for hospitalisation was heart failure (31.5%), acute renal failure (22.2%), infection (18.5%) or an acute joint episode (9.3%). In total, 59.3% of patients had diabetes. The prescriptions concerned 58 cases of gout flares, 1 case of CPPD and 3 cases of both. Initial colchicine dosages were ≤0.5 mg/day in 47/62 (75.8%) cases; no dosage exceeded 1 mg/day (median duration of 6 days (IQR 3-11)). Colchicine was well tolerated in 47/61 (77%) cases. No serious adverse event was reported. Colchicine was considered completely effective by the medical team in 48/58 (83%) of cases. CONCLUSION: The use of colchicine, at reduced doses, was mostly effective to treat crystal-induced arthritis flare in 54 patients with severe CKD and was well tolerated, without any serious adverse events.

Calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) in a liver transplant patient: are hypomagnesemia, tacrolimus or both guilty? A case-based literature review.

Calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) can be induced by a persistent hypomagnesemia. Tacrolimus is an immunosuppressive treatment especially used in organ transplant, potentially inducer of hypomagnesemia by renal loss. A 53-year-old man, liver transplant 10 months earlier, developed an acute peripheral oligoarthritis of wrist, hip and elbow with fever, associated with acute low back pain. Synovial fluid was sterile, and revealed calcium pyrophosphate crystals. Spinal imaging showed inflammatory changes. Magnesium blood level was low at 0.51 mmol/l, with high fractional excretion in favor of renal loss. Tacrolimus was changed for everolimus, proton pump inhibitor was stopped, and magnesium oral supplementation was started. After 8 months follow-up and slow prednisone tapering, he did not relapse pain. Persistent hypomagnesemia is a rare secondary cause of CPPD. In this entity, drug liability should be investigated such as tacrolimus in organ transplant patient.

Tacrolimus induced pseudogout following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant.

INTRODUCTION: Crystalline arthritis (CA), characterized by acute joint pain and erythema secondary to calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD, or pseudogout) or monosodium urate crystals (gout), is a potentially underreported complication following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (alloHCT). Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis with calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) causes hypomagnesemia and hyperuricemia, resulting in CA. CA related to tacrolimus has yet to be characterized following alloHCT. CASE REPORT: We retrospectively reviewed records of 450 consecutive patients undergoing alloHCT and identified 15 (3.3% incidence) who developed CA on tacrolimus. Large joints were involved in 10 (66.7%) patients, all patients had recent hypomagnesemia, and no patient had hyperuricemia, suggesting CPPD was the most likely etiology.Management and outcome: Eleven (73.3%) patients received systemic corticosteroids; 6 as initial therapy and 5 added to or substituted for colchicine in the setting of slow or inadequate response. The median duration of corticosteroid therapy was 6 days, however 2 patients (13.3%) required prolonged maintenance due to recurrence. Eleven (73.3%) patients received colchicine; 9 as initial therapy and 2 added to or substituted for corticosteroids in the setting of slow or inadequate response. The median duration of colchicine therapy was 18 days. The median time to symptom resolution was 21 days. DISCUSSION: Patients on tacrolimus following alloHCT presenting with acute joint pain and erythema should be evaluated for CPPD. Hypomagnesemia secondary to CNIs is likely the precipitating factor for CPPD in this population. Patients can effectively be managed with systemic corticosteroids and/or colchicine, however prolonged duration of treatment and even maintenance may be necessary. Based on the Naranjo Algorithm, CPPD secondary to tacrolimus induced hypomagnesemia is a possible adverse drug event, with a score of 3-4.

Articular manifestations in patients with inflammatory bowel disease treated with vedolizumab.

OBJECTIVE: Vedolizumab (VDZ) has been incriminated in the occurrence of articular manifestations in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). The aim of this study was to describe musculoskeletal manifestations occurring in IBD patients treated by VDZ and to identify risk factors. METHODS: In this retrospective monocentric study, we included all consecutive patients treated by VDZ for IBD in our hospital. Incident musculoskeletal manifestations occurring during VDZ treatment were analysed and characteristics of patients with and without articular inflammatory manifestations were compared. RESULTS: Between 2013 and 2017, 112 patients were treated with VDZ for IBD: ulcerative colitis (n = 59), Crohn's disease (n = 49) and undetermined colitis (n = 4). Four patients (3.6%) had a history of SpA, whereas 13 (11.6%) had a history of peripheral arthralgia. Some 102 (91.1%) patients had previously received anti-TNF. After a mean (S.d.) follow-up of 11.4 (8.6) months, 32 (28.6%) patients presented 35 musculoskeletal manifestations, of which 18 were mechanical and 17 inflammatory. Among the latter, 11 had axial or peripheral SpA, 5 had early reversible arthralgia and 1 had chondrocalcinosis (n = 1). Among the 11 SpA patients, only 3 (2.6%) had inactive IBD and may be considered as paradoxical SpA. The only factor associated with occurrence of inflammatory manifestations was history of inflammatory articular manifestation [7/16 (43.8%) vs 10/80 (12.5%), P = 0.007]. CONCLUSION: Musculoskeletal manifestations occurred in almost 30% of IBD patients treated with VDZ, but only half of them were inflammatory. Since most of the patients previously received anti-TNF, occurrence of inflammatory articular manifestations might rather be linked to anti-TNF discontinuation than to VDZ itself.

Pseudogout Attack after Pegfilgrastim Administration in Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma.

A 67-year-old man with relapsed anaplastic large cell lymphoma received salvage chemotherapy, and pegfilgrastim was used to prevent febrile neutropenia. On day 18 of chemotherapy, he developed a pseudogout attack. Although the first symptoms improved, another pseudogout attack occurred when he received the second course of chemotherapy and pegfilgrastim. Filgrastim was then used for the third course of chemotherapy, and a pseudogout attack did not occur. The serum granulocyte-stimulating factor (G-CSF) level was extremely elevated only when pegfilgrastim was used, suggesting a relationship between pseudogout and G-CSF. Pseudogout should be recognized as an adverse effect of pegfilgrastim.

Crystal-Induced Arthropathy in Elderly Patients Hospitalized for Acute Conditions.

BACKGROUND: Arthritis and arthralgia are painful symptoms experienced by many elderly patients during hospitalization. Crystal-induced arthritis (CIA) is one of the most common causes of arthritis worldwide and represents the most common cause of acute arthritis in the elderly. OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of both acute new onset or acute exacerbation of CIA among elderly patients hospitalized due to an acute medical illness. METHODS: This study comprised 85 patients. Patients aged 70 years and older who complained of any articular pain were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were signs of septic arthritis, chronic use of steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or admission to the hospital due to an acute attack of CIA. RESULTS: RSynovial aspiration was performed in 76 patients (89%). Joint aspiration yielded a diagnosis in 67 of them (79%). The predominant type of crystal was calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate (68%) followed by monosodium urate (20%). The main causes of hospitalization were acute infectious disease (57%) followed by neurologic and cardiac diseases, 14% and 9% respectively, and orthopedic problems (6%). Among patients with acute infectious disease, the main causes were pulmonary (57%) and gastrointestinal (22%) infections. In 9 patients (12%) who underwent synovial aspiration, visible crystals were identified without a definite diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that hospitalization could be a risk factor for the development of CIA, and the time to diagnose CIA is during hospitalization for other acute illnesses.

Incident acute pseudogout and prior bisphosphonate use: Matched case-control study in the UK-Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

Oral bisphosphonates are the most commonly used drugs to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis. Acute pseudogout is anecdotally reported to occur following bisphosphonate initiation but empirical data are lacking. We investigated whether treatment with oral bisphosphonates is a risk factor for incident acute pseudogout.A matched case-control study was undertaken using data from the UK-Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Adults who consulted for incident acute pseudogout between 1987 and 2012 were each matched for gender, age at pseudogout diagnosis, and general practice to up to 4 control subjects without pseudogout. The exposure of interest was a prescription for an oral bisphosphonate issued within the 60-day period prior to the date of incident acute pseudogout. Associations between incident acute pseudogout and prior bisphosphonate prescription were examined using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for hyperparathyroidism, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, hemochromatosis, hypophosphatasia, and prescriptions for diuretics and oral corticosteroids.Two thousand eleven acute pseudogout cases were compared with 8013 matched controls without acute pseudogout (mean age [standard deviation] 72 years [14]; 52% male). One hundred twenty-three cases (6.1%) had received an oral bisphosphonate prescription in the 60-day exposure period compared with 305 controls (3.8%) (adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-1.69). This association was stronger in females (adjusted IRR 1.49; 95% CI 1.15-1.94) and was nonsignificant in males (0.83; 0.48-1.44).Incident acute pseudogout was associated with prescription of an oral bisphosphonate in the preceding 60 days. Prescribers should be aware of acute pseudogout as a possible side effect of bisphosphonate treatment. Further research is needed to explore the risks conferred by different bisphosphonates and the mechanism underlying this association.

First cases of calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease after zoledronic acid therapy.

A number of medications promote the development of calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPDD). We report 2 cases of acute CPDD after intravenous zoledronic acid therapy. Case #1: a 63-year-old female was admitted for vertebroplasty at the site of an osteoporotic fracture. She received an intravenous infusion of zoledronic acid 5mg on the day after the procedure. Acute CPDD developed in her right knee 24hours later. Findings from joint aspiration and standard radiography confirmed the diagnosis. Case #2: this 79-year-old woman had a history of CPDD was on glucocorticoid and hydroxychloroquine therapy for lupus. She was given an intravenous infusion of zoledronic acid 5mg as prophylaxis of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Joint pain and a fever developed later on the same day. After 5 days, she had arthritis of the right wrist, laboratory evidence of systemic inflammation, and hypocalcemia. Radiographs showed evidence of CPDD. A Medline search identified 6 cases of bisphosphonate-related CPDD, including 2 due to pamidronate, 2 to etidronate, 1 to alendronic acid, and 1 to neridronic acid. The features were similar to those in our patients, with a short time to onset, systemic inflammation in many cases, a tendency toward hypocalcemia, and radiographs that often showed evidence of CPDD. Bisphosphonate-induced CPDD is a rare eventuality that should nevertheless be borne in mind by rheumatologists. Also, in patients with CPDD while taking bisphosphonate therapy, a role for the drug in the symptoms should be considered.

Dexamethasone promotes calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal formation by articular chondrocytes.

OBJECTIVE: Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystals are commonly found in osteoarthritic joints and correlate with a poor prognosis. Intraarticular corticosteroids, such as dexamethasone (Dxm), are commonly used therapies for osteoarthritis with or without CPPD deposition. Dxm has variable effects in mineralization models. We investigated the effects of Dxm on CPPD crystal formation in a well established tissue culture model. METHODS: Porcine articular chondrocytes were incubated with ATP to generate CPPD crystals. Chondrocytes incubated with or without ATP were exposed to 1-100 nM Dxm in the presence of 45Ca. Mineralization was measured by 45Ca uptake in the cell layer. We also investigated the effect of Dxm on mineralization-regulating enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase, nucleoside triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase (NTPPPH), and transglutaminase. RESULTS: Dxm significantly increased ATP-induced mineralization by articular chondrocytes. While alkaline phosphatase and NTPPPH activities were unchanged by Dxm, transglutaminase activity increased in a dose-responsive manner. Levels of Factor XIIIA mRNA and protein were increased by Dxm, while type II Tgase protein was unchanged. Transglutaminase inhibitors suppressed Dxminduced increases in CPPD crystal formation. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a potential for Dxm to contribute to pathologic mineralization in cartilage and reinforce a central role for the transglutaminase enzymes in CPPD crystal formation.

Acute pseudogout after pamidronate infusion.

A 72-year-old man, treated with a 60-mg intravenous infusion of pamidronate for shoulder hand syndrome, developed after few hours an acute pseudogout arthritis of his right knee. Diagnosis was confirmed by synovial fluid analysis and was associated with hypocalcemia. Only a few cases are reported in the literature. The mechanism of this potential side effect remains speculative.