Rheumatoid arthritis with concomitant fibromyalgia: The role of ultrasound in assessing disease activity.

INTRODUCTION: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic painful condition frequently associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which may falsely increase RA activity. The aim of our study was to compare clinical scoring and ultrasound (US) assessment in RA patients with concomitant FM with those without FM. METHODS: A cross-sectional study including patients with RA according to the ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria was conducted. Patients were divided into two groups: RA patients meeting ACR 2016 FM criteria (cases) and RA patients not meeting FM criteria (controls). Clinico-biological and US assessments of RA activity were performed on the same day for each patient. RESULTS: Eighty patients distributed into 40 patients in each group were recruited. Biologic DMARD prescription was more frequent in RA with FM patients than the control group (p = 0.04). DAS28 was significantly greater than DAS28 V3 in RA with FM group (p = 0.002). FM group had significantly less US synovitis (p = 0.035) and less Power Doppler (PD) activity (p = 0.035). Grey scale US score (p = 0.87) and DP US score (p = 0.162) were similar in the two groups. The correlation between the clinical and the ultrasonographic scores was strong to very strong in both groups with the strongest correlation found between DAS28 V3 and US DAS28 V3 (r = 0.95) in RA + FM group. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the overestimation of disease activity by the clinical scores in RA with concomitant FM. DAS28 V3 score and US assessment would represent a better alternative.

Hyperparathyroidism: Unusual location of brown tumors.

Brown tumors (BTs) are due to a proliferation of multinucleated giant cells in osteolytic lesions. They complicate the course of hyperparathyroidism. Thanks to an early screening of bone metabolism disorders; BTs are nowadays rare bone manifestations. We demonstrate through these two cases reports unusual locations of BTs in hyperparathyroidism.

Reactive Arthritis following Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Therapy for Bladder Cancer: a Systematic Literature Review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Intravesical BCG therapy (ivBCG) is a treatment for bladder cancer that complements surgery and prevents tumor progression. Reactive arthritis (ReA) is a rare osteoarticular manifestation that can complicate this treatment. An updated systematic literature review has been investigated to identify clinical, biological, and therapeutic data of this pathology. RECENT FINDINGS: A systematic literature was performed on October 2020 to identify papers published from 2000 to 2020. Study eligibility criteria included case reports, case series, cohort studies, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, and letters to the editor, in English and French. Independent extraction of articles was performed by two investigators. Thirteen studies met the search criteria for the systematic review with a good quality assessment. The total number of patients was 107, with an average age of 61.5 [24-80]. The symptoms of ReA appeared after a mean number of 5.71 instillations and 13.9 days. Arthritis was the most common symptom (98.13%) followed by fever (80.76%) and conjunctivitis (64.42%). Human leukocyte antigen (HLAB27) was positive in 28.97% of patients. Therapeutic modalities included non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (51.4%), corticosteroids (27.1%), conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (3.84%), antitubercular drugs (14.42%), and tocilizumab (0.93%). BCG therapy was discontinued in 29.9% of patients. Remission was achieved in 92.3% of patients and one patient progressed to spondyloarthritis. ReA is a rare complication of BCG therapy. Clinical signs are similar to those of typical ReA and treatment is primarily based on NSAIDs and corticosteroids.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma presenting with renal failure and bone lesions in a 46-year-old woman: a case report and review of literature.

Renal involvement in large B-cell lymphoma represents an exceptional manifestation of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Renal failure and bone metastasis by lymphomatous infiltration is extremely rare. We describe a 46-year-old woman presenting with a renal failure and a 5-month history of intermittent left knee pain that was previously misdiagnosed with osteoarthritis. It was due to a bilateral primary renal lymphoma (PRL) associated with bone metastasis. Knee MRI showed a permeative lesion and an abnormal signal in the metaphysis and diaphysis of the left proximal tibia with periosteal reaction and surrounding soft tissue swelling. The CT body scan showed a bilateral nephromegaly and multiple lytic bone lesion of aggressive appearance at the right iliac wing and right sacral ala evoking lymphomatous involvement. Node biopsy with immunohistochemistry study confirmed a diagnosis of large B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. In this article, we focus on clinical, radiological, immunohistochemical presentation, differential diagnosis and review the literature. Ten cases including our case were reported in our literature review of both renal and bone lymphoma. There was a male predominance, with a mean age of 55.1 years old. We noted a high frequency of renal failure in diagnosis. In X-rays, the metaphysis is the most common site of occurrence in long bones and the main sign was osteolytic bone destruction. The subtype of lymphoma was DLBCL stage IV in most cases except in one case where it was a hystiocytic lymphoma. Finally, prognosis was poor, more than half of patients died. PRL with bone metastasis is a rare malignancy that is difficult to diagnose. Clinicians should increase the awareness of the disease and consider a differential diagnosis of bone lesions. Early diagnosis and active treatment can improve patient prognosis.

Non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in Tunisia: main characteristics and detailed comparison with ankylosing spondylitis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study is to compare the clinical features, disease activity, and physical impairment between non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis in Tunisian patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective study conducted in a single rheumatology center in Tunisia. Patients with axial spondyloarthritis fulfilling the 2009 ASAS criteria were included. The various spondyloarthritis-related variables were compared between non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. p Values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Among 200 patients with axial spondyloarthritis, 40 had non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis and 160 had ankylosing spondylitis. The non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis patients were more frequently female, were younger, and had shorter disease duration. Patients with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis experienced enthesitis more frequently compared with ankylosing spondylitis patients. Psoriasis was more frequent in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis group, while inflammatory bowel disease was more frequent in ankylosing spondylitis group. The C-reactive protein level and functional score were significantly higher in patients with ankylosing spondylitis compared with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors were offered significantly more often to the ankylosing spondylitis group. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in other spondyloarthritis parameters. CONCLUSION: The non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis is characterized mainly by a marked female prevalence, a higher enthesitis prevalence, and a better physical function. KEY POINTS: • Patients with nr-axSpA in Tunisia are more frequently female and have shorter disease duration compared with those with AS. • Peripheral manifestations were similar between nr-axSpA and AS patients except for enthesitis which were more frequent within nr-axSpA patients. • The disease activity is similar between the 2 groups of axSpA but the physical function is better within nr-axSpA patients.

[A voluminous foraminal and extra foraminal disk hernia mimicking a tumor]. / Une grosse hernie discale extra foraminale d'aspect pseudo tumoral.

In some cases, disc herniation can be voluminous and can then constitute a differential diagnosis with tumours. We report the case of a 46 years-old female with sciatica and crural neuralgia which resisted to medical treatment. X-rays exams were normal, but the computerized tomography showed a voluminous mass in contact with the L5 nervous root and which was developed in the psoas major muscle. The MRI revealed a voluminous foraminal and extra foraminal herniation at the L4-L5 vertebral disc, extended up to the psoas major muscle and associated with an important inflammatory infiltration. Surgical treatment was successful with a follow up of 8 months.