Spontaneous skin necrosis revealing protein S deficiency in Crohn's disease.

Inflammatory bowel diseases are associated with a state of hypercoagulability secondary to several mechanisms, protein S deficiency being one of these. It can be revealed by spontaneous skin necrosis in children. This condition is rare in adults with Crohn's disease. We are reporting a case of a 35-year-old woman with active Crohn's disease who presented a protein S deficiency responsible for an extensive spontaneous skin necrosis. The evolution was favourable after vascular filling, curative anticoagulation, antibiotic therapy, as well as a high-dose of corticosteroid therapy. We are reporting this case in order to emphasize the importance of considering skin necrosis as a possible cutaneous manifestation of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Impact and long-term protection of hepatitis B vaccination: 17 years after universal hepatitis B vaccination in Tunisia.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination has been part of the Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) in Tunisia since 1995. The aim of this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the impact of mass vaccination in Tunisia 17 years after this programme was implemented, and in parallel, assess the long-term persistence of anti-HBs antibody in the vaccinated Tunisian population. A total of 1422 students were recruited (703 vaccinated, 719 non-vaccinated). HBV seromarkers were checked. None of the students from either group had positive HBsAg. The overall prevalence of anti-HBc was 0·8%. A Significantly higher prevalence of anti-HBc was noted in unvaccinated students than in vaccinated (1·4% vs. 0·3%, P = 0·02). The overall seroprotection rate (anti-HBs titre ⩾10 mIU/ml) was 68·9% in vaccinated subjects. Seroprotection rates and geometric mean titres decreased significantly with increasing age, reflecting waning anti-HBs titre over time. No significant difference was detected between seroprotection rates and gender or students' area of origin. Incomplete vaccination was the only factor associated with an anti-HBs titre <10 mIU/ml. This study demonstrates the excellent efficacy of the HBV vaccination programme in Tunisia 17 years after its launch. However, a significant decline of anti-HBs seroprotection has been observed in ⩾15-year-old adolescents which places them at risk of infection. Additional studies are needed in hyperendemic regions in Tunisia.

[Intracardiac thrombosis during celiac disease]. / Thrombose intracardiaque au cours d'une maladie cœliaque.

Thrombotic events occurring in the course of celiac disease are frequently reported in the literature. The localization is often unusual, mainly affecting the hepatic veins. To our knowledge, this is the first report of intracardiac thrombosis occurring in a patient with celiac disease. A 32-year-old patient with celiac disease adhered poorly to his gluten-free diet. He suffered an ischemic stroke revealing an intracardiac thrombus, which, on radiological imaging, simulated a multiple myxoma. Histological examination of the resected tumor enabled the correct diagnosis. Biological findings revealed severe protein C and S deficiency. The patient improved with anticoagulant therapy and gluten-free diet.

[Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction in systemic lupus erythematosus]. / Pseudo-obstruction intestinale au cours du lupus érythémateux systémique.

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction (IPO) is an uncommon and severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report a 24-year-old female with a 2 year SLE duration who presented with abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation and abdominal distention. Plain abdominal radiograph showed multiple air-fluid levels of the small bowel. Computed tomographic scan of the abdomen revealed dilated small bowel loops without mechanical obstruction. Urinary tract involvement was also demonstrated. IPO was diagnosed and the patient responded well to immunosuppressive treatment. IPO is a recently recognized manifestation of SLE that may be the presenting manifestation of the systemic disease or occur more commonly during disease course. Early recognition of IPO is necessary to institute appropriate medical treatment and to avoid inappropriate surgical intervention.

[Takayasu's disease in central Tunisia: 27 cases]. / La maladie de Takayasu dans la région centre de la Tunisie. A propos de 27 cas.

BACKGROUND: Takayasu's arteritis is a rare inflammatory disease and few data are available in Tunisia. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical and radiological features of the disease in the centre of Tunisia. METHODS: We retrospectively studied medical records of patients treated in departments of internal medicine or cardiology from three university hospitals in Sousse and Monastir over the period 1985-2005. The criteria for inclusion were those proposed by the American College of Rheumatology. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were identified. The mean age at presentation was 33.2 years (range 16-68 years) and 88.9% were female. The mean delay from the onset of the symptoms to the time of diagnosis was 4.2 years. Intermittent claudication was the most common presentation (81.5%) and hypertension was noted in 40.7% of cases. Arterial localization most frequently involved was subclavian artery. The aorta was involved in 52.3% and renal arteries in 36.3% of cases. Stenosis or occlusions was constant but aneurysms were noted in 7.4%. Functional difficulty was the main complaint in the follow-up, death related to Takayasu's disease was noted in 3.7%. The mean follow-up time was 75.8 months (6.3 years). CONCLUSION: There is no epidemiologic particularity of Takayasu's disease in Tunisia, however involvement of the subclavian artery was more frequent than the aortic localization.

Infection in systemic lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Infections are common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) throughout the course of their disease and remain a source of mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of infections, to describe their nature, and analyze their risk factors in adults with SLE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a descriptive study, at the Farhat-Hached Hospital in Sousse, and retrospectively analyzed the charts of 75 patients with SLE seen between 1990 and 2004. The group of patients with documented infections was compared to a control group. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine risk factors associated with infection. RESULTS: Our study included 64 women and 11 men (median age of 31.4 years). Forty-three patients (57.5%) had 82 infectious episodes: 23 patients had at least two infectious episodes. Most infections were community acquired, and 80% were severe. The most common infections involved the urinary tract (28%), the skin and soft tissue (26.8%), and the respiratory tract (18.3%). Documented pathogens were: 45 common bacteria, 11 Candida albicans and four Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Localized herpes zoster was noted in three cases. Factors associated with infection, found in univariate analysis, were renal involvement, serum albumin lower than 25 g/l, and corticosteroids treatment. Only corticosteroids therapy remained statistically significant after multivariate analysis.

Serologic study of rickettsioses among acute febrile patients in central Tunisia.

Although Mediterranean spotted or "boutonneuse" fever (MSF) has been documented in central Tunisia, other spotted fever group rickettsioses (SFGR) and typhus group rickettsioses (TGR) have received little attention in our region. We sought to determine the role of rickettsioses, Q fever, ehrlichioses, and bartonelloses among patients with acute fever. The results of this study of 47 persons with acute fever of undetermined origin are reported in this paper. We concluded that SFGR, murine typhus, and acute Q fever are common causes of acute isolate fever in summer in central Tunisia and should be investigated systematically in patients with acute fever of unknown origin.