Adult-onset Still's disease with haemorrhagic pericarditis and tamponade preceded by acute Lyme disease

Efficacy of Anakinra in Pericarditis: A Systematic Review

Inflammation of the pericardium is referred to as pericarditis, which can cause sharp chest pain and has a high chance of recurrence even after treatment. This review will explore anakinra, which is an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, as a potential new treatment for pericarditis. The systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines by searching PubMed and GoogleScholar from the years 2012 to 2022. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, thorough screening, and quality appraisal, a total of eleven studies were included in the review; eight case reports and three clinical trials. All studies showed that 100 mg/day of anakinra caused a remarkable improvement in patient outcomes. In addition, the pericarditis resolved quicker and had a lower chance of recurrence in comparison to conventional therapy.

Lyme Borreliosis as a Trigger for Autoimmune Disease

Lyme disease (LD), also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a zoonotic disease caused by the Gram-negative bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato belonging to the Spirochaetaceae family. Differentiating LD from other systemic disorders that present with musculoskeletal symptoms is challenging, and the presence of antibodies to borrelia in the general population may contribute to misdiagnosis. Moreover, long-term exposure of the host's immune system to spirochetes can contribute to the development of chronic autoimmune disease de novo. We report a 35-year-old woman with a combination of LD and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and in this case, LD was the most likely trigger for SLE. We also performed a literature review and summarized the previously reported cases with a combination of LD and autoimmune disease.

A Practical Approach to the Diagnosis of Lyme Borreliosis: From Clinical Heterogeneity to Laboratory Methods

Clinical evaluation of Lyme Borreliosis (LB) is the starting point for its diagnosis. The patient's medical history and clinical symptoms are fundamental for disease recognition. The heterogeneity in clinical manifestations of LB can be related to different causes, including the different strains of Borrelia, possible co-infection with other tick transmitted pathogens, and its interactions with the human host. This review aims at describing the heterogeneous symptoms of Lyme Borreliosis, as well as offering a practical approach for recognition of the disease, both in terms of clinical features and diagnostic/research tools.