Pulmonary involvement in adult Still's disease: Case report and brief review of literature

Short-term, low-dose etoposide in refractory adult-onset Still's disease-associated macrophage activation syndrome

INTRODUCTION

In this study, we modified the classical regimen of the hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis-04 protocol and evaluated the efficacy and safety of short-term, low-dose etoposide in patients with refractory macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) associated with adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD).

METHODS

A total of 17 patients with refractory AOSD-associated MAS were enrolled and received short-term, low-dose etoposide (100 mg twice a week for four times). Another 11 patients, who were not treated with etoposide, were included as historical controls. Patient information, such as clinical manifestations, laboratory results, treatments, and short-term prognosis, were recorded and analyzed.

RESULTS

In this case series, 88.24% of the patients with MAS who were treated with short-term, low-dose etoposide had a favorable response in 3 weeks, which was significantly higher (p = 0.017) than that in the patients with MAS who were treated without etoposide (45.45%). The 90-day survival rate after the onset of MAS was significantly higher (p = 0.0029) among the patients in the short-term etoposide group (16/17, 94.12%) than in the control group (5/11, 45.45%).

CONCLUSION

The regimen of short-term (2 weeks), low-dose etoposide was highly effective in the treatment for patients with refractory AOSD-associated MAS with an acceptable safety profile. Key Points • There is no high level evidence to guide the management of refractory MAS-associated AOSD patients. • This study was the first to propose and confirm the efficacy and safety of short-term, low-dose etoposide in the treatment of refractory MAS-associated AOSD patients.

Lung Functioning and Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is an immune disorder characterized by fever, skin rash, arthritis and splenomegaly. Recently, increasing number of sJIA patients were reported having lung disease. Here, we explored lung abnormalities in a mouse model for sJIA relying on injection of IFN-γ deficient (IFN-γ KO) mice with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Monitoring of lung changes during development of sJIA using microcomputer tomography revealed a moderate enlargement of lungs, a decrease in aerated and increase in non-aerated lung density. When lung function and airway reactivity to methacholine was assessed, gender differences were seen. While male mice showed an increased tissue hysteresivity, female animals were characterized by an increased airway hyperactivity, mirroring ongoing inflammation. Histologically, lungs of sJIA-like mice showed subpleural and parenchymal cellular infiltrates and formation of small granulomas. Flow cytometric analysis identified immature and mature neutrophils, and activated macrophages as major cell infiltrates. Lung inflammation in sJIA-like mice was accompanied by augmented expression of IL-1β and IL-6, two target cytokines in the treatment of sJIA. The increased expression of granulocyte colony stimulating factor, a potent inducer of granulopoiesis, in lungs of mice was striking considering the observed neutrophilia in patients. We conclude that development of sJIA in a mouse model is associated with lung inflammation which is distinct to the lung manifestations seen in sJIA patients. Our observations however underscore the importance of monitoring lung disease during systemic inflammation and the model provides a tool to explore the underlying mechanism of lung pathology in an autoinflammatory disease context.

Targeting the Immune System for Pulmonary Inflammation and Cardiovascular Complications in COVID-19 Patients

In December 2019, following a cluster of pneumonia cases in China caused by a novel coronavirus (CoV), named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the infection disseminated worldwide and, on March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared the pandemic of the relevant disease named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In Europe, Italy was the first country facing a true health policy emergency, and, as at 6.00 p.m. on May 2nd, 2020, there have been more than 209,300 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Due to the increasing number of patients experiencing a severe outcome, global scientific efforts are ongoing to find the most appropriate treatment. The usefulness of specific anti-rheumatic drugs came out as a promising treatment option together with antiviral drugs, anticoagulants, and symptomatic and respiratory support. For this reason, we feel a duty to share our experience and our knowledge on the use of these drugs in the immune-rheumatologic field, providing in this review the rationale for their use in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Macrophage activation syndrome associated with adult-onset Still's disease: a multicenter retrospective analysis

OBJECTIVES

To explore the clinical features, treatments, and prognostic factors of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD)-associated macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), we conducted a multicenter retrospective clinical study of AOSD-associated MAS patients.

METHODS

AOSD patients were collected from six tertiary hospitals in China. Medical charts were reviewed and clinical information was recorded and analyzed.

RESULTS

There were 447 AOSD patients enrolled into this retrospective clinical study. Among them, 55 were diagnosed with MAS. Liver dysfunction was the most reliable predictive factor for the screening of MAS in AOSD patients (OR = 75.744, 95%CI = 23.015-249.284, p < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, clinical features including platelets < 100 × 10⁹/L (OR = 9.546, p = 0.005), aspartate transaminase (AST) > 120 U/L (OR = 25.853, p < 0.0001), triglycerides > 3 mmol/L (OR = 12.9833, p = 0.011)), ferritin > 1500 ng/mL (OR = 5.513, p = 0.050), as well as hemophagocytosis in bone puncture (OR = 18.132, p = 0.001) were highly associated with the occurrence of MAS. The mortality rate of total AOSD patients was 4.47%, MAS was the main cause of death in AOSD patients (OR = 11.705, 95%CI = 4.783-28.647, p < 0.0001). PLT ≤ 100 × 10⁹/L (p = 0.0001), fibrinogen < 1.5 g/L (p = 0.0286), splenomegaly (p = 0.0002), and liver dysfunction (p = 0.0008) highly suggested poor prognosis.

CONCLUSION

MAS occurrence is the major cause of death in AOSD patients. Notable liver dysfunction, as well as splenomegaly, low number of platelets or neutrophils, high levels of serum ferritin, and reduced level of fibrinogen are risk factors for poor outcome. Key Points • This is a multicenter retrospective study of AOSD-associated MAS with large number of cases.

Pulmonary Onset of Adult Onset Still's Disease Complicated with Kikuchi Lymphadenitis

BACKGROUND

Adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare inflammatory disorder with a variety of clinical presentations. Even though pneumonitis and pleurisy are known to occur in AOSD, pulmonary onset presentations are exceedingly rare. Case Presentation. We present a 40-year-old male, presenting with fever and bilateral alveolar shadows with pleural effusions mimicking community-acquired severe pneumonia. He was initially treated as severe pneumonia with poor response to broad spectrum antibiotics. Subsequently, he was managed as AOSD-induced pneumonitis, as he fulfilled Yamaguchi criteria. Few weeks later, he developed macular rash and arthralgia with generalized lymphadenopathy with lymph node histology, showing Kikuchi lymphadenitis. He responded well to steroids and had a complete recovery.

CONCLUSION

Non-infective causes of pneumonitis should be suspected in the setting of poorly resolving pneumonias, especially when microbiological and serological investigations does not support an infective etiology. Presence of systemic symptoms with arthralgia, rash, and disproportionately elevated ferritin level supports the diagnosis of AOSD. Kikuchi lymphadenitis is a reported association with AOSD, and there could be a causal link between the two disorders.