Systemic vasculitis and myelodysplastic syndromes. A report of two cases

Testicular vasculitis: findings differentiating isolated disease from systemic disease in 72 patients

Testicular vasculitis (TV) may be part of systemic (testicular) vasculitis (STV) or may exist as single-organ/isolated (testicular) vasculitis (ITV). In the current study we sought to identify clinical and histologic features that distinguish STV from ITV. The distinction was deemed important because it is already well established that in other forms of single organ vasculitis, surgical therapy alone may be curative. We identified patients with biopsy-proven TV from pathology databases from our institution and from an English-language PubMed search. Patients were included if data were available to determine TV extent confidently. Data recorded included clinical, laboratory, and histologic features; treatment; and clinical follow-up. The study included 72 patients with TV (mean age, 42 yr; range, 4-78 yr) (7 from our institution). About 74% of patients presented with painful testicular swelling/mass, 10% with a painless testicular swelling/mass, and 4% with epididymal swelling/mass. Eleven percent had no testicular complaints and vasculitis was discovered at autopsy or in other surgical interventions. Vasculitis involved the testicle in 80.3% of cases, the epididymis in 44.6%, and the spermatic cord in 30.6%. Thirty-seven (51%) patients had ITV and 35 (49%) had STV. No differences between ITV and STV patients were found in regards to age, presenting testicular features, duration of testicular symptoms, and time of follow-up. Compared to ITV patients, STV patients presented more often with constitutional/musculoskeletal symptoms (74.3% vs. 8.3%, respectively; p = 0.0001), elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (94.7% vs. 16%; p = 0.0001), and anemia (50% vs. 0%; p = 0.0001). Neoplasm was more frequently suspected in ITV than in STV (74.2% vs. 31.6%; p = 0.001), but only occurred in 2 ITV patients. Long-term glucocorticoid therapy was given only to STV patients, and 59.1% of them also received cytotoxic agents. ITV was diagnosed more often by orchiectomy (81.1% vs. 42.9%; p = 0.001) and less frequently by testicular biopsy (2.7% vs. 28.6%; p = 0.003) than STV. Nongranulomatous inflammation affecting medium-sized vessels occurred in most patients with both ITV and STV. Among STV, polyarteritis nodosa was the most frequently diagnosed (63%), followed by Wegener granulomatosis (17%).In summary, TV occurs as ITV in men usually presenting with a testicular mass in the absence of systemic symptoms and normal laboratory results. In most ITV patients, a testicular neoplasm is initially suspected, and TV is an unexpected finding. After surgical removal, ITV does not require systemic therapy. Polyarteritis nodosa is the systemic vasculitis most frequently associated with testicular involvement.

Interleukin-10 promoter polymorphisms in giant cell arteritis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate potential associations between interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter polymorphisms and susceptibility to, and clinical features of, giant cell arteritis (GCA).

METHODS

A total of 140 patients with biopsy-proven GCA who were residents of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and 200 population-based controls from the same geographic area were genotyped for promoter polymorphisms of the IL-10 gene, by molecular methods. The patients were subgrouped according to the presence or absence of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and ischemic complications (any or all of the following: vision loss, jaw claudication, cerebrovascular accidents, or aortic arch syndrome).

RESULTS

The distribution of the C/A 592 genotype differed significantly between the GCA patients and the controls (P(corr) = 0.003). Carriers of the A592 allele (A/A or C/A) were significantly more frequent among the GCA patients than among the controls (P(corr) = 0.004, odds ratio [OR] 2.0 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.3-3.1]). Homozygosity for the A592 allele was significantly more frequent among the GCA patients than among the controls (P(corr) = 0.002, OR 3.4 [95% CI 1.6-7.2]). The distribution of the A/G 1082 genotype was similar in GCA patients and controls. In the haplotype analysis, the frequency of the ATA haplotype was significantly higher in GCA patients than in the controls (P = 0.0001), whereas the frequencies of the ACC and GTA haplotypes were significantly lower (P = 0.0001 for both comparisons). No significant associations were found for comparisons of GCA patients with and those without PMR or GCA patients with and those without ischemic complications.

CONCLUSION

Our findings show that the -592 C/A promoter polymorphism of the IL-10 gene is associated with susceptibility to GCA.

Correlation of interleukin-10 gene haplotype with hepatocellular carcinoma in Taiwan

Polymorphisms in cytokine genes can influence immune responses, inflammation and tissue injury, and may affect the outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the interleukin (IL)-10 gene among 344 HBV carriers and 208 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Genotypes and haplotypes were tested for association with HCC. IL-10/-592 C/C genotype was associated with a higher risk for HCC compared with IL-10/-592 A/C and A/A genotypes [odds ratio (OR): 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2-3.6]. IL-10/1927 A/A genotype was also associated with a higher risk for HCC compared with IL-10/1927 A/C and C/C genotypes (OR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.2). Haplotype analysis revealed that the homozygosity of the C-A haplotype (defined by SNPs at positions -592 and 1927) of IL-10 gene conveys the highest risk for HCC among HBV carriers compared with the homozygosity for the A-C haplotype (OR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.3-4.9). The results demonstrate that IL-10 gene polymorphism can affect the outcome of chronic HBV infection. Further studies are necessary to clarify how variation in the IL-10 gene affects IL-10 function and risk of HCC.

Large-vessel arteritis and myelodysplastic syndrome: report of two cases

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is frequently associated with autoimmune diseases such as polymyalgia, arthritis, and rarely, with systemic vasculitis. The pathogenesis of these autoimmune complications remains unknown, but there is increasing evidence of profound immune dysregulation in MDS. In the few cases reported so far, vasculitides associated with MDS affected mainly cutaneous vessels. Here we describe two cases of acute large-vessel vasculitis in association with MDS. The first patient is a 67-yr-old male presenting with a massive large-vessel arteritis as primary manifestation of refractory anemia with excess of blasts type 1 (RAEB-1). The second patient is a 60-yr-old male, who presented with acute thoracic aortitis after a 2-yr history of refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS). Both patients received immunosuppressive treatment with steroids, leading to rapid improvement of systemic inflammatory symptoms, vessel wall injury and peripheral blood counts. Whereas the first patient displayed sustained favorable hematologic responses under long-term steroid therapy, there was a rapid transformation into secondary acute myeloid leukemia in the second patient. We conclude that large-vessel vasculitis should be added to the list of potential autoimmune complications in MDS. In this clinical setting, steroid therapy may alleviate inflammatory symptoms and result in beneficial hematologic responses.

Isolated PACNS-like presentation of a systemic vasculitis complicating a myelodysplastic syndrome

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a series of haematological malignancies ranging from chronic refractory anaemia to leukaemia. There is increasing recognition of immunological abnormalities in patients with MDS, including few reports of cutaneous vasculitis; in no instance, a cerebral localization has been ascertained. Here, the case of a patient with MDS who presented exclusively with neurological signs that were considered indicative of a primary, isolated central nervous system vasculitis (PACNS) is reported. Although histological findings on brain tissue confirmed a small-vessel vasculitis, this had to be considered in the context of a systemic vasculitis. In fact, at autopsy, an involvement of skin, myocardium, lungs, liver, kidney and bone marrow was also found. An autoimmune vasculitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of acute-onset, isolated, cerebral symptoms complicating the course of MDS.

Relation of an interleukin-10 promoter polymorphism to graft-versus-host disease and survival after hematopoietic-cell transplantation

BACKGROUND

Polymorphisms in cytokine genes can influence immune responses, inflammation, and tissue injury and may affect the outcome of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation.

METHODS

We analyzed single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes for interleukin-1beta, interleukin-1-receptor antagonist, interleukin-6, interleukin-10 (IL10), and tumor necrosis factor alpha in 570 transplant recipients and their HLA-identical sibling donors. Genotypes were tested for an association with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) by multivariable analysis. A second cohort of 423 transplant recipients was independently analyzed for the genotype associations identified in the first cohort.

RESULTS

The recipient's IL10 promoter region genotype was significantly associated with the risk of acute GVHD in the first cohort. Analysis of all 993 transplant recipients showed that, as compared with the C/C genotype, the IL10 -592A/A genotype was associated with a decreased risk of grade III or IV acute GVHD (hazard ratio, 0.4; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.2 to 0.9; P=0.02) and death in remission (hazard ratio, 0.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.3 to 1.0; P=0.05). A haplotype analysis showed that the IL10 -592A allele was a specific marker for a promoter haplotype, T-C-A-T-A, defined by five polymorphisms at positions -3575, -2763, -1082, -819, and -592, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Among recipients of hematopoietic cells from an HLA-identical sibling, the IL10 -592A allele is a marker of a favorable outcome after transplantation.

Influence of interleukin-10 polymorphisms on interleukin-10 expression and survival in critically ill patients

OBJECTIVE

To determine the functionality of identified polymorphisms in the promoter and upstream regions of the interleukin-10 gene in terms of release of interleukin-10 from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated whole blood from healthy volunteers and to evaluate the relationship of interleukin-10 polymorphisms to interleukin-10 release, development of sepsis, and mortality in critically ill patients.

DESIGN

Observational study.

SETTING

The academic unit of anesthesia and intensive care, university laboratories, and ten-bed general intensive care unit in a university teaching hospital.

SUBJECTS

A total of 132 healthy volunteers plus 67 consecutive critically ill patients recruited within 24 hrs of admission to the intensive care unit, regardless of diagnosis.

MEASUREMENTS

Plasma interleukin-10 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Dinucleotide repeat polymorphisms were identified after polymerase chain reaction using a DNA size analyzer.

MAIN RESULTS

Stimulated interleukin-10 release in critically ill patients was significantly lower than in healthy subjects (p < .0001). In addition, in the patients who developed sepsis, interleukin-10 release at admission to the intensive care unit was significantly lower than in patients who did not subsequently develop sepsis (median [range] 1.47 [0.13-6.90] ng/mL compared with 4.93 [0.03-16.80] ng/mL, p = .001). The A allele of the single nucleotide polymorphism at -592 base pairs was associated with lower interleukin-10 release and higher mortality in critically ill patients. Other polymorphisms were not linked to interleukin-10 release, sepsis, or mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

The A allele of the -592 base pair single nucleotide polymorphism in the interleukin-10 gene is associated with lower stimulated interleukin-10 release and increased mortality. Further investigations are required to determine the nature of the functionality and the potential diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this marker.

Systemic medium-sized vessel vasculitis associated with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia

OBJECTIVE

To determine the clinical aspects of systemic vasculitis associated with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).

METHODS

In this retrospective study, 8 patients suffering from systemic vasculitis associated with CMML are described. The French and English literature on systemic vasculitis associated with myelodysplasia was reviewed.

RESULTS

All 8 patients had a systemic medium-sized vessel vasculitis which fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for polyarteritis nodosa in the setting of active CMML. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) were negative in 7 patients. One patient had cytoplasmic ANCA by indirect immunofluorescence without antiproteinase 3 or antimyeloperoxydase antibodies on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. At presentation, 6 patients had fever of unknown origin, 5 had polymyalgia rheumatica, 3 had sensory hearing loss, and 4 had eosinophilia. None had viral infection or drug-associated vasculitis. Diagnostic procedures included renal or hepatic angiography in 6 patients which showed microaneurysms in 4, skin and temporal artery biopsy in 2 which showed vasculitis, and 1 postmortem examination which showed gastroduodenal arteritis. All patients were treated with corticosteroids, and 7 received immunosuppressive drugs. Death was attributable to vasculitis in 2 cases, infection in 3, and other vasculitis-related causes in 2. In a review of the French-English literature, we found 11 similar cases of ANCA-negative systemic vasculitis, generally associated with refractory anemia, with or without blast excess.

CONCLUSIONS

Systemic ANCA-negative polyarteritis nodosa-type vasculitis seems closely associated to CMML. Clinical presentation is nonspecific, and systemic vasculitis should be suspected when a patient with myelodysplasia develops atypical manifestations. Renal, gastrointestinal, or hepatic angiography are useful diagnostic procedures when more invasive biopsies should be avoided because of low platelet count. The prognosis of CMML-associated systemic vasculitis is poor.

Novel single nucleotide polymorphisms in the distal IL-10 promoter affect IL-10 production and enhance the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus

Family studies of first-degree relatives and analysis of twins indicate that as much as 75% of the differences in quantitative IL-10 production in man derive from heritable genetic factors. Studies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the proximal 1.0 kb of the IL-10 promoter have yielded inconsistent association with IL-10 production and variable results in promoter-reporter studies. However, in normal donors, an association of quantitative production with certain alleles of the IL-10.R short tandem repeat polymorphism at -4.0 kb suggested that SNPs in the more distal promoter might be informative. We have identified seven novel SNP sites in the genomic sequence of the first 4 kb of the IL-10 promoter region 5' to the ATG start site from Caucasian individuals with either a high or a low IL-10 production phenotype. We have also identified eight SNP haplotypes in the distal promoter that segregate with significant differences in quantitative IL-10 production in normal donors. These SNPs are significantly associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in African-Americans and may define one component of the genetic susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus in this group.

Polymorphic haplotypes of the interleukin-10 5' flanking region determine variable interleukin-10 transcription and are associated with particular phenotypes of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

To determine the distribution of the interleukin-10 (IL-10) 5' flanking region haplotypes in children with arthritis and in controls, and to investigate the functional significance of each haplotype.

METHODS

Sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing was used to determine haplotype frequency. Transient transfection studies were used to investigate the transcription of reporter genes driven by each haplotype. Whole blood cultures were performed to assess IL-10 production by each genotype.

RESULTS

Patients with arthritis involving >4 joints were more likely to have a genotype with an ATA haplotype than those whose arthritis remained restricted to <4 joints. This ATA haplotype was associated with lower transcriptional activity than the GCC haplotype (P = 0.02), and the ATA/ATA genotype was associated with lower IL-10 production under lipopolysaccharide stimulation than other genotypes (P < 0.02).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study demonstrate the functional significance of the ATA haplotype and reveal a significant association of genotypes containing this haplotype with extended oligoarthritis.

Interleukin-10 promoter polymorphisms in Southern Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVE

To study the genetic association of interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter polymorphisms in Southern Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and to investigate possible associations with clinical manifestations of the disease.

METHODS

DNA was extracted from 88 Chinese patients with SLE and 83 ethnically matched controls. The IL-10 promoter region between positions -533 and -1120 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and polymorphisms were detected by restriction-enzyme cleavage.

RESULTS

No significant difference in the allele or haplotype frequencies between SLE patients and controls could be demonstrated. The *A and *C alleles at the -597 position were linked to the *T and *C alleles at the -824 position, respectively. However, when clinical features were examined, the *A allele at the -597 position and the *T allele at the -824 position were significantly associated with lupus nephritis, by chi-square analysis (P < 0.001, odds ratio 4.19, 95% confidence interval 2.02-8.71). Similarly, the haplotype -1087*A/-824*T/-597*A was also associated with renal involvement (P < 0.001, odds ratio 3.62, 95% confidence interval 1.80-7.31).

CONCLUSION

IL-10 promoter polymorphisms are not strong determinants of susceptibility to the development of SLE, per se, in Southern Chinese individuals. However, IL-10 genotypes are strongly associated with certain clinical manifestations of SLE and may have a role in predicting disease prognosis.