Clinical Diagnosis of Chikungunya Infection: An Essential Aid in a Primary Care Setting Where Serological Confirmation Is Not Available.

BACKGROUND: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) diagnosis has become a challenge for primary care physicians in areas where the Zika virus and/or Dengue virus are present. Case definitions for the three arboviral infections overlap. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was carried out. A bivariate analysis was made using confirmed CHIKV infection as the outcome. Variables with significant statistical association were included in an agreement consensus. Agreed variables were analyzed in a multiple regression model. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated to determine a cut-off value and performance. RESULTS: 295 patients with confirmed CHIKV infection were included. A screening tool was created using symmetric arthritis (4 points), fatigue (3 points), rash (2 points), and ankle joint pain (1 point). The ROC curve identified a cut-off value, and a score ≥ 5.5 was considered positive for identifying CHIKV patients with a sensibility of 64.4% and a specificity of 87.4%, positive predictive value of 85.5%, negative predictive value of 67.7%, area under the curve of 0.72, and an accuracy of 75%. CONCLUSION: We developed a screening tool for CHIKV diagnosis using only clinical symptoms as well as proposed an algorithm to aid the primary care physician.

Características clínico-radiológicas de la hiperostosis esquelética idiopática difusa en 2 centros médicos de Cali, Colombia: reporte de 24 casos / Clinical and radiological characteristics of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis in two medical centers in Cali, Colombia: Report of 24 cases

RESUMEN Introducción: La hiperostosis esquelética idiopática difusa (DISH, por sus siglas en inglés) es una afección caracterizada por la calcificación y la osificación progresiva de los ligamentos y las entesis. La mayoría de los pacientes permanecen asintomáticos hasta etapas avanzadas de la enfermedad, donde la limitación y el dolor son característicos. Objetivo: Describir las características demográficas, clínicas y radiológicas de los pacientes con DISH evaluados en el Centro Médico Imbanaco de Cali y en la Clínica de Artritis Temprana, en Cali, Colombia. Materiales y métodos: Es un estudio descriptivo, de corte transversal. Se revisaron los registros de pacientes diagnosticados con DISH, seguidos entre enero de 2000 y octubre de 2018. El diagnóstico se confirmó según los criterios de Resnick-Niwayama. Se encontraron 24 pacientes, todos se incluyeron para el análisis final. Resultados y discusión: En esta serie se encontraron 20 varones y 4 mujeres. La mediana de edad al diagnóstico fue de 70,5 arios (RIQ: 61,3-73,8 arios), siendo menor en las mujeres (71,5 versus 60 años; p = 0,04). La mediana de tiempo de evolución de los síntomas fue de 5 años (RIQ: 3-10 años), la duración fue menor en el grupo de las mujeres (5 versus 4 años; p = 0,20). El 54,2% tenían sobrepeso y el 20,8% eran diabéticos. El síntoma principal fue la limitación cervical. Los segmentos vertebrales (C: cervical; T: torácico; L: lumbar) más afectados por la osificación del ligamento longitudinal anterior (LLA) fueron C5-C6, T8-T10 y L1-L3. La afección periférica predominó en las crestas ilíacas. Todos los pacientes realizaron terapia física y 3 fueron sometidos a cirugía cervical. El grado de limitación funcional fue valorado en 19 pacientes a través de los cuestionarios modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ) y Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). La mediana del puntaje de ambos cuestionarios fue 2 veces más alta en las mujeres. Conclusión: La DISH fue más frecuente en varones mayores de 65 años y se asoció con enfermedades metabólicas como la obesidad y la diabetes. Aunque las diferencias no fueron significativas, los resultados sugieren que las mujeres presentan un fenotipo grave de la enfermedad explicado por el inicio temprano y curso progresivo de los síntomas, así como mayor limitación funcional medida por mHAQ y BASFI.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a condition characterised by calcification and progressive ossification of ligaments and entheses. Most patients remain asymptomatic until advanced stages of the disease, where limitation and pain are characteristic. Objective: To describe the demographic, clinical, and radiological characteristics of patients with DISH evaluated in the Centro Médico Imbanaco and Clínica de Artritis Temprana, in Cali, Colombia. Materials and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing the records of patients diagnosed with DISH between January 2000 and October 2018. The diagnosis was confirmed according to the Resnick-Niwayama criteria. A total of 24 patients were found, and all were included for the final analysis. Results and discussion: The series included 20 men and 4 women, with a median age at diagnosis of 70.5 years (IQR 61.3-73.8 years), beinglower in women (71.5 versus 60 years; P=.04). The median time of onset of the symptoms was 5 years (IQR 3-10 years), and the duration was shorter in women (5 versus 4 years; P=.20). It was observed that 54% were overweight and 20% were diabetic. The main symptom was cervical limitation. The most affected vertebral segments due to the ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament (ALL) were C5-C6, T8-T10 and L1-L3 (cervical C; thoracic T; lumbar L). The peripheral involvement was mainly in the iliac crests. All patients received physiotherapy, and three of them underwent cervical surgery. The degree of functional limitation was assessed in 19 patients using the mHAQ (Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire) and BASFI (Functional Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional (BASFI) questionnaires. The median score of both questionnaires was 2 times higher in women Conclusion: Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis was more frequent in men over 65 years of age, and was associated with metabolic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Although the differences were not significant, the results suggest that women have a more severe phenotype of the disease, explained by the early onset and progressive course of symptoms, as well as greater functional limitation measured by mHAQ and BASFI.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy in a patient with systemic sclerosis and Fabry disease: a case-based review.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare immune-mediated vasculopathy characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the GLA gene producing α-galactosidase-A enzyme (α-Gal A) deficiency. Being a systemic disease, cardiac involvement in FD has a high mortality rate due to heart failure and arrhythmia. The coexistence of these two entities has not been reported previously. We describe the case of a female patient with limited SSc (lcSSc), a diagnosis based on the presence of sclerodactyly, Raynaud phenomenon, microvascular involvement, and positive anti-centromere antibodies. On follow-up, she developed chest pain, a second-degree A-V block, and restrictive cardiomyopathy (without cardiovascular risk factors). Although heart involvement is common in these two entities, the abnormal thickening of lateral and inferior wall, the infiltration pattern and the conduction system disorders presented herein are more characteristic in a heterozygous female with a cardiac variant of FD. The diagnosis of FD was confirmed with high globotriaosylsphingosine (Lyso-Gb3) levels and identification of GLA gene mutation. The patient was treated with enzymatic replacement (agalsidase alpha) following mild improvement in ventricular mass at 6th month, without clinical deterioration. The related literature on SSc associated with FD is also reviewed.

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease in a rheumatology center in Cali, Colombia: clinical features of 94 patients followed for a year.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the clinical and serological features of patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) of a rheumatology referral center in Cali, Colombia, who were followed for a year. A retrospective analysis of a cohort of patients with an initial diagnosis of UCTD and monitoring for at least 12 months was carried out. A total of 94 patients with UCTD (97.9% women) were evaluated, with an average follow-up of 51 ± 35.7 months. Only 13 patients (13.8%) evolved into a defined connective tissue disease (CTD), of which 8.5% (n:8) developed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 4.2% (n:4) Sjögren syndrome (SS) and 1.1% (n:1) rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A mean period of 35.8 ± 29.2 months between UCTD diagnosis and definite develop of a CTD was found. Arthritis, Raynaud's phenomenon and photosensitivity were statistically significant (<0.001) for development of CTD. After a mean follow-up of 4.25 years, most of the patients with UCTD showed a favorable evolution. Arthritis, Raynaud's phenomenon and the presence of photosensitivity were predictors for the development of CTD. It requires a consensus to establish criteria for the classification of UCTD.