Improving sensitivity of the connective tissue disease screening questionnaire: A comparative study of various scoring methods.

OBJECTIVES: Early detection of autoimmune rheumatic diseases is crucial given their high morbidity and mortality and short window of opportunity to improve patient outcomes. Self-administered screening questionnaires such as the connective tissue disease screening questionnaire (CSQ) have been shown to promote early detection of autoimmune rheumatic diseases. However, optimal scoring of screening questionnaires may differ with prevalence of clinical features and changes in classification criteria. We compared the performance of 3 scoring methods for the CSQ for early detection of autoimmune rheumatic diseases in a multi-ethnic Asian population. METHODS: Patients who were newly referred for evaluation of possible autoimmune rheumatic diseases were invited to answer the cross-culturally adapted CSQ. Detection of autoimmune rheumatic diseases using 1) the original CSQ scoring, 2) a modified CSQ scoring and 3) a scoring based on current classification criteria, were compared to classification of autoimmune rheumatic diseases by classification criteria. RESULTS: Of 819 participants, 85 were classified as having autoimmune rheumatic diseases screened for by the adapted CSQ. The original CSQ scoring yielded relatively lower sensitivities in detecting both any and individual autoimmune rheumatic diseases (67% and 20-57%, respectively) compared to the modified CSQ scoring (81% and 60-73%, respectively) and the scoring based on current classification criteria (89% and 50-88%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The adapted CSQ with the classification criteria-based scoring achieved relatively high sensitivities in detecting autoimmune rheumatic diseases, suggesting this could be employed as the first step in population screening.

Connective Tissue Disease-Related Interstitial Lung Disease: Prevalence, Patterns, Predictors, Prognosis, and Treatment.

Interstitial lung disease is a common pulmonary manifestation of connective tissue diseases and results in significant morbidity and mortality. Although all connective tissue diseases are linked by underlying autoimmunity, there is significant variability in the presentation and clinical course of interstitial lung disease associated with the different types of connective tissue diseases. In this paper, we review the prevalence, patterns, predictors, and prognosis of interstitial lung disease secondary to the most common forms of connective tissue diseases. We have also highlighted the available evidence regarding treatment options for interstitial lung disease due to different connective tissue diseases.

Molecular Genetics and Pathogenesis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Related Connective Tissue Disorders.

Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of heritable connective tissue disorders (HCTDs) characterized by a variable degree of skin hyperextensibility, joint hypermobility and tissue fragility. The current EDS classification distinguishes 13 subtypes and 19 different causal genes mainly involved in collagen and extracellular matrix synthesis and maintenance. EDS need to be differentiated from other HCTDs with a variable clinical overlap including Marfan syndrome and related disorders, some types of skeletal dysplasia and cutis laxa. Clinical recognition of EDS is not always straightforward and for a definite diagnosis, molecular testing can be of great assistance, especially in patients with an uncertain phenotype. Currently, the major challenging task in EDS is to unravel the molecular basis of the hypermobile EDS that is the most frequent form, and for which the diagnosis is only clinical in the absence of any definite laboratory test. This EDS subtype, as well as other EDS-reminiscent phenotypes, are currently investigated worldwide to unravel the primary genetic defect and related pathomechanisms. The research articles, case report, and reviews published in this Special Issue focus on different clinical, genetic and molecular aspects of several EDS subtypes and some related disorders, offering novel findings and future research and nosological perspectives.

Severity of oro-dental anomalies in Loeys-Dietz syndrome segregates by gene mutation.

Background Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS), an autosomal dominant rare connective tissue disorder, has multisystemic manifestations, characterised by vascular tortuosity, aneurysms and craniofacial manifestations. Based on the associated gene mutations along the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß) pathway, LDS is presently classified into six subtypes. Methods We present the oro-dental features of a cohort of 40 patients with LDS from five subtypes. Results The most common oro-dental manifestations were the presence of a high-arched and narrow palate, and enamel defects. Other common characteristics included bifid uvula, submucous cleft palate, malocclusion, dental crowding and delayed eruption of permanent teeth. Both deciduous and permanent teeth had enamel defects in some individuals. We established a grading system to measure the severity of enamel defects, and we determined that the severity of the enamel anomalies in LDS is subtype-dependent. In specific, patients with TGF-ß receptor II mutations (LDS2) presented with the most severe enamel defects, followed by patients with TGF-ß receptor I mutations (LDS1). LDS2 patients had higher frequency of oro-dental deformities in general. Across all five subtypes, as well as within each subtype, enamel defects exhibited incomplete penetrance and variable expression, which is not associated with the location of the gene mutations. Conclusion This study describes, in detail, the oro-dental manifestations in a cohort of LDS, and we conclude that LDS2 has the most severely affected phenotype. This extensive characterisation, as well as some identified distinguishing features can significantly aid dental and medical care providers in the diagnosis and clinical management of patients with this rare connective tissue disorder.

COL1-related overlap disorder: A novel connective tissue disorder incorporating the osteogenesis imperfecta/Ehlers-Danlos syndrome overlap.

The 2017 classification of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) identifies three types associated with causative variants in COL1A1/COL1A2 and distinct from osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Previously, patients have been described with variable features of both disorders, and causative variants in COL1A1/COL1A2; but this phenotype has not been included in the current classification. Here, we expand and re-define this OI/EDS overlap as a missing EDS type. Twenty-one individuals from 13 families were reported, in whom COL1A1/COL1A2 variants were found after a suspicion of EDS. None of them could be classified as affected by OI or by any of the three recognized EDS variants associated with COL1A1/COL1A2. This phenotype is dominated by EDS-related features. OI-related features were limited to mildly reduced bone mass, occasional fractures and short stature. Eight COL1A1/COL1A2 variants were novel and five recurrent with a predominance of glycine substitutions affecting residues within the procollagen N-proteinase cleavage site of α1(I) and α2(I) procollagens. Selected variants were investigated by biochemical, ultrastructural and immunofluorescence studies. The pattern of observed changes in the dermis and in vitro for selected variants was more typical of EDS rather than OI. Our findings indicate the existence of a wider recognizable spectrum associated with COL1A1/COL1A2.

Clinical, serological and radiological features of a prospective cohort of Interstitial Pneumonia with Autoimmune Features (IPAF) patients.

BACKGROUND: The term Interstitial Pneumonia with Autoimmune Features (IPAF) describes patients with Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) and clinical or serological features of autoimmune diseases insufficient to reach a specific classification of a Connective Tissue Disease (CTD). Currently, retrospective studies on IPAF patients have proven to be heterogeneous in general characteristics, outcomes and High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) pattern. This study aims to describe for the first time the clinical, serological and radiological features of a prospective cohort of IPAF patients. This cohort is then compared to a group of patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 626 consecutive ILD patients evaluated, 45 IPAF and a comparison cohort of 143 IPF patients were enrolled. All patients underwent clinical assessment with rheumatologic and respiratory evaluation, HRCT, Pulmonary Function Tests and Nailfold Videocapillaroscopy. RESULTS: The IPAF patients had a predominance of female gender (62.12%) with a median age of 66 years. The most common findings were: Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia (NSIP, 68.89%), Antinuclear Antibody positivity (17.77%) and Raynaud Phenomenon (31.11%). In comparison with IPF, IPAF patients showed younger age, better performances in Pulmonary Function Tests, less necessity of O2 support and predominance of female sex and NSIP pattern. DISCUSSION: This is the first report of a prospective cohort of IPAF patients. IPAF patients seem to have a less severe lung disease than IPF. IPAF criteria probably need to be revisited and validated, but their capacity to recruit patients with incomplete forms or early onset of CTD could be useful for further research.

Screening for connective tissue disease-associated antibodies by automated immunoassay.

BACKGROUND: Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are useful for the diagnosis of ANA-associated systemic rheumatic disease (AASRD). The objective of this study was the evaluation of an immunoassay that detects antibodies to a mixture of 17 antigens as an alternative to indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). METHODS: Nine thousand eight hundred and fifty-six consecutive patients tested for ANAs were tested by IIF and EliA connective tissue disease screen (Thermo-Fisher). Medical records were reviewed for 2475 patients, including all patients that tested positive/equivocal by either test and a selection of 500 patients that tested negative. RESULTS: Concordance between IIF and EliA was 83.1%. AASRD was found in 12.8% of IIF-positive patients, 30.2% of EliA-positive patients and 0.4%, 46.6%, 5.8% and 3.0% of patients that tested, respectively, double negative, double positive, single positive for EliA and single positive for IIF. The association with AASRD increased with increasing antibody level. IIF and EliA were positive in, respectively, 90.4% and 69.9% of systemic lupus erythematosus (n=83), 100% and 84.1% of systemic sclerosis (n=63), 86.7% and 93.3% of Sjögren's syndrome (n=45), 88.2% and 52.9% of polymyositis/dermatomyositis (n=17), and in all cases of mixed connective tissue disease (n=8). The specificity was projected to be 94%-96% for EliA and 86% for IIF. When all AASRDs were taken together, the areas under the curve of receiver operator curves were similar between IIF and EliA. CONCLUSIONS: The positive predictive value for AASRD was higher for EliA than for IIF, but, depending on the disease, EliA might fail to detect antibodies that are detected by IIF. Combining immunoassay with IIF adds value.

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease: predictors of evolution into definite disease.

OBJECTIVES: The natural evolution of undifferentiated connective tissue diseases (UCTD) has not yet been established. The aim of our study was to analyse the clinical outcomes of a cohort of UCTD patients followed in a routine outpatient setting and to establish which clinical, serological or capillaroscopy features are associated with an increased risk of evolution to definite connective tissue disease (CTD). METHODS: Data for this study were collected by a retrospective review of 758 patients referred to our hospital, between 1999 and 2008, with suspected CTD. After selection criteria, 98 patients were considered eligible and their records, laboratory findings and nailfold-capillaroscopy pattern (NCP) were analysed until clinical outcome. Three groups of patient outcomes were established: remission, UCTD, and definite CTD. Logistic regression analysis was performed to study the association of baseline clinical features, including NCP progression during monitoring, with clinical outcomes. RESULTS: After a mean follow-up of 11±3 years, 62% of the patients continued to suffer from UCTD, 24% regressed to a remission state and 14% developed definite CTD. Cytopenias (p=0.030), positivity for antibody specificities (ENA) (p=0.008), anti-Ro (p=0.036) and antiphospholipid antibodies (p=0.032), and the presence of an altered NCP (p=0.026) at baseline proved different between groups and were more frequently encountered in the group that evolved to definite CTD when compared with the others two groups. Specifically, cytopenias (odds ratio -OR- 4.20 [1.30-13.56] p=0.016), the presence of an antinuclear antibody (ANA) titre ≥1/640 (OR 7.00 [1.99-24.66], p=0.002) and anti-centromere positivity (OR 3.77 [1.03-13.79], p=0.045) at baseline and NCP progression (OR 6.63 [1.70-25.87], p=0.007) were associated with the future presence of definite CTD. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with UCTD remain in an undifferentiated state after routine outpatient clinic follow-up. High ANA titres or the presence of cytopenias at baseline, as well as progression of NCP during follow-up, are the leading factors associated with evolution to definite CTD.

Clinical and quantitative analysis of patients with crowned dens syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Crowned dens syndrome (CDS) is a radioclinical entity defined by calcium deposition on the transverse ligament of atlas (TLA). In this study, the novel semi-quantitative diagnostic criteria for CDS to evaluate the degree of calcification on TLA by cervical CT are proposed. METHOD: From January 2010 to September 2014, 35 patients who were diagnosed with CDS by cervical CT were adopted as subjects in this study. Based on novel criteria, calcium deposition on TLA was classified into "Stage" and "Grade", to make a score, which was evaluated semi-quantitatively. The correlation between calcification score and CRP level or pain score, and the effects of treatments, such as NSAIDs and corticosteroids, were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The total calcification score from added "Stage" and "Grade" scores demonstrated a significantly strong and linear correlation with CRP level (R2=0.823, **p<0.01). In the multiple comparison test for the treatment effects, significant improvement of the CRP level and pain score were demonstrated after corticosteroid therapy (**p<0.01) compared with NSAIDs. In the conditional logistic regression analysis, the rapid end of corticosteroid therapy was an independent risk factor for relapse of cervico-occipital pain [OR=50.761, *p=0.0419]. CONCLUSION: The degree of calcification on TLA evaluated by the novel semi-quantitative criteria significantly correlated with CRP level. In the treatment of CDS, it is recommended that a low dosage (15-30mg) of corticosteroids be used as first-line drugs rather than conventional NSAID therapy. Additionally, it is also recommended to gradually decrease the dosage of corticosteroids.

Connective tissue diseases: systemic sclerosis: beyond limited and diffuse subsets?

Patients with systemic sclerosis present with varying clinical features, have different responses to therapy, and end up with different outcomes. Categorizing patients improves disease management. A new study now proposes that patients with systemic sclerosis and overlapping features of another connective tissue disease might form a distinct disease subset.

The diagnosis and classification of undifferentiated connective tissue diseases.

The term undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) refers to unclassifiable systemic autoimmune diseases which share clinical and serological manifestations with definite connective tissue diseases (CTDs) but not fulfilling any of the existing classification criteria. In this review we will go through the more recent evidence on UCTD and we will discuss in what extent the availability of new criteria for the CTDs could interfere with the "UCTD concept". The development of criteria able to identify early phases of defined CTD, may help in the differentiation of stable UCTD form their early stages and may offer a valuable guide to the treating physician to set up appropriate follow up schedules as well as therapeutic protocols. This simplified subset of CTD could offer a model to study clinic pathological correlations as well as the role of possible environmental factors in the development of autoimmunity.

The clinical features, diagnosis and classification of dermatomyositis.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) characterized by an inflammatory infiltrate primarily affecting the skeletal muscle and skin. Most common and peculiar cutaneous lesions include Gottron's papules, Gottron's sign and heliotrope rash. Different DM subsets have been identified until now encompassing classic DM, amyopathic DM, hypomyopathic DM, post-myopathic DM, and DM sine dermatitis. Patients with DM have a higher incidence rate of malignancy than the normal population. In these patients cancer occurs in about 30% of cases with higher occurrence in men and in elderly people. Bohan and Peter's diagnostic criteria, proposed in 1975, have been widely accepted and used until now. In the last ten years muscle immunopathology, myositis specific autoantibodies testing, and the use of new techniques of muscle imaging such as contrast-enhanced ultrasound or Magnetic Resonance Imaging have been introduced in the diagnostic work-up of patients with DM leading to the development of new diagnostic criteria.

Updated clinical classification of pulmonary hypertension.

In 1998, a clinical classification of pulmonary hypertension (PH) was established, categorizing PH into groups which share similar pathological and hemodynamic characteristics and therapeutic approaches. During the 5th World Symposium held in Nice, France, in 2013, the consensus was reached to maintain the general scheme of previous clinical classifications. However, modifications and updates especially for Group 1 patients (pulmonary arterial hypertension [PAH]) were proposed. The main change was to withdraw persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) from Group 1 because this entity carries more differences than similarities with other PAH subgroups. In the current classification, PPHN is now designated number 1. Pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic hemolytic anemia has been moved from Group 1 PAH to Group 5, unclear/multifactorial mechanism. In addition, it was decided to add specific items related to pediatric pulmonary hypertension in order to create a comprehensive, common classification for both adults and children. Therefore, congenital or acquired left-heart inflow/outflow obstructive lesions and congenital cardiomyopathies have been added to Group 2, and segmental pulmonary hypertension has been added to Group 5. Last, there were no changes for Groups 2, 3, and 4.

Significance of connective tissue diseases features in pulmonary fibrosis.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) can occur in any of the connective tissue diseases (CTD) with varying frequency and severity, and an overall long-term prognosis that is less severe than that of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Because ILD may be the presenting manifestation of CTD and/or the dominant manifestation of CTD, clinical extra-thoracic manifestations should be systematically considered in the diagnostic approach of ILD. When present, autoantibodies strongly contribute to the recognition and classification of the CTD. Patients with clinical extrathoracic manifestations of CTD and/or autoantibodies (especially with a high titer and/or the antibody is considered "highly specific" of an autoimmune condition), but who do not fit with established international CTD criteria may be called undifferentiated CTD or "lung-dominant CTD". Although it remains to be determined which combination of symptoms and serologic tests best identify the subset of patients with clinically relevant CTD features, available evidence suggests that such patients may have distinct clinical and imaging presentation and may portend a distinct clinical course. However, autoantibodies alone when present in IPF patients do not seem to impact prognosis or management. Referral to a rheumatologist and multidisciplinary discussion may contribute to management of patients with undifferentiated CTD.

Connective tissue ulcers.

Connective tissue disorders (CTD), which are often also termed collagen vascular diseases, include a number of related inflammatory conditions. Some of these diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), localized scleroderma (morphea variants localized to the skin), Sjogren's syndrome, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and mixed connective tissue disease. In addition to the systemic manifestations of these diseases, there are a number of cutaneous features that make these conditions recognizable on physical exam. Lower extremity ulcers and digital ulcers are an infrequent but disabling complication of long-standing connective tissue disease. The exact frequency with which these ulcers occur is not known, and the cause of the ulcerations is often multifactorial. Moreover, a challenging component of CTD ulcerations is that there are still no established guidelines for their diagnosis and treatment. The morbidity associated with these ulcerations and their underlying conditions is very substantial. Indeed, these less common but intractable ulcers represent a major medical and economic problem for patients, physicians and nurses, and even well organized multidisciplinary wound healing centers.