Clinical problem-solving. The wolf at the door

Performance of the New 2019 European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology/American College of Rheumatology Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Classification Criteria in a Large Unicentric Cohort

Background: The recently published 2019 American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (ACR/EULAR) classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were developed to increase the reliability and identification of SLE, especially in early disease. With the emergence of several new drugs for SLE, identifying and treating patients early are more important than ever. Methods: Data of 446 SLE patients evaluated in our center between 1996−2019 and 226 controls with other autoimmune diseases evaluated between 2001−2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The sensitivity and specificity of the 2019 ACR/EULAR criteria were compared to the 2012 SLICC and the 1997 ACR criteria. Results: The 2019 ACR/EULAR criteria showed very good sensitivity (86.6%) compared to the 1997 ACR criteria (76.7%), p < 0.001, with a trend toward significance compared to the 2012 SLICC criteria (83.6%), p = 0.072. Their sensitivity remained high (87.6%) in patients with a short disease duration. The specificity of the 2019 ACR/EULAR criteria (91.2%) was statistically lower than the 2012 SLICC (96.0%) and 1997 ACR criteria (95.1%), p = 0.007 and p = 0.012, respectively, but still had a very high value. A total of 22 controls (9.7%) fulfilled at least one set of criteria (15 patients with MCTD, 5 with UCTD, and 2 with SSc). Conclusion: In this large real-life cohort, the 2019 ACR/EULAR criteria had very good performance compared to the 2012 SLICC and 1997 ACR criteria.

Comparing the 1997 update of the 1982 American College of Rheumatology (ACR-97) and the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC-12) criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) classification: which enables earlier classification of SLE in an urban Asian population?

Objective

We compared the 1997 update of the 1982 American College of Rheumatology (ACR-97) and the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC-12) criteria, for earlier classification of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a multiethnic urban Asian SLE population.

Methods

Patients from a retrospective, nested case-control study of the influence of lupus nephritis on mortality in SLE were studied. For each patient, dates of first manifestations of each criteria (both ACR-97 and SLICC-12) were recorded, and the date of disease classification using ACR-97 or SLICC-12 criteria was compared to determine which criteria resulted in earlier classification.

Results

Among 182 SLE patients (74.2% Chinese, 18.1% Malay, 4.4% Indian and 3.3% Other ethnicities), 10 (5.5%) did not fulfill the ACR-97 criteria and 2 (1.1%) did not fulfill the SLICC-12 criteria. Using the SLICC-12 criteria, 18% of subjects showed earlier classification, whereas 7% of subjects showed earlier classification using the ACR-97 criteria. The SLICC hematologic criteria of “Leukopenia or lymphopenia” contributed most significantly to earlier diagnosis by SLICC-12. “Leukopenia or lymphopenia'' was present in 59% (19/32) of patients where SLICC-12 criteria allowed for earlier classification than ACR-97, compared with 15.4% (2/13) of patients where ACR-97 allowed earlier classification than SLICC-12 ( p = 0.02). The immunologic criterion that is considered a strength of the SLICC-12 criteria did not appear to contribute significantly to earlier diagnosis in this study.

Conclusion

SLICC-12 criteria allow for earlier classification of SLE in a multiethnic cohort of Asian patients, supporting the validity of the SLICC-12 criteria and its use in clinical care and research.

Successful Treatment of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Associated with Lupus Nephritis by Using Mycophenolate Mofetil

An estimated 0.9% to 2.4% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) also have hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). HLH associated with autoimmune diseases is often refractory to corticosteroid treatment; thus, additional immunosuppressive drugs, such as cyclosporine, cyclophosphamide, or tacrolimus, are required. Here, we describe the case of a 44-year-old Japanese woman who developed HLH associated with lupus nephritis. Initially, her HLH was refractory to treatment with a corticosteroid, tacrolimus, and mizoribine. However, alternative treatment with a corticosteroid, mycophenolate mofetil, and tacrolimus improved both her HLH and lupus nephritis. This case suggests the possibility of mycophenolate mofetil as a key drug for treating HLH associated with SLE.

Clinical spectrum and therapeutic management of systemic lupus erythematosus-associated macrophage activation syndrome: A study of 103 episodes in 89 adult patients

OBJECTIVES

Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a life-threatening hyperinflammatory syndrome that can occur during systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Data on MAS in adult SLE patients are very limited. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, treatments, and outcomes of a large series of SLE-associated MAS.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study that included 103 episodes of MAS in 89 adult patients with SLE.

RESULTS

103 episodes in 89 adult patients were analyzed. Median age at first MAS episode was 32 (18-80) years. MAS was inaugural in 41 patients (46%).Thirteen patients relapsed. Patients had the following features: fever (100% episodes), increased serum levels of AST (94.7%), LDH (92.3%), CRP (84.5%), ferritin (96%), procalcitonin (41/49 cases). Complications included myocarditis (n=22), acute lung injury (n=15) and seizures (n=11). In 33 episodes, patients required hospitalization in an ICU and 5 died. Thrombocytopenia and high CRP levels were associated independently with an increased risk for ICU admission. High dose steroids alone as first line therapy induced remission in 37/57 cases (65%). Additional medications as first or second line therapies included IV immunoglobulins (n=22), cyclophosphamide (n=23), etoposide (n=11), rituximab (n=3). Etoposide and cyclophosphamide-based regimens had the best efficacy.

CONCLUSION

MAS is a severe complication and is often inaugural. High fever and high levels of AST, LDH, CRP, ferritin and PCT should be considered as red flags for early diagnosis. High dose steroids lead to remission in two third of cases. Cyclophosphamide or etoposide should be considered for uncontrolled/severe forms.

Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis-Like Lesions and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Possibly Triggered by Sulfasalazine

This case report describes a patient with arthritis of the large joints, bilateral sacroiliitis, and positive anti-SSA and anti-dsDNA antibody, who received sulfasalazine and shortly thereafter became critically ill. He developed toxic epidermal necrolysis, hemolytic anemia, lymphopenia, markedly elevated ferritin, and muscle wasting. A diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus was made, and mycophenolate mofetil and systemic glucocorticoids brought this severe disease under control. Toxic epidermal necrolysis-like lesions and hemophagocytic syndrome have been reported as manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. This patient possibly had spondyloarthritis or an undifferentiated connective tissue disease at presentation, and we suggest, based on the timing of events, that sulfasalazine may have acted as a trigger of the severe disease manifestations.

Prognostic factors and outcomes of adults with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

OBJECTIVE

To describe the prognostic factors and outcomes of adults with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare disorder caused by pathologic activation of the immune system.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study population consisted of a consecutive cohort of adult (age ≥18 years) patients treated at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, from January 1, 1996, through December 31, 2011, in whom a diagnosis of HLH was suspected and subsequently confirmed by retrospective review using the HLH-04 diagnostic criteria.

RESULTS

Of 250 adult patients suspected of having HLH, 62 met the HLH-04 diagnostic criteria and were included in the final analysis. The median age was 49 years (range, 18-87 years), and 42 (68%) were male. The underlying cause of HLH was malignant tumor in 32 patients (52%), infection in 21 patients (34%), autoimmune disorder in 5 patients (8%), and idiopathic disease in 4 patients (6%). After a median follow-up of 42 months, 41 patients (66%) had died. The median overall survival of the entire cohort was 2.1 months. The median overall survival of patients with tumor-associated HLH was 1.4 months compared with 22.8 months for patients with non-tumor-associated HLH (P=.01). The presence of a malignant tumor and hypoalbuminemia were significant predictors of inferior survival on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

In this large series of adults with secondary HLH treated at a single tertiary care center, patients with low serum albumin levels and tumor-associated HLH had a markedly worse survival. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis remains elusive and challenging to clinicians who must maintain a high index of suspicion. The recent discovery of several novel diagnostic and therapeutic modalities may improve outcomes of adult patients with HLH.

Clinical guidelines and definitions of autoinflammatory diseases: contrasts and comparisons with autoimmunity-a comprehensive review

Autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs) and autoimmune diseases (ADs) are characterized by an aberrant chronic activation of the immune system which causes tissue inflammation and damage in genetically predisposed individuals. Pathogenetic mechanisms underlying this damage differ between these two types of diseases; in AIDs, the innate immune system is directly responsible for tissue inflammation, while in ADs it works by activating the adaptive immune system, which becomes the main effector of the inflammatory process. Despite the fact that AIDs have only been recently defined, they are older than ADs. The innate immune system is found in plants and animals, and it developed earlier than the adaptive immune system, which first appeared in jawed vertebrates. According to genetic background and clinical, serological, and radiological findings, AIDs and ADs might be considered as a single spectrum of disorders, with a wide range of manifestations. Indeed, autoinflammatory-like diseases have been reported in simple organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. We analyzed here the main pathogenetic and clinical features of these two groups of diseases mostly dealing with their similarities and differences.