Good Syndrome, a rare cause of refractory chronic diarrhea and recurrent pneumonia in a Chinese patient after thymectomy

Good's syndrome combined with CMV gastroenteritis: A case report and literature review

Key Clinical Message

Good's syndrome (GS) presents with thymoma, hypogammaglobulinemia, and recurrent infection. The manifestations of patients diagnosed with GS and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) gastroenteritis are rare and non-specific. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve the prognosis of the rare disease.

Abstract

Good's syndrome (GS), a rare acquired immunodeficiency condition, is characterized by thymoma, hypogammaglobulinemia, and low peripheral B-lymphocyte count. GS tends to occur in individuals aged 40-60 years, resulting in increased risk of recurrent infections with various conditional pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can cause pneumonia, retinitis, encephalitis, and enteritis in GS patient, but CMV infection in the alimentary tract is usually underestimated, delayed diagnosed and misdiagnosed. In this study, we reported a female patient with GS and chronic diarrhea due to CMV infection and reviewed the literature to conclude the characteristics of this rare condition to improve the clinical diagnosis and prognosis of CMV gastroenteritis in patients with GS.

Apoptotic collopathy as a manifestation of Good's syndrome

44-year-old patient with 4 years of evolution of recurrent respiratory infections, fever, weight loss of 30 kg and chronic diarrhea with inconclusive colonoscopy studies managed as IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). A colonoscopy was performed with an infectious aspect vs IBD, the biopsies revealed acute colitis with cryptic apoptosis without evidence of chronicity. So is considered another type of immunodeficiency with the presence of hypogammaglobulinemia, reaching the diagnosis of Good's syndrome due to the association with thymoma and recurrent infections.

When the Good Syndrome Goes Bad: A Systematic Literature Review

Background

Good syndrome is a rare adult-onset immunodeficiency characterized by thymoma and hypogammaglobulinemia. Its clinical manifestations are highly heterogeneous, ranging from various infections to autoimmunity.

Objective

This study was to summarize patient characteristics, identify prognostic factors and define clinical subgroups of Good syndrome.

Methods

A systematic literature review was conducted to include patients with Good syndrome identified in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases between January 2010 and November 2020. Logistic and Cox regressions were used to identify prognostic factors impacting outcomes. Clinical subgroups were defined by multiple correspondence analysis and unsupervised hierarchical clustering. A decision tree was constructed to characterize the subgroup placement of cases.

Results

Of 162 patients included in the current study, the median age at diagnosis was 58 years and 51% were male. Type AB was the most common histological subtype of thymoma, and infections as well as concurrent autoimmune disorders were identified in 92.6% and 51.2% patients, respectively. Laboratory workup showed typical findings of combined immunodeficiency. Thymoma status (odds ratio [OR] 4.157, confidence interval [CI] 1.219-14.177, p = 0.023), infections related to cellular immunity defects (OR 3.324, 95% CI 1.100-10.046, p = 0.033), infections of sinopulmonary tract (OR 14.351, 95% CI 2.525-81.576, p = 0.003), central nerve system (OR 6.403, 95% CI 1.205-34.027, p = 0.029) as well as bloodstream (OR 6.917, 95% CI 1.519-31.505, p = 0.012) were independent prognostic factors. The 10-year overall survival was 53.7%. Cluster analysis revealed three clinical subgroups with distinct characteristics and prognosis (cluster 1, infections related to cellular immunity defects; cluster 2, infections related to other immunity defects; cluster 3, infections related to humoral and phagocytic immunity defects). A decision tree using infection types (related to humoral and cellular immunity defects) could place patients into corresponding clusters with an overall correct prediction of 72.2%.

Conclusions

Infection type and site were the main prognostic factors impacting survival of patients with Good syndrome. We identified three subgroups within Good syndrome associated with distinct clinical features, which may facilitate the study of underlying pathogenesis as well as development of targeted therapy.

Recurrent neutropenia and chronic diarrhea following thymectomy: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Good syndrome (GS) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome seen before or after diagnosis of thymoma, and its treatment, and is characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia. Rarely, pure white cell aplasia (PWCA) can also be seen which can present as recurrent neutropenia. We describe a 64-year-old man with recurrent sinus infections and previous thymectomy for stage 1 type B2 thymoma presenting with chronic diarrhea and recurrent neutropenia necessitating serial hospitalizations despite repeated antimicrobial treatment. Immunoglobulin levels, including IgM, IgA, IgD, and IgE were undetectable. Flow cytometry also showed absent B cells. Patient was initiated on immunoglobulin replacement therapy with consequent significant clinical improvement. Despite thymectomy, patients can develop thymoma-associated paraneoplastic syndromes, including GS.

Atypical presentation of Good syndrome: acute hepatitis from hepatitis B virus reactivation

Good syndrome (GS) is a primary immunodeficiency (PID) that presents in middle aged to older adults with features of thymoma, hypogammaglobulinemia, CD4 T lymphopenia, inverted CD4/CD8+ ratio, and impaired T-cell mitogen proliferative responses. We present a patient, a 62-year-old female, who first presented with disease manifestation of acute hepatitis from hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation, which was subsequently complicated by recurrent hospitalizations for recurrent pneumonia and concomitant Helicobacter pylori and cytomegalovirus enteritis. She was later found to have thymoma and hypogammaglobulinemia and was diagnosed with GS. Although the well-known importance of T cell is in directing B-cell responses in the immunopathology of thymoma, low levels of natural killer and CD4+ γδ T cells may also be the cause of both low immune surveillance of tumor development and weak clearance of viral infection. Hence, the temporal sequence of opportunistic infections following HBV reactivation and thymoma discovery may reflect a loss of immune surveillance as the first manifestation of PID.

A Rare Case of Colonic Sarcoidosis Presenting as a Mass

Introduction

Sarcoidosis is a common multisystem chronic inflammatory disease of an unidentified inciting etiology. The most common initial manifestations of this disease involve the pulmonary system, and involvement of the gastrointestinal tract is rare. Sarcoidosis of the gastrointestinal tract occurs in an oral-anal gradient, with the esophagus and stomach being the most commonly involved sites, while colonic involvement remains extremely rare. Case Presentation. We present a case of a 24-year-old African American man who was evaluated for persistent abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, and weight loss. Workup for infectious etiologies and celiac disease was unrevealing. An inflammatory mass in the hepatic flexure was found during colonoscopy, and a computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen was significant for circumferential thickening of the cecum and ascending colon, along with nodular thickening of the peritoneum without enhancement. Malignancy and inflammatory bowel disease were the initial differentials. A peritoneal biopsy was also performed. Pathology of the colon and peritoneal biopsy was significant for the presence of noncaseating granulomas and confluent granulomatous inflammation. The patient was diagnosed with colonic sarcoidosis, and treatment with corticosteroids was initiated. Symptoms resolved with treatment, and a follow-up colonoscopy five months later showed interval healing.

Conclusion

Although rare, colonic sarcoidosis should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses when evaluating a patient with chronic diarrhea and a mass on colonoscopy. Histopathology is the key to diagnosis as it distinguishes malignancy from sarcoidosis. Corticosteroids remain as an option for treating colonic sarcoidosis.

Thymic epithelial tumor complicated by immunological abnormalities: results from a single-center retrospective study in China

Background

To describe the clinical manifestations, immunological features, treatments, and outcomes of patients with thymic epithelial tumor (TET) complicated by immunological abnormalities, and to improve knowledge on immunological abnormalities in this rare disease.

Methods

Patients with pathologically confirmed TET at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital between January 2013 and May 2018 were included in this study, and clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. Immunological abnormalities were classified into two groups as follows: Good syndrome (GS) and autoimmune disease (AD).

Results

Fifty-nine TET patients were enrolled; twenty-two patients (37.3%) had immune dysfunction. There were no gender, age, or histological type differences between groups with or without immunological abnormalities. Six patients had GS, of whom four patients were diagnosed after thymectomy. Recurrent respiratory infections, particularly opportunistic infections, were the most common manifestation. Three GS patients developed a second cancer (50%; P=0.011). Anti-infective therapy and immunoglobulin supplements effectively treated GS. Seventeen patients developed ADs, including myasthenia gravis (MG) (n=13), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (n=4), Sjogren's syndrome (n=1), rheumatoid arthritis (n=1), pemphigus (n=1), and Evans syndrome (n=1). One patient developed both MG and GS and 4 patients presented with two ADs. Three AD cases occurred after thymectomy. Pemphigus and 80% (8/10) of MG cases were resolved following thymectomy.

Conclusions

There is a strong association between immunological abnormalities and TET, which may present at any time point during the disease, even after thymectomy. In addition to infection, GS patients are more likely to develop a second cancer. Thymectomy may produce favorable outcomes for MG in this study, while surgery does not improve immunodeficiency in GS patients.

Pulmonary Manifestations of Predominantly Antibody Deficiencies

Predominantly antibody deficiencies (PADs) are the most frequent forms of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs). Commonly accompanied with complications involving several body systems, immunoglobulin substitution therapy along with prophylactic antibiotics remained the cornerstone of treatment for PADs and related complications. Patients with respiratory complications should be prescribed an appropriate therapy as soon as possible and have to be adhering to more and longer medical therapies. Recent studies identified a gap for screening protocols to monitor respiratory manifestations in patients with PADs. In the present chapter, the pulmonary manifestations of different PADs for each have been discussed. The chapter is mainly focused on X-linked agammaglobulinemia, common variable immunodeficiency, activated PI3K-δ syndrome, LRBA deficiency, CD19 complex deficiencies, CD20 deficiency, other monogenic defects associated with hypogammaglobulinemia, immunoglobulin class switch recombination deficiencies affecting B-cells, transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy, and selective IgA deficiency.

A Good Case of Recurrent Pneumonia

Bordetella bronchiseptica infection is a common cause of pneumonia in animals but rarely causes disease in humans. Additionally, coinfection with Pneumocystis jirovecii is very uncommon and is occasionally seen in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). We report a case of a 61-year-old HIV-negative man, who presented with hypoxic respiratory failure 2 days after completion of systemic intravenous antibiotic treatment for B bronchiseptica. His past medical history was significant for a benign thymoma. The patient was found to be coinfected with B bronchiseptica and P jirovecii. Laboratory results showed panhypogammaglobulinemia and low absolute B- and CD4 T-cells. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with Good’s syndrome. However, despite treatment with intravenous antibiotics and intravenous immunoglobulin, the patient continued to deteriorate and expired. This patient demonstrates the importance of recognizing this rare immunodeficiency early in order to improve morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, this case highlights the importance of early immunoglobulin screening in the presence of asymptomatic thymoma.

Good's syndrome: Is thymectomy the solution? Case report and literature review

Good's syndrome is thymoma accompanied by immunodeficiency. A 69-year-old woman presented with recurrent chest infections, hypogammaglobulinemia, and radiological features of a thymoma. Immunoglobulin replacement therapy was not tolerated prior to surgery. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and a Masaoka stage II type AB thymoma was confirmed on histology. One-year follow-up revealed no recurrence of the thymoma but the patient remained hypogammaglobulinemic and developed collagenous colitis. She declined immunoglobulin replacement therapy but remains under follow-up. Awareness of Good's syndrome to avoid overwhelming infection is emphasized. The finding of thymoma should prompt the thoracic surgeon to test for immunodeficiency.

Good's Syndrome Patients Hospitalized for Infections: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Good's syndrome (GS) is a rare combination of thymoma and hypogammaglobulinemia, resulting in immunodeficiency. Patients with GS are highly susceptible to bacterial infection, particularly encapsulated bacterial infection in upper and lower respiratory tracts. Good's syndrome patients with moderate-to- severe infection are often hospitalized. Clinical features of GS patients remain to be characterized.Patients with the discharge diagnosis of GS and simultaneous infection from Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2001 and July 2015 were retrospectively analyzed.Among 14 hospitalized GS patients, 12 of them were admitted for severe infections. Mean patient age was 56.7 + 10.1 years. Average concentrations of serum IgG, IgA, and IgM were 2.3 + 1.9 g/L, 0.28 + 0.28 g/L, and 0.06 + 0.07 g/L, respectively. Respiratory and intestinal tracts were the most common sites for infection, which occurred in 7 and 4 patients, respectively. Pathogens identified in 10 patients included cytomegalovirus in 5 patients, Pneumocystis jirovecii, Clostridium difficile in 2 patients, Klebsiella pneumonia in 2 patients, and Streptococcus pneumonia and Hemophilus influenza in 1 patient. Ten patients were treated with antibiotics and immunoglobulin replacement. Only 1 patient who was on immunosuppressant therapy died from P. jirovecii pneumonia.Infection was the most frequent cause for hospitalization of GS patients. Both respiratory and intestinal tracts were the most common sites of infection. Cytomegalovirus and P. jirovecii represented 2 common opportunistic pathogens isolated from hospitalized GS patients with infections.