Peripheral Gangrene Associated with Disseminated Tuberculosis - a Rare Manifestation.

With global resurgence of M. tuberculosis infection, cases of extra pulmonary TB have also shown an increase. Tuberculosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in India. Although disseminated tuberculosis can affect most of the organs, vasculitis presenting as peripheral gangrene as a manifestation of tuberculosis is very rare. We report the case of a 70 years old male who presented with gangrene of left leg complicating disseminated tuberculosis.

Clinical Profile of Pneumocystis jirovecii Infection - A Comparative Study.

Objectives: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) can differ in HIV and non HIV population due to degree of immunity. This study was undertaken with an aim to highlight the differences between the two groups. Methods: It was an observational study conducted in the department of Medicine of a tertiary care institution in North India. All cases tested positive for Pneumocystis jirovecii from January 2009 to December 2014 were included in the study. Demographic profile, clinical presentation, risk factors, treatment and course in hospital were noted and analyzed. Results: Among the 42 patients who had PCP, 13 (30.9%) patients were HIV positive and 29 (69%) were HIV negative.Cough was seen maximum in 10(79.3%) patients in HIV group compared to non HIV whereas fever and breathlessness predominated in the non HIV group. The outcome was better in the non HIV group compared to the HIV group which was 16 (55.2%) versus 6 (46.1%) patients respectively. Conclusion: Clinical presentation differed slightly in both these groups. Difference in the outcome was also noted, however, larger numbers may be required to show the difference. It may form the basis of further research. The study successfully compared the presentation and outcome of PCP in the two groups.

Histoplasmosis Presenting as a Laryngeal Ulcer in an Immunocompetent Host.

Histoplasmosis is a granulomatous disease of worldwide distribution caused by a dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. Majority of primary infections in immunocompetent hosts are asymptomatic or may present with flu-like illness. Histoplasmosis may occur in three forms: (i) Primary acute pulmonary form, (ii) chronic pulmonary and (iii) disseminated form. The manifestations of disseminated form of histoplasmosis are fever, weakness, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly, and mucocutaneous lesions. The mucosal involvement could be oropharyngeal or laryngeal involvement. We report an unusual case of histoplasmosis presenting as a laryngeal ulcer in an immunocompetent host.

Pseudo-subarachnoid haemorrhage: An unusual presentation of hyperviscosity syndrome.

Hyperviscosity syndrome can present with haematological, neurological or cardiovascular manifestations. The common differential diagnoses for severe headache and altered sensorium in a patient with Eisenmenger syndrome include brain abscess, meningitis, cortical venous thrombosis and subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). We report a patient with Eisenmenger syndrome with hyperviscosity, presenting as pseudo-SAH, which was successfully treated with phlebotomy.

Autoimmune hepatitis--SLE overlap syndrome.

Autoimmune hepatitis also known as Lupoid hepatitis is an autoimmune liver disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies including antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and hyper gammaglobulinemia. SLE can be associated with hepatitis, which is referred to as lupus hepatitis. It is important to distinguish these two entities, as the course of the disease is different in both. It has also been noted that these two entities can co-exist when it is referred to as Autoimmune hepatitis--SLE overlap syndrome. We are reporting a case of Autoimmune hepatitis--SLE overlap syndrome in a 30 years old lady.

Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and IgA nephropathy in a patient with hepatitis C infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is known to be associated with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Reports are available of IgA nephropathy along with HCV infection. We are reporting the case of a 44 years old male who was diagnosed to have Hepatitis C infection with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and IgA nephropathy.

Pityriasis rubra pilaris type 6: A case report in an AIDS patient.

A 24-year-old woman, known to be human immunodeficiency virus positive for 6 years, presented with an itchy rash on the body. She had dull erythematous to hyperpigmented scaly plaques over the body, with extensor predominance. Inflammatory papules and nodules were noted on the face. Follicular hyperkeratotic papules were seen on the shins, giving a "nutmeg grater" feel. All her nails were dystrophic. Histopathology was consistent with the clinical diagnosis of pityriasis rubra pilaris. CD4 counts had dropped to 192 cells/µl, so she was started on antiretroviral therapy along with acitretin to which she responded well within 2 months.

Chromobacterium violaceum causing deadly sepsis.

Infections caused by Chromobacterium violaceum are extremely rare but can be relatively fatal in septicemia. We report a case of a 76 year old female who presented with pustules in the skin and later developed into septicemia. She succumbed to the illness despite escalating the antibiotic therapy to meropenem. To the best of our knowledge this is the 16th case report from India.

Clinical profile of cerebral malaria at a secondary care hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral malaria (CM) is one of the most common causes for non-traumatic encephalopathy in the world. It affects both the urban and rural population. It is a challenge to treat these patients in a resource limited setting; where majority of these cases present. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study carried out from September 2005 to December 2006 at Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital in Eastern Uttar Pradesh in India. This is a secondary level care with limited resources. We studied the clinical profile, treatment and outcome of all the patients above the age of 14 years diagnosed with CM. RESULTS: There were a total of 53 patients with CM of which 38 (71.7%) of them were females. Among them, 35 (66%) patients were less than 30 years of age. The clinical features noted were seizure (39.62%), anemia (84.9%), icterus (16.98%), hypotension (13.2%), bleeding (3.7%), hepatomegaly (5.66%), splenomegaly (5.66%), non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema (16.98%) and renal dysfunction (37.36%). Co-infection with Plasmodium vivax was present in 13 (24.53%) of them. Treatment received included artesunin compounds or quinine. Median time of defervescence was 2 (interquartile range1-3). Complete recovery was achieved in 43 (81%) of them. Two (3.7%) of them died. CONCLUSION: CM, once considered to be a fatal disease has shown remarkable improvement in the outcome with the wide availability of artesunin and quinine components. To combat the malaria burden, physicians in resource limited setting should be well trained to manage these patients especially in the endemic areas. The key to management is early diagnosis and initiation of treatment based on a high index of suspicion. Anticipation and early recognition of the various complications are crucial.

Should we start all patients with diabetic retinopathy on fenofibrates?

There remains a need for strategies that are effective in preventing diabetic retinopathy (DR) or slowing down its progression, which is safe, well-tolerated, and more effective, have a lower risk profile, easy to perform, have more predictable results with less morbidity than the current regimens. Physicians caring for diabetic patients not only need to maximize glycemic control, but also closely monitor and treat other systemic conditions. The consistency of clinical data from the fenofibrate studies showed consistent beneficial effects with fenofibrate in slowing the progression of DR. They demonstrated significant benefit on micro-vascular (i.e., retinopathy and nephropathy) outcome, possibly independent of lipid levels. Can we combine the effectiveness of the current standard procedures with the prevention and slowing down of progression of DR that fenofibrates can offer? Knowledge of the primary mode of action of fenofibrate will be useful for both physicians and patients in determining how best to use this drug as an adjunct in the management of DR and ultimately facilitating the translation of clinical trial data to clinical practice.

Spectrum of neurological manifestations in dengue virus infection in Northwest India.

The objective of this study was to study the spectrum of neurological manifestations in patients with dengue infection. This was a prospective study undertaken at the Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, India. All patients diagnosed with dengue fever during an epidemic (1 September 2010-31 December 2010) were screened for neurological manifestations. There were a total of 799 patients with dengue infection. Neurological manifestations were present in 21 (2.63%), 19 of whom were men with a mean age of 33.7 ± 13.9 years. The neurological diagnoses were hypokalaemia with: quadriparesis (7); myositis (4); encephalopathy (4); Guillain-Barre syndrome (2); acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (2); lumbosacral plexopathy (1); and intracranial haemorrhage (1). Three of these patients died. Clinicians should be aware that neurological manifestations in dengue fever are not uncommon.