Ferritin in adult-onset still's disease: just a useful innocent bystander? Int J Inflam. 2012;2012:298405. [PMID: 22536541 PMCID: PMC3321299 DOI: 10.1155/2012/298405]

Adult-onset Still's Disease with Acute Kidney Injury Requiring Hemodialysis: A Case Report and Literature Review

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is characterized by high spiking fever, evanescent rash, and arthritis. However, AOSD rarely presents with severe acute kidney injury (AKI). We herein present the case of a 56-year-old woman with new-onset AOSD who rapidly developed AKI. A physical examination and laboratory data revealed spiking fever, evanescent rash, thrombocytopenia, hyperferritinemia, and azotemia. The patient was diagnosed with AOSD complicated by AKI and macrophage activation syndrome. Treatment with high-dose steroids, hemodialysis, and plasma exchange successfully resolved her AKI. In this report, we review previously published reports on AOSD accompanied by AKI and discuss this rare complication in AOSD.

Inflammatory markers in rheumatic diseases

Immune-mediated rheumatic diseases (IMRDs) are a broad group of pathological conditions based on impaired immunological tolerance to one’s own tissues leading to inflammation and irreversible organ damage. Laboratory diagnosis of IMRDs includes a wide range of biomarkers (autoantibodies, acute phase proteins, cytokines, markers of endothelial damage, components of the complement system, immunoglobulins, cryoglobulins, lymphocyte subpopulations, indicators of bone metabolism, apoptosis markers, genetic markers, etc). One of the leading aspects of laboratory diagnosis of IMRDs is the study of the level of inflammation markers in the blood (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid protein (CAA), ferritin, procalcitonin, apolipoprotein AI, calprotectin, etc). The analysis of inflammation markers makes it possible to assess the disease activity, the nature of the progression and the prognosis of the outcomes of a chronic inflammatory process, as well as the effectiveness of the therapy. The review presents the latest data on the role of the most frequently studied inflammatory markers such as CRP, CAA and ferritin.

Methotrexate Failure in the Treatment of Adult-Onset Still’s Disease: A Case Report

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rheumatological condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Typically a diagnosis of exclusion, the therapeutic management has relied mainly on symptom control and immune suppression. Methotrexate (MTX), a disease-modifying anti-rheumatoid drug (DMARDs), has become a drug of choice in treating several autoimmune conditions, including AOSD. Unfortunately, despite being largely effective, this medication can result in treatment failure, exacerbation, and a flare of symptoms. We present the case of a 31-year-old male who presented to us with weakness and palpitations, who was ultimately found to have a flare of his Still's disease, despite being on MTX therapy. Our hope is to encourage a suspicion for treatment failure in patients with similar symptoms, in order to encourage a faster initiation of alternative therapies to alleviate their discomfort.

Diagnostic Challenges in Sepsis

Purpose of Review

Sepsis is a leading cause of death worldwide. Groundbreaking international collaborative efforts have culminated in the widely accepted surviving sepsis guidelines, with iterative improvements in management strategies and definitions providing important advances in care for patients. Key to the diagnosis of sepsis is identification of infection, and whilst the diagnostic criteria for sepsis is now clear, the diagnosis of infection remains a challenge and there is often discordance between clinician assessments for infection.

Recent Findings

We review the utility of common biochemical, microbiological and radiological tools employed by clinicians to diagnose infection and explore the difficulty of making a diagnosis of infection in severe inflammatory states through illustrative case reports. Finally, we discuss some of the novel and emerging approaches in diagnosis of infection and sepsis.

Summary

While prompt diagnosis and treatment of sepsis is essential to improve outcomes in sepsis, there remains no single tool to reliably identify or exclude infection. This contributes to unnecessary antimicrobial use that is harmful to individuals and populations. There is therefore a pressing need for novel solutions. Machine learning approaches using multiple diagnostic and clinical inputs may offer a potential solution but as yet these approaches remain experimental.

Elevated serum gasdermin D N-terminal implicates monocyte and macrophage pyroptosis in adult-onset Still's disease

OBJECTIVES

Elevation of serum IL-18 in adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and systemic JIA (sJIA) suggests the role of the inflammasome in these diseases. Gasdermin D is a pore-forming protein playing central roles in inflammasome-mediated inflammation, but its role in rheumatic disease is unknown. We aimed to elucidate the auto-inflammatory mechanisms in AOSD and sJIA.

METHODS

Patients with AOSD, sJIA, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and Behçet's disease followed at Yokohama City University (YCU), or US National Institutes of Health (NIH) were included in the study. Disease activity was evaluated by the modified Pouchot score. Ferritin and N-terminal gasdermin D levels in serum and culture supernatant were measured by ELISA. Primary monocytes (Mo) were stimulated with GM-CSF or M-CSF and differentiated into M1 macrophages (Mφ) or M2Mφ, respectively. The number of Mo/Mφ and their viability were monitored over time.

RESULTS

Patients with active AOSD and sJIA had increased levels of serum gasdermin D N-terminal, which correlated with serum ferritin and IL-18 levels. Mo-derived Mφ from active AOSD patients showed reduced cell viability and increased cell death. The number of cultured Mφ cells on day nine was negatively correlated with the serum ferritin and gasdermin D levels. Higher ferritin and gasdermin D levels were observed in the M1Mφ culture supernatant of active AOSD patients. Gasdermin D inhibitors reduced the pyroptosis-mediated ferritin release in Mo.

CONCLUSION

Elevation of serum gasdermin D N-terminal provides evidence for inflammasome activation triggering gasdermin D-mediated Mo and Mφ pyroptosis in AOSD and possibly sJIA.

Evaluating the multivisceral involvement on adult-onset Still's disease to retrieve imaging-based differences in patients with and without macrophage activation syndrome: results from a single-centre observational study

In this study, we aimed at describing the multivisceral involvement on adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) to retrieve imaging-based differences in patients with and without macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). From our historical cohort, patients were assessed among those who underwent a total body CT scan. Clinical and CT scan characteristics of AOSD patients with and without MAS were compared. Out of 39 AOSD patients evaluated, 14 were complicated by MAS. These patients showed higher values of ferritin and systemic score. AOSD patients with MAS presented a higher prevalence of lung disease, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, abdominal effusions, and lymph node enlargement than others without this complication. In addition, the presence of these manifestations significantly correlated with the systemic score, furtherly reinforcing its prognostic value. Due to the specific design of our study, our findings could be burdened by a selection bias since assessing those patients underwent a total body CT scan. Thus, these data should be prudently generalised suggesting the need of further studies to fully elucidate this issue. Our findings showed a higher prevalence of multiorgan involvement in AOSD patients with MAS, suggesting imaging-based differences, although other studies are needed to fully assess this issue. Pulmonary disease, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, lymph node enlargement, and abdominal effusions were associated with a more aggressive subset of AOSD. Key Points •The importance of an accurate assessment AOSD multivisceral involvement is suggested since it is associated with life-threatening complications. •A higher prevalence of multiorgan involvement in AOSD patients with MAS could be recognised, than others without this complication, suggesting imaging-based differences. •AOSD multivisceral involvement may correlate with the systemic score, furtherly reinforcing its prognostic value.

The utility of liver transplantation to treat acute liver failure caused by adult-onset Still's disease: case reports

PURPOSE

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is an inflammatory condition commonly complicated by mild liver dysfunction. However, severe liver failure is rarely reported. We report three cases of severe acute hepatic failure (ALF) associated with AOSD. We encountered three cases of acute liver failure (ALF) with encephalopathy.

RESULTS

Case 1 was a 75-year-old female, who was started on a steroid (prednisolone, PSL) to treat AOSD; this was gradually tapered. Two months later, severe ALF developed. She died despite an increase in the PSL dose and artificial liver support. Case 2 was a 26-year-old-female taking PSL 30 mg/day to treat subacute thyroiditis. PSL was tapered, and she received methyl PSL pulse therapy and artificial liver support, but this did not cure the ALF. Liver transplantation (LT) was performed 25 days later. Three years later, the same symptoms were observed and we diagnosed AOSD. Case 3 was a 56-year-old-female who met the AOSD criteria. PSL 50 mg/day was started and then tapered. Methyl PSL pulse therapy was prescribed to treat hemophagocytic syndrome, but she required LT on hospital day 13.

CONCLUSION

In AOSD cases, ALF is rarely complicated; urgent LT should be considered only for patients with AOSD-related severe ALF.

Atypical adult-onset Still’s disease with an initial and sole manifestation of liver injury: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) typically presents with a high spiking fever, polyarthritis, transient maculopapular rash, neutrophilic leukocytosis, and hepatosplenomegaly. It has a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms ranging from mild to severe, with extensive involvement of almost every organ. Although liver involvement in the form of increased hepatic enzymes and bilirubin is common, no AOSD case with liver involvement as the initial manifestation of AOSD has been reported.

CASE SUMMARY

A 35-year-old woman presented to the hepatology department with progressively worsening jaundice for one week. Liver chemistry tests revealed a significantly increased liver enzymes and bilirubin level. Given that the clinical examination was unremarkable, liver biopsy was considered because the patient had a history of AOSD 6 years ago. Liver histopathology revealed that most hepatic lobules were still recognizable. Fusional necrosis was observed around most central veins. A few bridging necrotic zones were also found. Infiltration of multiple plasma cells were observed in the necrotic zone, and the reticular scaffold was still expanded. Additionally, no obvious fibrosis was observed in the portal area. Mild mixed inflammatory cell infiltration was noted in the interstitium of the portal area. Further examination was unremarkable except for a remarkably high level of ferritin. Collectively, a presumptive diagnosis of liver injury secondary to AOSD was made. The hepatic involvement responded well to glucocorticoid treatment.

CONCLUSION

This case highlights that hepatic involvement as an initial and sole manifestation could be a pattern of relapsed AOSD. The diagnosis of AOSD should be considered in the case of nonresolving liver injury after the exclusion of common etiologies for liver diseases. A liver biopsy can be useful for the differential diagnosis of liver injury associated with AOSD.

An elderly female with adult-onset Still's disease initially misdiagnosed as prosthetic joint infection after total knee arthroplasty: lessons in differential diagnosis and treatment

BACKGROUND

High fever, knee swelling and pain after knee arthroplasty are often considered as symptoms of acute prosthetic joint infection. However, similar symptoms can also present as primary manifestations of adult-onset Still's disease, which creates some interference in differential diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first published case of misdiagnosis of adult Still's disease after total knee arthroplasty, who was initially misdiagnosed as an prosthetic joint infection due to the above-mentioned symptoms. The symptoms of the knee infection was not relieve after several revisions and continous antibiotic treatment. Finally, after several consultations and repeated evaluation it was diagnosed as adult-onset Still's disease.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 77-year-old female who underwent bilateral total knee arthroplasty 6 years ago was admitted to our hospital with high fever, right knee effusion and painful knee. Based on the results of joint fluid aspiration and culture, we treated the right knee as acute hematogenous prosthetic joint infection. After three debridement and revision surgeries, the patient's symptoms continued to persist. Subsequent manifestations of other symptoms such as typical rash and sore throat and laboratory examination suggested the possibility of adult-onset Still's disease. So she underwent diagnostic steroid hormone therapy at the recommendation of a rheumatologist, and a final revision was performed after symptom was controlled. At the one-year follow-up, the patient's symptoms completely resolved and the knee revision was functioning well.

CONCLUSIONS

When joint swelling and pain occurs after knee arthroplasty, the possibility of joint infection should not only be considered, but rheumatic autoimmune diseases should also be differentiated. Because the manifestations of joint infection and rheumatic immune disease sometimes overlap highly, when reasonable treatment over a period of time fails to relieve symptoms and signs, we should notice subtle differences in symptoms and laborotary tests and look for other diagnostic possibilities in time.

Adult Onset Still's Disease: A Retrospective, Single-Center Study

Background

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is characterized by a classical triad of spiking fever, arthritis, and evanescent rash. It is one of the main causes of hospital admissions for fever of unknown origin and has an extended mean time to diagnosis. Therefore, it remains underdiagnosed relative to its aforementioned time frame. In this study, we attempt to highlight clinical and lab findings associated with AOSD. We then compare our diagnostic results with similar previous studies. Our results should help physicians not to miss this rare entity and make the diagnosis in a reduced time frame.

Materials and methods

This a retrospective, single-center study conducted at Dow University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Thirty patients were enrolled in this study for six months (July 2019-December 2019). All patients were identified and recruited in the medical outpatient department using Yamaguchi's criteria. Written consent was obtained from all patients to access all their clinical charts. Demographics and prior results of laboratory investigations were retrieved from the chart files.

Results

In our study, the mean age of patients was 26.6 years. More specifically, males accounted for 53.3% (n=16) of cases, and females accounted for 46.6% (n=14) of total cases. The most common presenting clinical features included arthralgia (100%, n=30), fever (100%, n=30), myalgia (96.6%, n=29), large joint arthritis (66.6%, n=20), sore throat (50%, n=15), hepatomegaly (40%, n=12), splenomegaly (23.3%, n=7), skin rash (36.6%, n=11) and pericarditis (20%, n=6). Furthermore, none of our patients had cervical lymphadenopathy. The most commonly reported laboratory findings include leukocytosis (100%, n=30), hyperferritinemia (90%, n=27), elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (100%, n=30) and abnormal liver function tests (76.6%, n=23). Chest x-rays performed in all patients revealed no abnormalities in 83% of patients (n=25). All patients in our study sample (n=30) tested negative for antinuclear antibodies and rheumatoid factor. It was also noted that the mean duration of diagnosis in our patients was 5.98 weeks. The mean hospitalization period in our patients was 12.5 days. Furthermore, 16.7% of patients (n=5) suffered from disease relapse. 

Conclusion

Our study ascertains that the presence of certain clinical and laboratory findings strongly indicate a diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease.

Non-Conforming Still's Disease With Low Ferritin and No Skin Rash: A Case Report

Adult Still's disease (ASD) is an inflammatory disorder with an unclear etiology. It is a rare disease that was first described more than a century ago. Its common characteristics are daily fevers, arthritis, and skin rash. ASD is diagnosed after excluding infections, malignancies, and connective tissue diseases. It has a female predominance. Classic skin rash and high serum ferritin levels are commonly associated with this condition and help in the diagnosis. Due to a lack of pathognomic clinical and laboratory features, a valid diagnostic criterion, the Yamaguchi criteria, is generally used for the diagnosis. The disease has a good prognosis with appropriate treatment. We present the case of a young gentleman who presented with fever, anemia, and leucocytosis; however, his serum ferritin levels were normal, and there was no typical salmon-colored skin rash. Hyperferritinemia developed later in the disease course, leading to a diagnosis of ASD.

Successful treatment of adult-onset still disease caused by pulmonary infection-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: A case report

BACKGROUND

Adult-onset still disease (AOSD) and hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) are two inflammatory diseases with very similar clinical manifestations. HPS is one of the most serious complications of AOSD and its risk of death is very high. It is difficult to identify HPS early in patients with AOSD, but early identification and proper treatment directly affects the prognosis.

CASE SUMMARY

A 39-year-old male showed a high spiking fever and myalgia. Laboratory data revealed elevated white blood cell, serum ferritin, and neutrophil percentage. However, his fever failed to relieve after a clear diagnosis of AOSD caused by pulmonary infection and treatment by antibiotics and corticosteroids; further laboratory data showed elevated serum ferritin, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and triglyceride, as well as liver abnormalities. Bone marrow smear showed hemophagocytosis. Secondary HPS was definitely diagnosed. The high fever disappeared and the laboratory findings returned to normal values after treatment by high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone and methotrexate.

CONCLUSION

For AOSD patients with high suspicion of HPS, active examination needs to be considered for early diagnosis, and timely using of adequate amount of corticosteroids is the key to reducing risk of HPS death.

Pathogenesis, disease course, and prognosis of adult-onset Still's disease: an update and review

OBJECTIVE

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare but clinically well-known polygenic systemic autoinflammatory disease. In this review, we aim to present frontiers in the pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, biomarkers, disease course, prognosis, and treatment in AOSD.

DATA SOURCES

We retrieved information from the PubMed database up to July 2019, using various search terms and relevant words, including AOSD and Still's disease.

STUDY SELECTION

We included data from peer-reviewed journals. Both basic and clinical studies were selected.

RESULTS

Pathogenesis of AOSD involves genetic background, infectious triggers, and immunopathogenesis, mainly the activation of macrophages and neutrophils followed by a cytokine storm. Diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of AOSD is still challenging; therefore, there is an urgent need to identify better biomarkers. Biologic agents, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists in the treatment of AOSD, have good prospect.

CONCLUSION

This review highlights the advances in pathogenesis, potential biomarkers, disease course, and treatment in AOSD.

Mechanisms, biomarkers and targets for adult-onset Still's disease

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AoSD) is a rare but clinically well-known, polygenic, systemic autoinflammatory disease. Owing to its sporadic appearance in all adult age groups with potentially severe inflammatory onset accompanied by a broad spectrum of disease manifestation and complications, AoSD is an unsolved challenge for clinicians with limited therapeutic options. This Review provides a comprehensive insight into the complex and heterogeneous nature of AoSD, describing biomarkers of the disease and its progression and the cytokine signalling pathways that contribute to disease. The efficacy and safety of biologic therapeutic options are also discussed, and guidance for treatment decisions is provided. Improving the approach to AoSD in the future will require much closer cooperation between paediatric and adult rheumatologists to establish common diagnostic strategies, treatment targets and goals.

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AoSD) is not easily diagnosed, and treatment options are limited. This Review provides an overview of the disease and its pathogenesis, clinical trial results, therapeutic options and a plan to diagnose and clinically manage these patients.

Similar to systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis, adult-onset Still’s disease (AoSD) is a rare systemic autoinflammatory disease with potentially severe inflammatory onset accompanied by a broad spectrum of disease manifestation and complications.

AoSD should be considered in patients with persistent fever, and the diagnosis is based on the combination of clinical and laboratory findings as well as the exclusion of other inflammatory conditions.

Central to the pathogenesis of AoSD is the intense activation of innate immune cells and overproduction of several pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1, IL-6 and IL-18.

Two IL-1 antagonists have been approved for treatment of AoSD, and growing evidence suggests that other biologic agents are therapeutic options, such as anti-IL-6 and anti-IL-18 therapeutics.

As a reliable prediction of response and outcome is not possible, therapeutic decisions have to be made on the basis of clinical, biological or imaging characteristics of disease.

A close cooperation between paediatric and adult rheumatologists is required to establish common diagnostic strategies, treatment targets and goals.

Intractable Hemophagocytic Syndrome Associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resistant to Corticosteroids and Intravenous Cyclophosphamide That Was Successfully Treated with Cyclosporine A

Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), dubbed acute lupus hemophagocytic syndrome (ALHS), is an intractable complication of SLE. A 24-year-old man who had been diagnosed with SLE three months previously, presented with fever, rash, hallucination, and pancytopenia accompanied with hyperferritinemia and bone marrow hemophagocytosis. He was diagnosed with ALHS and neuropsychiatric (NP)-SLE. Although 4 courses of methylprednisolone pulse therapy and 1 course of intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCY) improved his NP-SLE, his ALHS did not respond. However, the addition of cyclosporine A (CsA) led to a rapid remission from ALHS. This suggests the usefulness of CsA in the treatment of intractable, corticosteroid- and IVCY-resistant ALHS.

Adult-onset Still's Disease in a Female Patient with Schizophrenia: A Case Report and Literature Review

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a rare diagnosis. In small percentage of cases, AOSD is associated with other autoimmune diseases including schizophrenia. Despite the lack of sufficient studies, both conditions may share similar autoimmune pathogenic pathways.

Herein we describe a 36-year-old woman with the past medical history of schizophrenia who presented with spiking fevers, arthralgia, evanescent rash and pleural chest pain. She reported developing these symptoms a while after poor compliance with her antipsychotic medication. On admission, physical examination was remarkable for high-grade fever, maculopapular rash, oligo arthralgia, hepatomegaly and lymphadenopathy. Laboratory investigation revealed leukocytosis with neutrophilia and markedly elevated ferritin. The patient met four out of four major, and three out of five minor Yamaguchi criteria for AOSD. The patient started on therapy with corticosteroid. Soon after, her symptoms resolved and most of her biochemical markers went back to normal.

We review the literature on co-existence of AOSD with other autoimmune diseases, we also discuss that there may be a correlation between ceasing antipsychotic medication (with known immunomodulatory effect) in a schizophrenic patient and triggering an auto-inflammatory process such as AOSD in a susceptible host. In addition, we discussed the possible similar autoimmune pathway of schizophrenia to pathogenesis of AOSD.

Evidence for genetic overlap between adult onset Still's disease and hereditary periodic fever syndromes

OBJECTIVE

Adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a severe, autoimmune disease that can be challenging to treat with conventional therapeutics and biologicals in a considerable number of cases. Therefore, there is a high need to understand its pathogenesis better. As major clinical symptoms overlap between AOSD and hereditary periodic fever syndromes (HPFS), we analysed four known HPFS genes in AOSD.

METHODS

We performed Sanger sequencing and quantitative analysis of all coding regions of MEFV, TNFRSF1A, MVK and NLRP3 in 40 AOSD patients. All rare coding variants (n = 6) were evaluated for several aspects to classify them as benign to pathogenic variants. Statistical analysis was performed to analyse whether variants classified as (likely) pathogenic were associated with AOSD.

RESULTS

We identified three rare variants in MEFV, one previously not described. Association to the three likely pathogenic MEFV variants was significant (p _c = 2.34E- 03), and two of the three carriers had a severe course of disease. We observed strong evidence for significant association to mutations in TNFRSF1A (p _c = 2.40E- 04), as 5% of patients (2/40) carried a (likely) pathogenic variant in this gene. Both of them received a biological for treatment.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate TNFRSF1A as a relevant gene in AOSD, especially in patients with a more challenging course of disease, while causal variants remain to be identified in the majority of patients.

Serum ferritin as an activity marker for granulamotosis with polyangiitis

Background: Serum ferritin correlates well with the activities of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and dermatomyositis, but it has not been previously studied in patients with vasculitis.

Methods: Medical records of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA, Wegener’s granulomatosis) patients with at least six months of regular follow-up were evaluated. The activity of GPA was assessed with Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score for Wegener’s Granulomatosis (BVAS/WG). Serum ferritin and other acute phase markers were measured at initial presentation.

Results: Serum ferritin levels were found to be the highest in GPA patients with alveolar hemorrhage, median (IQR) 1041 (1281) μg/L. Patients with renal disease also had high levels of ferritin and it was correlated with concurrent glomerular filtration rate (r = −0.65, p < .001). Serum ferritin is also correlated well with the BVAS/WG scores (r = 0.79, p < .001).

Conclusions: Measurement of serum ferritin might help in assessing disease activity of GPA.

Adult-Onset Still's Disease: Still a Serious Health Problem (a Case Report and Literature Review)

Patient: Female, 53

Final Diagnosis: Adult-onset Still’s Disease

Symptoms: Abdominal pain • fever

Medication: —

Clinical Procedure: —

Specialty: Rheumatology

sCD163 in AOSD: a biomarker for macrophage activation related to hyperferritinemia

Ferritin has a key role in Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD). Its production seems related to macrophage activation of which sCD163 is a major serum marker. Thus, we aimed at evaluating the role of sCD163 in AOSD and its relationship with ferritin. Furthermore, we determined the expression of CD163 and ferritin in a lymph-node from an AOSD patient. sCD163 and serum ferritin were measured in 34 patients with AOSD (21 active, 13 non-active), 18 sepsis and 22 healthy controls (HC). Immunohistology was performed on a lymph-node from an AOSD patient in order to detect CD163 and ferritin. A tonsil from an HC was used as control. Mean sCD163 (8.6 ± 5.4 mg/L) was higher in active AOSD than "non-active" patients (4.6 ± 2.7 mg/L, p = 0.02). The mean sCD163 in AOSD (6.9 ± 4.9 mg/L) and sepsis (7.1 ± 5.6 mg/L) were higher than in HC (2.56 ± 1.17 mg/L, p < 0.001), but no difference between AOSD and sepsis was detected. sCD163 positively correlated with ferritin (p = 0.0045; r = 0.4755) only in AOSD. Serum ferritin (mean 3,640.1 ± 6,896.9 µg/L) was higher in active AOSD than in sepsis (1,720.2 ± 3,882.1 µg/L, p < 0.007). CD163 was equally distributed in the B and T areas of both lymph-node and tonsil. Differently from the tonsil, ferritin was expressed only in the lymph-node B area. sCD163 is a marker of disease activity in AOSD. The correlation with ferritin may lead to hypothesize a macrophage activation related to hyperferritinemia. Ferritin was found expressed only in the B area of the AOSD lymph-node, suggesting a role for this molecule as an antigen in the disease pathogenesis.

Hyperferritinemic syndrome: Still's disease and catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome triggered by fulminant Chikungunya infection: a case report of two patients

There are four medical conditions characterized by high levels of ferritin, the macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), adult onset Still' s disease (AOSD), catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS), and septic shock, that share similar clinical and laboratory features, suggesting a common pathogenic mechanism. This common syndrome entity is termed "the hyperferritinemic syndrome." Here, we describe two different cases of hyperferritinemic syndrome triggered by Chikungunya fever virus infection: a 21-year-old female with SLE and a 32-year-old male patient who developed AOSD after the coinfection of dengue and Chikungunya viruses.

Adult-onset Still's disease as a mask of Hodgkin lymphoma

Adult-onset Still's disease is a rare disorder, which creates difficulties in making a proper diagnosis. Ambiguous symptoms and results of auxiliary tests, lack of unequivocal diagnostic tests and the need to exclude other causes of the disease are major problems in clinical practice.

A case of a 22-year-old woman with dominated recurrent fever, significantly elevated inflammation markers and arthritis is presented. Based on clinical signs after exclusion of infection, hematological and other reasons, the patient was diagnosed with adult-onset Still's disease. Standard treatment, with high doses of glucocorticoids and a disease-modifying drug, was applied, without the anticipated effects. The diagnostic tests were conducted again due to the lack of clinical improvement, increase of inflammatory markers and unusual response to treatment. A new symptom of significance, i.e. mediastinal lymphadenopathy, was found. After the histopathological examination of lymph nodes, Hodgkin's disease was diagnosed and targeted therapy for hematological malignancy was applied.

Severe hyperferritinemia--a clue for severe hepatitis in a patient with adult-onset Still's disease

A 19-year old previously healthy man developed the adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) with high ferritin levels. Corticosteroids induced clinical remission with resolution of fever, arthritis, and rash. While tapering corticosteroids, the patient developed severe liver enzymes elevation, very high ferritin levels and, subsequently, acute liver failure. After other causes of liver disease (infections, metabolic, autoimmune hepatitis, lymphoma, and hemophagocytosis) were excluded, severe hepatitis was attributed to AOSD itself. Cyclosporine induced rapid normalization of liver enzymes and reduction in ferritin levels. Severe hepatitis and very high ferritin levels could be the only manifestation of disease activity in AOSD; therefore, monitoring of liver enzymes and ferritin levels is recommended even after resolution of the clinical symptoms of AOSD. Prompt initiation of cyclosporine can improve liver function and prevent progression to liver failure.

Pathogenesis of systemic inflammatory diseases in childhood: "Lessons from clinical trials of anti-cytokine monoclonal antibodies for Kawasaki disease, systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and cryopyrin-associated periodic fever syndrome"

Inflammation has often been considered to be a nonspecific response and to play a bridging role in the activation of adaptive immunity. However, it is now accepted that inflammation is the product of an independent innate immune system closely linked to the adaptive immune system. The key mediators of inflammation are inflammatory cytokines, as determined by multiple lines of evidence both in vitro and in vivo. Due to the crucial role of inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders, anti-cytokine treatment has been developed as a therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and inflammatory bowel diseases. We recently completed several clinical trials of anti-cytokine treatment for children with systemic inflammatory diseases: anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody (tocilizumab) for children with two subtypes of JIA (poly-JIA and systemic JIA), anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody (infliximab) for children with Kawasaki disease, and anti-IL-1-β monoclonal antibody (canakinumab) for children with cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome. This review summarizes the basis of inflammation in terms of innate immunity and adaptive immunity in these systemic inflammatory diseases, clinical efficacy, and tolerability of these biologic agents, and attempts to determine the roles of individual inflammatory cytokines in disease pathogenesis.