Severe Mononeuritis Multiplex due to Rheumatoid Vasculitis in Rheumatoid Arthritis in Sustained Clinical Remission for Decades

Clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis, including comorbidities, complications, and long-term follow-up

Symmetric inflammatory polyarthritis is the most prominent manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, RA can practically affect any organ system, whether hematologic, neurological, cardiac, lung, skin, eyes, or kidneys. Systemic involvement in RA can be severe when there is interstitial lung disease, scleritis, amyloidosis, pure red cell aplasia, or myelodysplasia. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients with RA with a similar cardiovascular risk to that with diabetes mellitus. Patients with RA are at an increased risk of infections or osteoporosis, largely due to treatment-related etiologies. Rheumatoid vasculitis is a devastating long-term complication of RA which is fortunately becoming rarer over time due to better disease activity control. While the risk of mortality overall seems to be reducing over time, the excess mortality risk with RA compared with the general population persists. Fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and physical inactivity remain important comorbidities associated with RA.

Mononeuropatía múltiple en fase avanzada como manifestación de rhupus:

Introducción: El rhupus es una enfermedad reumatológica rara que se define como la superposición de artritis reumatoide y lupus eritematoso sistémico. En esta población de pacientes, las manifestaciones neurológicas severas son inusuales y de difícil abordaje diagnóstico, con pocos casos reportados hasta el momento en la literatura. Presentación del caso: Hombre latino de 64 años de edad, quien se presentó al servicio de urgencias con pérdida de peso, trastorno de la deglución y la marcha. Inicialmente, se descartó una afectación neoplásica y se documentó la presencia de mononeuritis múltiple en fase avanzada, mediante la realización de electromiografía y neuroconducciones. Dentro de los estudios etiológicos cumplió criterios para rhupus y tuvo una respuesta satisfactoria al tratamiento con esteroides y terapias de rehabilitación a los seis meses de seguimiento. Conclusión: La afectación del sistema nervioso periférico debe reconocerse como una manifestación de las enfermedades autoinmunes para facilitar un diagnóstico rápido e intervenciones oportunas.

Livedoid vasculopathy and peripheral neuropathy: A retrospective cohort study of 55 Chinese patients and literature review

Livedoid vasculopathy (LV) is a thrombo-occlusive vascular disease with an uncertain aetiology. In addition to cutaneous manifestations, LV patients may develop peripheral neuropathy. This study aimed to examine features of peripheral neuropathy in Chinese LV patients. We retrospectively reviewed and analysed the clinical data of 55 LV patients treated at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and conducted a literature review of peripheral neuropathy in LV patients. The incidence of peripheral neuropathy in our cohort was 12.73%. Among the seven patients with neuropathy, five were women and two were men. Median age at enrollment and disease onset in these patients was 27.29 and 22.57 years, respectively. Mean time from the appearance of cutaneous manifestations to the development of neurological symptoms was 38.67 months. Peripheral neuropathy was generally refractory to treatment, asymmetric in the distal extremities, and slowly progressive. The main symptom was numbness; hypoesthesia and neuromuscular manifestations occurred occasionally. The proportion of patients reporting seasonal worsening of symptoms was significantly higher in LV patients with peripheral neuropathy than in LV patients without neuropathy (P < .05). Peripheral neuropathy is a potential complication of LV. LV patients with peripheral neuropathy require long-term follow-up.

Acute Neurologic Manifestations of Systemic Immune-Mediated Diseases

Systemic autoimmune diseases can affect the peripheral and central nervous system. In this review, we outline the common inpatient consultations for patients with neurological symptoms from rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, sarcoidosis, immunoglobulin G4-related disease, Behçet's disease, giant cell arteritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, microscopic polyangiitis, eosinophilic granulomatosis, polyarteritis nodosa, and ankylosing spondylitis. We discuss the symptoms, diagnostic strategies, and treatment options.