Medición de la percepción global de salud mediante diferentes escalas en pacientes con artritis reumatoide: propuesta de una escala combinada / Measurement of overall perceived health using different scales in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and a proposal of a combined scale

RESUMEN Introducción: La percepción global de la salud (PGA) es una parte de los instrumentos compuestos utilizados para determinar la actividad de la artritis reumatoide (AR). Por lo general, se mide por medio de la escala visual análoga (EVA). En nuestra práctica clínica y en la literatura se han observado dificultades en la aplicación de la EVA. Este estudio se llevó a cabo luego de considerar la necesidad de definir el desempeño de las diferentes escalas usadas para evaluar la PGA, determinar la facilidad de su uso y proponer una nueva escala. Métodos: Se trata de un estudio basado en desenlace de pacientes con diagnóstico de AR a los que se aplicaron cuatro tipos de escalas para evaluar la PGA: escala 1 (EVA), escala 2 (escala de rostros) y una propuesta de escala visual en dos versiones: escala 3 (escala visual compuesta en orientación horizontal) y escala 4 (similar a la escala 3, pero en orientación vertical). Se analizó su correlación y la frecuencia con la que los pacientes las entendieron. Resultados: Se incluyeron 198 pacientes, 169 mujeres (85,3%) y 29 hombres (14,6%), y la edad media fue de 54,2 anos. El 59,6% de los pacientes no entendió la escala 1. La mayoría de los pacientes entendió las escalas 2, 3 y 4. Aproximadamente el 80% de los pacientes prefirió las escalas 2 (43,4%) y 3 (36,3%) (p < 0,00). Ninguna variable clínica predijo la selección de la escala. Se observó una buena correlación y una aceptable reproducibilidad de las escalas 2, 3 y 4. Conclusiones: La mayoría de los pacientes no entendió la EVA; la mayoría de nuestros pacientes entendió y prefirió las escalas propuestas, que podrían ser útiles en la práctica clínica de los pacientes con AR.

ABSTRACT Introduction: The overall perceived health (OPH) is part of the composite tools used to determine the activity of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). It is usually measured using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Difficulties in applying the VAS have been observed in clinical practice and in the literature. This study was carried out after considering the need to define the performance of the different scales used to evaluate OPH, and determine their ease of use, as well as to propose a new scale. Methods: The study based on the outcome of patients, subjects diagnosed with RA, to whom 4 types of scales were applied to evaluate OPH: Scale 1 (VAS), Scale 2 (face scale), a proposal of a visual scale in two versions: Scale 3 (composite visual scale in horizontal orientation), and Scale 4, similar to 3 in vertical orientation. Results: Of the 198 patients included, 169 (85.3%) were women, and 29 (14.6%) were men. The mean age was 54.2 years, and 59.6% of the patients did not understand the Scale 1. The majority of the patients understood the Scales 2,3, and 4. Approximately 80% of the patients preferred the Scales 2 (43.4%) and 3 (36.3%) (P< .00), but no clinical variable predicted the selection of the scale. A good correlation and an acceptable reproducibility were observed for scales 2, 3, and 4. Conclusions: Although the majority of patients did not understand the VAS, the majority of our patients understood and preferred the proposed scales that could be useful in the clinical practice of RA patients.

Neumonía intersticial linfocítica en una paciente con lupus eritematoso sistémico y síndrome de Sjögren secundario: reporte de caso y revisión de la literatura / Lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and secondary Sjögren's syndrome: Case report and literature review

RESUMEN La neumonía intersticial linfocítica es una complicación, poco frecuente, asociada con el lupus eritematoso sistémico, sin embargo, con gran impacto en la calidad de vida. Se asocia con la presencia de anti Ro/SSA, anti La/SSB y con el diagnóstico de síndrome de Sjögren secundario. No es clara la estrategia terapéutica y la información existente está basada en reportes de caso sin disponibilidad de estudios adecuadamente diseñados. En el presente documento se expone el caso de una paciente con lupus eritematoso sistémico y síndrome de Sjögren secundario, que presentó una enfermedad pulmonar intersticial con características de neumonía intersticial linfocítica.

ABSTRACT Lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia is an infrequent complication associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and has a great impact on quality of life. It is associated with the presence of anti-Ro/SSA, anti-La/SSB, and the diagnosis of secondary Sjögren Syndrome. Its therapeutic strategy is not clear, and the existing information is based on case reports, with there being no properly designed studies available. The case is presented here of a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and secondary Sjögren's syndrome, who also presented with interstitial lung disease with characteristics of lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia.

Clinical and immunological features of post-chikungunya virus chronic arthritis and its effect on functional ability and quality of life in a cohort of Colombian patients / Caracterización clínica e inmunológica de la artropatía crónica por virus chikungunya y su relación con discapacidad funcional y afectación de la calidad de vida en una cohorte de pacientes colombianos

ABSTRACT Introduction: Post-chikungunya virus (CHIKV) chronic arthritis is a common complication of the acute infection caused by this virus, with high risk of progression to functional and quality of life sequelae. Objective: To identify the clinical and immunological characteristics, functional disabilities, and quality of life decline in a sample of Colombian patients with chronic arthropathy associated with chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Methods: A group of 94 patients was evaluated in a City in Colombia during the CHIKV epidemics from 2014 to 2015. Results: The mean age of the 94 patients was 57 years; 76% were women, and 100% came from low socioeconomic groups. Typically, the joint disease was symmetrical, with joint swelling present in 30% of the cases, mostly involving the small and large joints of the upper limbs. Rheumatoid factor was positive in 1.06% and anti-citrulline antibodies in 0%. There were detectable levels of IL6 in 64.9%, and IL 17 in 7.45% of the patients. The severity of disease activity was determined using the DAS28 score, identifying 55.3% with moderate activity, 40.4% with mild activity, and 4.2% with high activity. The HAQ-DI identified a moderate functional limitation in 45.7% of the cases, with a mean score of 1.02. The quality of life measured with the SF-36 scale showed that all of the domains evaluated were affected but pain and the physical and emotional domains were significantly more affected. Conclusions: Patients with post-chikungunya chronic arthritis, presented in most cases arthralgia, arthritis, functional impairment, and poor quality of life. It is then necessary to adopt comprehensive therapeutic measures for a sound intervention of this pathology.

RESUMEN Introducción: La artropatía por virus de chikungunya (CHIKV) es una complicación frecuente secundaria a la infección inicial por este virus con un alto riesgo de progresión a secuelas funcionales y de calidad de vida. Objetivo: Identificar las características clínicas, inmunológicas, de discapacidad funcional y de deterioro de la calidad de vida en una muestra de pacientes colombianos con artropatía crónica por CHIKV. Métodos: Se evaluó un grupo de 94 pacientes en una ciudad colombiana durante la epidemia por CHIKV en el periodo 2014-2015. Resultados: En los 94 pacientes la edad media fue de 57 años, siendo el 76% mujeres y el 100% de la población afectada perteneció a estratos socioeconómicos bajos. El cuadro articular característicamente fue simétrico con inflamación articular en el 30%, mayor compromiso de articulaciones grandes y pequeñas de miembros superiores. Se identificó positividad para factor reumatoide en el 1,06%, anticuerpos anticitrulina en el 0%, niveles detectables de IL-6 en el 64,9% y de IL-17 en el 7,45% de los pacientes. La severidad de la actividad articular se exploró con la escala DAS28, identificando un 55,3% con actividad moderada, un 40,4% actividad leve y un 4,2% con actividad alta. El HAQ-DI identificó un compromiso funcional moderado en el 45,7%, con puntaje medio de 1,02. La calidad de vida medida con la escala SF-36 mostró que todos los dominios evaluados fueron afectados con mayor compromiso de los dominios dolor, rol físico y rol emocional. Conclusiones: En los pacientes afectados por artropatía crónica por CHIKV se observó artralgias, artritis, deterioro funcional y de la calidad de vida en la mayoría de la población estudiada, por lo que es necesario adoptar medidas terapéuticas en todos estos niveles para una intervención adecuada en esta patología.

Pannus y artritis reumatoide: evolución histórica y fisiopatológica / Pannus and rheumatoid arthritis: Historic and pathophysiological evolution

RESUMEN La proliferación del tejido sinovial, que es llamada pannus, se ha considerado como una manifestación tardía, inactiva e irreversible de la artritis reumatoide (AR), contrario a lo que históricamente se ha estudiado. Se realizó una búsqueda de la literatura para realizar una revisión narrativa e histórica respecto al surgimiento del término pannus y su papel en la artritis reumatoide. Estudios de microscopia de luz han mostrado el carácter destructivo de este tejido con hallazgos característicos de la AR, corroborados con microscopia electrónica arios más tarde. Estos hallazgos llevaron a caracterizar el componente celular del pannus con gran número de células inmunológicas y de líneas celulares específicas con propiedades especiales como los sinoviocitos similares a fibroblastos. Este componente celular es el origen de una gran cantidad de citoquinas y proteinasas que perpetúan y causan el daño óseo y del cartílago. Este componente inflamatorio ha sido evidente también con el desarrollo de técnicas de imágenes, como la resonancia magnética y la ultrasonografía, que muestran un papel activo del tejido sinovial engrosado, junto a la hipervascularización en el daño articular y la reversibilidad de estos cambios tras el tratamiento. Las evidencias contempladas permiten concluir que el pannus como evidencia histológica (más que clínica) se refiere a la proliferación del tejido sinovial e incluye un gran componente celular activo que genera y perpetúa la inflamación y, por tanto, la enfermedad.

ABSTRACT Pannus refers to synovial tissue proliferation, and has been considered a late, inactive and irreversible manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), contrary to historical findings. A literature search was performed on terminology about pannus and its historical role in the pathophysiology of RA. Light microscopy studies have shown the destructive impact of pannus tissue with very specific abnormalities, corroborated a year later with electronic microscopy. Some of these findings are the isolation of the immunological cells inside the tissue, especially one cell line with particular capacities, called synoviocytes similar to fibroblasts. This cellular component is the source a large quantity of cytokines and proteinases that perpetuate and cause bone and cartilage damage. Inflammation has been seen in many image techniques, such as magnetic resonance and ultrasound. These show the role of tissue widening and hyper-vascularization in tissue damage, and some reversibility after treatment of RA. With the evidence presented it is possible to conclude that pannus refers to a histological (more than clinical) term for synovial hypertrophy, and includes a large component of cell activity that generates and perpetuates inflammation and thus the disease.

Tiroiditis y pancreatitis como presentación simultánea en una paciente con nefritis lúpica. Reporte de caso / Thyroiditis and pancreatitis as a simultaneous presentation in a patient with lupus nephritis. Case report

RESUMEN El lupus eritematoso sistémico se puede presentar con un amplio espectro de síntomas que en algunas ocasiones pueden enmascarar complicaciones graves asociadas a la misma enfermedad. Dentro de estas la pancreatitis es una causa poco común, y sin embargo de alta mortalidad, especialmente en pacientes con un tratamiento no oportuno. Reportamos el caso de una paciente que cursa con lupus eritematoso sistémico con compromiso renal y de sistema nervioso central, de reciente aparición, que se asocia a la aparición de pancreatitis y tiroiditis, presentando evolución satisfactoria con esquema terapéutico de ciclofosfamida y prednisolona.

ABSTRACT Systemic lupus erythematosus can present with a broad spectrum of symptoms that on some occasions may mask serious complications associated with the same disease. Within these, pancreatitis is an uncommon but high-mortality cause, especially in patients with non-oportune treatment. We report the case of a patient with systemic lupus eryt-hematosus with recent renal and central nervous system involvement that is associated with the onset of pancreatitis and thyroiditis. A satisfactory outcome was obtained with a cyclophosphamide and prednisolone therapeutic regimen.

Comparative study of elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis and young-onset rheumatoid arthritis in a Colombian population: clinical, laboratory and HLA-DRB1 findings.

OBJECTIVES: Elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis (EORA) is considered to have different features in relation to young-onset rheumatoid arthritis (YORA). However, results from different evaluated populations worldwide have been inconsistent and in Colombia there are no known descriptions of the differences between these pathologies. The aim of this paper is to compare the clinical, laboratory and immunogenetic features in a Colombian population suffering with EORA and YORA. METHODS: EORA (≥65, n=104) and YORA (<65, n=96) patients were compared regarding clinical, laboratory and HLA-DRB1 alleles features. A control group without rheumatoid arthritis over 65 (n=179) was used to compare the HLA-DRB1 alleles. All patients met the ACR/1987 criteria for rheumatoid arthritis and the clinimetric index was calculated. RESULTS: The gender ratio (female/male) was 1.8:1 in EORA. In both groups, the main onset pattern of disease was an insidious polyarticular onset (p=0.35). EORA was characterised by more distal-proximal joint involvement in comparison to YORA (p=0.0007). In EORA, the rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies frequency was close to 50%, lower than in YORA (63%). In both groups, the DAS28 and HAQ-DI score was higher than 6 and 1, respectively. The HLA-DRB1*0403 and *1402 frequency was significantly higher in EORA than in YORA. Also, the shared epitope (p=0.0392), HLA-DRB1*01 (p=0.0068) and *0101 (p=0.0151) were associated with an anti-CCP positivity and the HLA-DRB1*0403 is protective for the anti-CCP presence in EORA (p=0.0201). CONCLUSIONS: EORA is characterised by a different clinical presentation and HLA-DRB1 alleles with respect to YORA. HLA-DRB1*0403 and *1402 are significantly more frequent in EORA compared to YORA.

The PTPN22 C1858T variant as a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus but not for systemic sclerosis in the Colombian population.

OBJECTIVES: C1858T single nucleotide polymorphism in PTPN22 encoding the R620W allele variant of Lyp-PTPN22 (a protein phosphatase negatively regulating T-cell activation) has been associated with autoimmunity. This work has investigated the possible association between PTPN22 C1858T (rs2476601) polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) in a Colombian population. METHODS: A case-control study included 1,042 samples from 413 RA, 94 SLE and 101 SSc patients and 434 healthy controls. The TaqMan allele discrimination assay was used for genotyping. RESULTS: The case-control study provided robust evidence of association between allele 1858T and RA (p=5E-05), as well as between 1858T and SLE (p=0.004). These observations were confirmed for both diseases by meta-analysis (p=2E-04, pooled OR 1.9; 1.3-2.7 95% CI for RA; p<0.0001, pooled OR 2.8, 1.8-4.5 95% CI for SLE). No significant association was observed between 1858T and SSc (p=0.98, OR 1.11, 0.46-2.65 95% CI). CONCLUSIONS: The study suggested that the PTPN22 1858T variant influences RA and SLE genetic background but not that of SSc in the Colombian population.

Methotrexate-induced pulmonary toxicity in psoriatic arthritis (PsA): case presentation and literature review.

A 45-year-old female with a 4-week history of psoriatic arthritis developed cough, fever, and progressive shortness of breath 2 weeks following initiation of methotrexate therapy. High resolution CT of chest revealed bilateral basal interstitial involvement and diffuse ground glass opacities. Patient, though, died despite immediate discontinuation of methotrexate and initiation of treatment with IV methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide. Post-mortem examination showed diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. Methotrexate-induced pulmonary toxicity is a serious event, unpredictable, and unusual, especially in patients with psoriatic arthritis, and although reversible, it may be fatal.

Panniculitis: another clinical expression of gout.

Gouty panniculitis is an unusual clinical manifestation of gout, characterized by the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in the lobular hypodermis. Its pathogenesis is poorly understood but is associated with hyperuricemia, and the clinical presence of indurate subcutaneous plaques, which may precede or appear subsequently to the articular clinical expression of tophaceous gout. The aim of this report is to describe the clinical characteristics and potential risk factors for the development of lobular panniculitis secondary to chronic tophaceous gout. This is a retrospective clinical review of 6 patients with gouty panniculitis seen at the rheumatology service at the National University of Colombia. All cases fulfill diagnostic criteria for gout. The presenting clinical characteristics of each case were analyzed. All 6 patients were men, with an average age of 26 years. Two patients initially presented with cutaneous manifestations, and in the remainder 4 joint involvements preceded the cutaneous manifestations. Articular involvement first developed in lower extremities, of intermittent nature, and subsequent occurrence of polyarthritis of upper and lower extremities. A positive family history of gout was observed in half of the patients. Smoking and high alcohol intake were relevant risk factors. On physical examination, all exhibited the presence of erythematous, irregular surface, deep indurate subcutaneous plaques. Biopsy of skin and deep dermis including panniculus revealed the presence of granulomatous inflammatory changes with deposition of amorphous eosinophilic material surrounded by palisading histocytes and lymphocytes. Characteristic negative birefringent monosodium urate crystals were observed in the synovial fluid of patients with arthritis. All patients exhibited high levels of serum uric acid and were non-complaint to treatment with allopurinol, NSAIDs, and colchicine. Gouty panniculitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of panniculitis, especially in the presence of high levels of uric acid. It is usually observed in the third decade of life and may appear prior to the inflammatory articular manifestations of tophaceous gout.

Osteomalacia inducida por tumor / Tumor-induced osteomalacia

La osteomalacia inducida por tumor es un síndrome paraneoplásico secundario en la mayoría de los casos a tumores de origen mesenquimal. Se caracteriza por pérdida aumentada de fosfato a nivel urinario por el efecto inhibidor que ejerce el factor de crecimiento fibroblástico 23 sobre el transporte de fósforo en el túbulo renal proximal. Debe sospecharse en un paciente con debilidad y dolor osteomuscular generalizado que se presente con hipofosfatemia, normocalcemia, fosfatasa alcalina elevada y niveles de 25 hidroxivitamina D y PTH normales. El tratamiento definitivo de la enfermedad es la resección quirúrgica del tumor. Cuando se desconozca la neoplasia primaria o no sea posible el tratamiento quirúrgico debe iniciarse reposición de fósforo y calcitriol. En este artículo se presenta el primer caso de una paciente con osteomalacia inducida por tumor asociada a un carcinoma lobulillar infiltrante de seno.

The tumor-induced osteomalacia is a paraneoplastic syndrome secondary in most cases to tumors of mesenchymal origin. It is characterized by increased lost of urinary phosphate by the inhibitory effect exerted by the fibroblast growth factor 23 on phosphorus transport in the proximal renal tubule. Should be suspected in a patient with weakness and generalized muscle in addition to hypophosphatemia, normocalcemia, elevated alkaline phosphatase and normal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and PTH. The definitive treatment of the disease is surgical resection of the tumor. When the primary tumor is unknown or is not possible the surgical treatment should be initiated replacement of phosphorus and calcitriol. This paper presents the first case of a patient with tumor-induced osteomalacia associated with lobular breast cancer.

Defectos en la síntesis de cadena ζ en el linfocito T, generando señales intracelulares equivocadas, responsables de lupus eritematoso sistémico / Defects in the synthesis of ζ chain in T lymphocytes, generating wrong intracellular signals, responsible for systemic lupus erythematosus

La expresión anormal de moléculas claves en señalización y la función defectuosa de los linfocitos T cumplen un papel significativo en la patogénesis de la enfermedad autoinmune. Las células T muestran numerosas anormalidades en la señalización del complejo TCRζ¹, estas aberraciones resultan en la alteración de la expresión de citoquinas. Mientras algunas de estas anormalidades explican el aumento de la actividad de células B por células T con incremento de los anticuerpos, la disminución en la producción de IL-2 resulta en un aumento en la susceptibilidad a las infecciones, reducción en la activación de las células T, inducción de la muerte celular y prolongada sobrevida de las células T autorreactivas².

The abnormal expression of key molecules in signaling and the malfunction of the T cell T have a significant activity in the pathogenesis of the autoimmune disease. The cells T exhibit numerous abnormalities in the signaling of the complex TCRζ¹, these aberrations result in the alteration of the citoquines. While some of these abnormalities explain the increase of the activity of cells B for cells T with increment of the antibodies production, the decrease in the production of IL-2 induces an increase in the susceptibility to the infections, diminishing in the activation of the cells T, and expansion of the lifespan of the autorreactive cells².

Enfermedades metabólicas óseas: análisis clínico y radiológico en cinco casos / Metabolic bone diseases: clinical and radiologic analysis in five cases

El estudio de la enfermedad metabólica ósea es amplio y complejo. La enfermedad ósea más reconocida por médicos de todas las especialidades es la osteoporosis, probablemente debido a su elevada frecuencia. No obstante, es importante reconocer que existen numerosas entidades que afectan el metabolismo óseo de diferentes formas, llevando a fragilidad ósea, aumento del riesgo de fractura, osteoporosis u osteocondensación, de acuerdo a cada caso particular. Tanto el diagnóstico clínico como el reconocimiento de la alteración metabólica subyacente son importantes porque la identificación de la anormalidad específica se constituye en la base para el tratamiento. Se presentan 5 casos diferentes en los que un trastorno metabólico conlleva a una patología ósea específica; se discute la patogenia de las calcificaciones arteriales y se presenta una entidad mixta que nosotros llamamos osteoporomalacia.

The study of metabolic bone disease is broad and complex. The most widely recognized bone disease by physicians of all specialties is osteoporosis, probably due to its high frequency. However, it is important to recognize that there are numerous entities that affect bone metabolism in different ways, leading to brittle bones, increased risk of fracture, osteoporosis or osteocondensation, according to each particular case. Both the clinical diagnosis and recognition of the underlying metabolic abnormality are important because they identify the specific abnormality that will be the base for treatment. There were 5 different cases in which a metabolic disorder leads to specific bone pathology, we discuss the pathogenesis of arterial calcifications and presents a mixed entity we call osteoporomalacia.

Asociación de lupus eritematoso sistémico y esclerosis múltiple: esclerosis lupoide. Descripción de cuatro casos / Asociation between systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis: lupoid sclerosis

La esclerosis múltiple (EM) y el lupus eritematoso sistémico (LES) con o sin síndrome antifosfolípido son enfermedades autoinmunes. Se ha descrito en varias ocasiones la asociación de estas enfermedades o se ha descrito el cuadro clínico de la EM con características de laboratorio de LES. Cuando afectan al sistema nervioso central pueden hacerlo en forma definida para cada enfermedad pero también pueden hacerlo en forma interpuesta o combinada de las dos enfermedades, a lo que se le ha llamado esclerosis lupoide, haciendo que en algunos casos sea difícil la diferenciación de las dos enfermedades y por lo tanto direccionar el tratamiento. Presentamos cuatro casos de esclerosis lupoide, discutimos acerca de las características clínicas y de laboratorio de esta entidad y hacemos una diferenciación de la esclerosis múltiple y de la afectación neurológica del LES, especialmente por imágenes y resultados de laboratorio.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) with/without antiphospholipid syndrome are autoinmune illnesses. It has been described in many occasions the association of these two illnesses and the clinical picture of MS with characteristics of laboratory of SLE. When they affect to the central nervous system they can make it in a defined form for each illness or they can also make it in interposed or combined form of the two illnesses what has been called lupoid sclerosis; making that in some cases difficult the differentiation of the two illnesses and therefore to address the treatment. We present four cases of lupoid sclerosis, discuss the clinical and laboratory characteristics of this entity and we make a differentiation of the multiple sclerosis with the neurological affectation of SLE especially for images and laboratory results.

Artropatía de Jaccoud y fibrosis pulmonar en síndrome CREST / Jaccoud’s arthropathy and pulmonary fibrosis in CREST syndrome

Se describe el caso de una paciente de 48 años de edad con diagnóstico de síndrome CREST incompleto (variante de esclerosis sistémica limitada), en quien se documenta la presencia de artropatía de Jaccoud de las manos y compromiso pulmonar intersticial por fibrosis pulmonar tipo neumonía intersticial usual, con positividad para factor reumatoide y anticuerpos contra el péptido citrulinado.Palabras clave: síndrome CREST, artropatía, enfermedad pulmonar intersticial, fibrosis pulmonar.

We report a case of a 48 years old patient with diagnosis of incomplete CREST syndrome (variant limited systemic sclerosis) in who we documented the presence of Jaccoud’s arthropathy of the hands and pulmonary involvement by pulmonary fibrosis type usual interstitial pneumonia, with positivity for rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody.Key words: CREST syndrome, joint disease, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis.

Enfermedad de Still del Adulto: Estudio de Cohorte / Adult Still's Disease: Cohort Study

Objetivo: Describir las características clínicas, paraclínicas y manejo de la enfermedad de Still del adulto (E.S.A.). Métodos: Análisis retrospectivo de una cohorte de 24 pacientes. Resultados: Las características clínicas fueron: fiebre (100%), rash (79.1%) y artritis (66.66%). Leucocitosis (75%) fue la alteración paraclínica más frecuente, seguida por un incremento de la PCR, VSG y ferritina en 70.8%, 66.65% y 62.5%, respectivamente. El 50% de los pacientes presentaron un curso monocíclico; el 33%, policíclico sistémico y el 17%, policíclico articular. No se presentaron casos de monocíclico poliarticular. Se evidenciaron manifestaciones inusuales de enfermedad tales como: urticaria en 7 pacientes (29%); enfermedad pulmonar intersticial, en 6 pacientes (25%); meningitis aséptica, 4 pacientes (16.6%) y SDRA, en 4 pacientes (16.6%). Por su parte, todos los pacientes recibieron esteroides y 9 de ellos (37.5%) necesitaron tratamiento con pulsos de metilprednisolona. Dentro de las drogas modificadoras, el metotrexate fue el medicamento más usado en 15 casos (62.5%), seguido por cloroquina sola o combinada en 11 pacientes (45.8%). Además, 3 pacientes (12.5%), requirieron tratamiento con terapia anti TNF por pobre respuesta a la terapia convencional. Fallecieron 2 pacientes (8.4%) asociados a cuadros de SDRA. Conclusiones: La ESA tiene un amplio y difícil diagnóstico diferencial a pesar de manifestaciones clásicas. La presencia de expresiones clínicas poco usuales puede retardar el diagnóstico y tratamiento de ESA. La ESA no es una enfermedad benigna y puede cursar con alta mortalidad cuando se asocia a manifestaciones pulmonares severas.

Purpose: describe the clinical and laboratory finding, as well as the treatment, of adult still's disease (ASD). Methods: retrospective analysis of a 24 patients cohort. Results: clinical features were: fever (100%), rash (79.1%) and arthritis (66.6%). Most frequent laboratory alterations were: leukocytosis (75%), followed by increased PCR, VSG and ferritin, 70.8%, 66.65% and 62.5% respectively. 50% of the patients showed a monocyclic course, while 33% showed polycyclic systemic and 17% joint polycyclic. No joint monocyclic cases were found. Besides, some unusual manifestations such urticaria in 7 patients (29%); interstitial lung disease in 6 patients (25%); aseptic meningitis in 4 patients (16.6%) and SDRA in 4 patients (16.6%) were found. All the patients received steroid and 9 of them (37.5%) required therapy with IV methilprednisolone. Methotrexate was the most used medication between all; DMARD in 15 cases (62.5%), followed by chloroquine, alone or in combination, in 11 patients (45.8%). Besides, 3 patients (12.5%) required treatment with anti TNF due to poor response to conventional therapy. 2 patients died (8.4%) due to adult respiratory distress syndrome. Conclusions: ASD has a broad and difficult differential diagnosis despite classical features. The presence of unusual manifestations may delay the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. ASD in not a benign disease and may appear with high mortality when it is associated with severe lung involvement.

Epidemiología de las vasculitis primarias en Colombia y su relación con lo informado para Latinoamérica / Epidemiology of primary vasculitis in Colombia and its relation with reported for latin america

Propuesta: las vasculitis primarias se expresan de forma variable entre pacientes y entre regiones, con frecuencias variables a través del mundo. Su incidencia promedio está calculada en 0,3 a 20 casos por millón de habitantes. Nosotros describimos la frecuencia de las vasculitis primarias en Colombia y la comparamos con lo informado en otros países de Latinoamérica (LA). Métodos: se revisó lo publicado en la literatura de vasculitis primaria en Colombia y en LA desde 1945 hasta 2007 en OLD Medline, Pub Med, BIREME, SciELO Colombia, LILACS. FEPAFEN, incluyendo publicaciones en inglés, español y portugués. La literatura incluye la información publicada del Hospital San Juan de Dios, Bogotá, Colombia y casos sin publicación enviados directamente por los autores. Nosotros calculamos el porcentaje para todos los casos que fueron informados para Colombia. Resultados: se identificaron 857 casos de vasculitis primaria en Colombia. La arteritis de Takayasu fue la vasculitis más frecuente en un 13,3% (114 casos) seguida de la enfermedad de Buerger en 11,2% (96 casos), las vasculitis cutáneas primarias y la poliarteritis nodosa en un 10% (86 casos) cada una. En niños, la vasculitis más frecuente fue la púrpura de Henoch Schönlein en un 24% (206 casos). En Latinoamérica se publicaron 177 artículos con 1605 casos informados. Se evidenció mayor presencia de arteritis de Takayasu en México y Brasil, y de poliangeítis microscópica en Chile y Perú. Conclusión: la mayoría de publicaciones sobre vasculitis primarias provienen de Europa, Norteamérica, Japón, Kuwait y Nueva Zelanda. Existen una serie de publicaciones y experiencia con estas patologías en LA. Un número considerable de publicaciones y casos con vasculitis primarias se han informado en Colombia en los recientes años, incluyendo la reciente descripción de la variante nodular de la vasculitis cutánea. La arteritis de Takayasu fue la variante más reportada del promedio de vasculitis, al igual que en Brasil y México. En contraposición a los hallazgos realizados en Brasil, Colombia y Mexico, las vasculitis asociadas a ANCA fueron la forma más informada en países como Chile y Perú. La mayoría de casos informados en LA provienen de México, siendo Colombia el segundo país en frecuencia. Es posible que exista más información pero no la conocemos, por no estar publicada. No existen estudios de incidencia y prevalencia. A escala mundial solo existen estudios de incidencia de las vasculitis primarias, y solo se han realizado estudios de incidencia y prevalencia en la granulomatosis de Wegener.

Purpose: primary vasculitis occurs with variable expression in individual patients and regions, and variable frequency throughout the world. Their overall incidence has been calculated to be 40 cases per million populations. We sought to describe the frequency of vasculitis in Colombia and compare it with vasculitis reported from other countries of Latin America (LA). Methods: review of available published literature on vasculitis in LA from 1945 to 2007 in OLD Medline, Pub Med, BIREME, SciELO Colombia, LILACS, FEPAFEN, including publications in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The literature included published information from San Juan de Dios hospital, Bogota, Colombia, and unpublished cases submitted directly to the authors. We calculated the percentage of all cases which are reported from Colombia. Results: we identified 857 cases of primary vasculitis in Colombia. Takayasu arteritis was the most common vasculitis in 13.3% (114 cases) followed by Buerger's disease in 11.2% (96 cases), primary cutaneous vasculitis and polyarteritis nodosa in a 10% (86 cases) each. In children, the vasculitis was more frequent in Henoch Schonlein purpura in 24% (206 cases). In Latin America, 177 articles were published in 1605 reported cases. It showed increased presence of Takayasu's arteritis in Mexico and Brazil, and microscopic poliangeiitis in Peru and Chile. Conclusion: while the majority of publications on primary vasculitis are from Europe and North America, there is a substantial literature and experience with these disorders in LA. A considerable number of publications and cases have emerged from Colombia in recent years, including case descriptions of a recently described variant of nodular cutaneous vasculitis. Takayasu arteritis was the most frequently reported form of primary vasculitis overall, and also from Brazil and Mexico. However, ANCA related vasculitis were the most commonly reported forms in Chile and Peru instead. The greatest numbers of cases were reported from Mexico, the LA's most populous country, with Colombia a close second.

Evidencia radiográfica de la acción de los bifosfonatos en el esqueleto inmaduro / Radiographic evidence of the action of biphosphonate on immature skeleton

Presentamos un paciente con diagnóstico de Osteoporosis Juvenil Idiopática a quien se administró ácido zolendrónico, y una serie de pacientes con diagnóstico de Osteogénesis Imperfecta tratados con pamidronato durante varios años. Se describen las imágenes osteocondensantes que aparecen en los huesos tubulares y la pelvis de estos pacientes a consecuencia de su tratamiento con bisfosfonatos, similares a las líneas de Harris (Growth Arrest Lines) que aparecen eventualmente por diversas causas en el esqueleto inmaduro.

We present one patient with Juvenile Idiopathic Osteoporosis (JIO) who was treated with Zolendronic Acid, and a small series Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) patients administered on eyelie Pamidronate proteol. We describe dense lines in radiographs of tubular bones and pelvis of these patients appearing. After bisphosphonates treatment, those images are similar to Harris Lines (Growth Arrest Lines) that appear occasionally by several causes on immature skeletons land through life.

Are classification criteria for vasculitis useful in clinical practice? Observations and lessons from Colombia.

INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic systemic vasculitis represents a group of clinical entities having non-specific etiology with the common characteristic of acute or chronic inflammatory compromise of the small and large vessels walls, associated with fibrinoid necrosis. OBJECTIVES: To describe the most common inflammatory vascular diseases in a long historical cohort of patients from San Juan de Dios Hospital located in Bogota, Colombia using two different systems and a clinical histopathological correlation format, and to make a comparison between them. METHODS: We reviewed all previously ascertained cases of vasculitis confirmed by biopsy processed between 1953 and 1990, and systematically collected data on all new cases of vasculitis from 1991 to 1997 at the Hospital San Juan de Dios (Bogota-Colombia). The cases were classified in accordance with the Chapel Hill Consensus criteria, and the system proposed by J.T. Lie. RESULTS: Of 165,556 biopsy tissue specimens obtained during this period from our hospital, 0.18% had vasculitis, perivasculitis or vasculopathy. These included 304 histopathological biopsies from 292 patients. Cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis (64 histological specimens) was the most frequently encountered type of "primary" vasculitis followed by thromboangiitis obliterans (38 specimens), and polyarteritis nodosa (24 specimens). Vasculitis associated with connective tissue diseases (33 specimens) and infection (20 specimens) were the main forms of secondary vasculitis, a category that was omitted from the Chapel Hill consensus report. We found that 65.8% of our histopathological diagnoses could not be classified according to the Chapel Hill classification, and 35.2% could not be classified according to the classification of Lie. Only 8.9% of cases remained unclassified by our system after clinical and histological correlation. CONCLUSION: Current vasculitis classification schemes are designed for classification, rather that diagnosis of disease and do not adequately address some common forms of inflammatory vascular diseases, including those of infectious etiology and unusual etiology seen in clinical practice. Based on our clinical experience, we suggest a classification outline which practitioners can use which emphasizes correlation of the clinical picture to the histopathology findings for diagnosis and therapy, which may promote better clinical practice and standardization for clinical trials.

Potential biomarkers for detecting pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is the major complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and the main cause of morbi-mortality. It is important to find predictors for this vascular problem. The objective of this study was to determine the serum levels of different biomarkers in patients with SSc and secondary PAH and to compare them with those of healthy control subjects to define their potential role as predictors of PAH. Cross-section study in which 20 patients with SSc were included. PAH was diagnosed by echocardiogram. The optical densities of endoglin (Eng), endothelin-1 (ET-1), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), tumoral necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), Transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF-beta2) and Interleukin 8 (IL-8) were measured in 20 patients with SSc and 20 healthy controls matched by sex. The differences found between the group of patients with PAH and the control group were (mean or median and range): ET-1 (0.20; 0.10-0.35 vs. 0.16; 0.10-0.24; P = 0.0276), IL-8 (195.7; 45.5-504 vs. 118.9; 23-299.5; P = 0.0364), TNF-alpha (0.70; 0.50-0.96 vs. 0.48; 0.38-0.65; P = 1 x 10(-8)) and Eng (0.95; 0.57-1.72 vs. 0.75; 0.57-0.89; P = 0.0028). A correlation was found between the progression of the disease and the development of Raynaud's phenomenon (Rho: 0.67 and P = 0.0011), ET-1 and Eng (Rho: 0.53 and P = 0.0196), and between IL-8 and Eng (Rho: 0.68 and P = 0.0019). In conclusions, the elevation of the serum levels of Eng and ET-1 could represent a useful tool as PAH biomarkers. Nevertheless, the diagnostic value of these markers needs to be determined by prospective studies.