Anxiety and Depression and Associated Risk Factors among Outpatients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Although mood disorders are prevalent among systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, they are usually underrecognized. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression among Saudi SLE patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among SLE patients from July 2022 to June 2023 in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect the data through validated tools including the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale-A and the Beck Depression Inventory score. RESULTS: There were 133 females (91.7%) and 12 males (8.3%) included in this study. Based on the HAM-A score, 45.5% of participants had an anxiety disorder, and according to the BDI score, 46.2% had a depression disorder. Anxiety and depression were significantly associated with a longer duration of SLE, unemployment status, smoking, and the presence of comorbidities. Moreover, the present study found a significant association between depression and male gender. CONCLUSION: This study found that Saudi SLE patients have a high prevalence of both anxiety and depression. Therefore, SLE patients should be screened for neuropsychiatric disorders during routine follow-ups and managed as early as possible.

COVID-19 in patients with rheumatological diseases in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

The severity of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its effects remain unpredictable. Certain factors, such as obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, may increase the severity of the disease. Rheumatology experts suggest that patients with active autoimmune conditions and controlled autoimmune diseases on immunosuppressive therapy may be at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. In this retrospective observational study, we aimed to examine the patterns of COVID-19 in patients with underlying rheumatological diseases and their association with disease severity and hospital outcomes. A total of 34 patients with underlying rheumatological diseases who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were included between March 2020 and April 2021 at King Fahd Hospital of the University. The study population consisted of 76.47% female and 23.53% male patients, with a mean age ranging from 20 to 40 years. Female gender (p=0.0001) and younger age (p=0.004) were associated with milder disease. The most frequent rheumatological disease was systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (38.24%), which was associated with a milder infection (p=0.045). Patients treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) had a milder disease course (p=0.0037). Hypertension was significantly associated with severe COVID-19 disease (p=0.037). There was no significant relationship between SLE and the need for ICU admission. Patients on hydroxychloroquine and MMF tended to develop milder disease, and there was no association between the severity of the infection and the treatment with steroids.

A Transcriptome-Wide Association Study Identifies Novel Candidate Susceptibility Genes for Pancreatic Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although 20 pancreatic cancer susceptibility loci have been identified through genome-wide association studies in individuals of European ancestry, much of its heritability remains unexplained and the genes responsible largely unknown. METHODS: To discover novel pancreatic cancer risk loci and possible causal genes, we performed a pancreatic cancer transcriptome-wide association study in Europeans using three approaches: FUSION, MetaXcan, and Summary-MulTiXcan. We integrated genome-wide association studies summary statistics from 9040 pancreatic cancer cases and 12 496 controls, with gene expression prediction models built using transcriptome data from histologically normal pancreatic tissue samples (NCI Laboratory of Translational Genomics [n = 95] and Genotype-Tissue Expression v7 [n = 174] datasets) and data from 48 different tissues (Genotype-Tissue Expression v7, n = 74-421 samples). RESULTS: We identified 25 genes whose genetically predicted expression was statistically significantly associated with pancreatic cancer risk (false discovery rate < .05), including 14 candidate genes at 11 novel loci (1p36.12: CELA3B; 9q31.1: SMC2, SMC2-AS1; 10q23.31: RP11-80H5.9; 12q13.13: SMUG1; 14q32.33: BTBD6; 15q23: HEXA; 15q26.1: RCCD1; 17q12: PNMT, CDK12, PGAP3; 17q22: SUPT4H1; 18q11.22: RP11-888D10.3; and 19p13.11: PGPEP1) and 11 at six known risk loci (5p15.33: TERT, CLPTM1L, ZDHHC11B; 7p14.1: INHBA; 9q34.2: ABO; 13q12.2: PDX1; 13q22.1: KLF5; and 16q23.1: WDR59, CFDP1, BCAR1, TMEM170A). The association for 12 of these genes (CELA3B, SMC2, and PNMT at novel risk loci and TERT, CLPTM1L, INHBA, ABO, PDX1, KLF5, WDR59, CFDP1, and BCAR1 at known loci) remained statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSIONS: By integrating gene expression and genotype data, we identified novel pancreatic cancer risk loci and candidate functional genes that warrant further investigation.

Hypereosinophilic vasculitis: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: The Revised International Chapel Hill Consensus Conference 2012 subdivides vasculitides based on combinations of features that separate different forms of vasculitis into definable categories. Hypereosinophilic vasculitis with sparing of the respiratory tract and renal system is a rare presentation that is yet to be described in the Revised International Chapel Hill Consensus Conference 2012 report that addresses nomenclature of vasculitides. This is a condition that involves a vascular injury due to either a primary eosinophilic vasculitis or an underlying connective tissue disease and it predisposes patients to a prothrombotic state. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 39-year-old patient presented with left hand digital ischemia, preceded by Raynaud phenomenon, and vasculitic rash. For 3 months, he was having digital ischemia affecting the left 2nd and 3rd digits in the form of pallor and gangrenous discoloration with a preceding history of a pinpoint pruritic rash affecting his lower limbs that extended to involve the trunk and upper limbs over a short period of time and responded to only a tapering dose of oral steroids. Examination revealed a delayed capillary refill in all left-hand digits and a weak left radial pulse but no bruit. The rest of his peripheral vascular examination was unremarkable. DIAGNOSIS: Investigations revealed an absolute eosinophilic count of 4.34 K/µL and erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 44 mm/h. A magnetic resonance angiogram showed a beaded appearance of the left ulnar artery distally and the radial artery branches in the left hand and subsequently was diagnosed with hypereosinophilic vasculitis. INTERVENTIONS: He was started on oral prednisone of 1 mg/kg daily orally tapering done as well as azathioprine for maintenance. OUTCOMES: Two weeks postdischarge, the patient was seen in the outpatient department where his ischemic symptoms improved, and his skin rash healed. Noticed improvement in his splinter hemorrhages was also detected. He continued to do well on 2 years follow-up CONCLUSION:: This case reflects the importance of frequent reevaluation for vasculitic diseases criteria and nomenclature. Hypereosinophilic vasculitis with absent respiratory and renal involvement is a rare presentation with scarce evidence to guide treatment.