Following leads: connecting dysphagia to mixed connective tissue disease

New Approach to Addison Disease: Oral Manifestations Due to Endocrine Dysfunction and Comorbidity Burden

This review highlights oral anomalies with major clinical impact in Addison disease (AD), including dental health and dermatologic features, through a dual perspective: pigmentation issues and AD comorbidities with oral manifestations. Affecting 92% of AD patients, cutaneomucosal hyperpigmentation is synchronous with or precedes general manifestations by up to a decade, underlying melanocytic infiltration of the basal epidermal layer; melanophages in the superficial dermis; and, rarely, acanthosis, perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate, and hyperkeratosis. Intraoral pigmentation might be the only sign of AD; thus, early recognition is mandatory, and biopsy is helpful in selected cases. The buccal area is the most affected location; other sites are palatine arches, lips, gums, and tongue. Pigmented oral lesions are patchy or diffuse; mostly asymptomatic; and occasionally accompanied by pain, itchiness, and burn-like lesions. Pigmented lingual patches are isolated or multiple, located on dorsal and lateral areas; fungiform pigmented papillae are also reported in AD individuals. Dermoscopy examination is particularly indicated for fungal etiology; yet, it is not routinely performed. AD’s comorbidity burden includes the cluster of autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS) type 1 underlying AIRE gene malfunction. Chronic cutaneomucosal candidiasis (CMC), including oral CMC, represents the first sign of APS1 in 70–80% of cases, displaying autoantibodies against interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17F ± IL-22, and probably a high mucosal concentration of interferon (IFN)-γ. CMC is prone to systemic candidiasis, representing a procarcinogenic status due to Th17 cell anomalies. In APS1, the first cause of mortality is infections (24%), followed by oral and esophageal cancers (15%). Autoimmune hypoparathyroidism (HyP) is the earliest endocrine element in APS1; a combination of CMC by the age of 5 years and dental enamel hypoplasia (the most frequent dental complication of pediatric HyP) by the age of 15 is an indication for HyP assessment. Children with HyP might experience short dental roots, enamel opacities, hypodontia, and eruption dysfunctions. Copresence of APS-related type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) enhances the risk of CMC, as well as periodontal disease (PD). Anemia-related mucosal pallor is related to DM, hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, corresponding gastroenterological diseases (Crohn’s disease also presents oral ulceration (OU), mucogingivitis, and a 2–3 times higher risk of PD; Biermer anemia might cause hyperpigmentation by itself), and rheumatologic diseases (lupus induces OU, honeycomb plaques, keratotic plaques, angular cheilitis, buccal petechial lesions, and PD). In more than half of the patients, associated vitiligo involves depigmentation of oral mucosa at different levels (palatal, gingival, alveolar, buccal mucosa, and lips). Celiac disease may manifest xerostomia, dry lips, OU, sialadenitis, recurrent aphthous stomatitis and dental enamel defects in children, a higher prevalence of caries and dentin sensitivity, and gingival bleeding. Oral pigmented lesions might provide a useful index of suspicion for AD in apparently healthy individuals, and thus an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation is useful. The spectrum of autoimmune AD comorbidities massively complicates the overall picture of oral manifestations.

The Impact of Dysphagia in Myositis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

(1) Background: Dysphagia is a clinical hallmark and part of the current American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) diagnostic criteria for idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM). However, the data on dysphagia in IIM are heterogenous and partly conflicting. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review on epidemiology, pathophysiology, outcome and therapy and a meta-analysis on the prevalence of dysphagia in IIM. (2) Methods: Medline was systematically searched for all relevant articles. A random effect model was chosen to estimate the pooled prevalence of dysphagia in the overall cohort of patients with IIM and in different subgroups. (3) Results: 234 studies were included in the review and 116 (10,382 subjects) in the meta-analysis. Dysphagia can occur as initial or sole symptom. The overall pooled prevalence estimate in IIM was 36% and with 56% particularly high in inclusion body myositis. The prevalence estimate was significantly higher in patients with cancer-associated myositis and with NXP2 autoantibodies. Dysphagia is caused by inflammatory involvement of the swallowing muscles, which can lead to reduced pharyngeal contractility, cricopharyngeal dysfunction, reduced laryngeal elevation and hypomotility of the esophagus. Swallowing disorders not only impair the quality of life but can lead to serious complications such as aspiration pneumonia, thus increasing mortality. Beneficial treatment approaches reported include immunomodulatory therapy, the treatment of associated malignant diseases or interventional procedures targeting the cricopharyngeal muscle such as myotomy, dilatation or botulinum toxin injections. (4) Conclusion: Dysphagia should be included as a therapeutic target, especially in the outlined high-risk groups.