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Weinstock LB, Tenkhoff M, Gutovich J, Afrin LB. Imatinib and Trigger Avoidance for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Presenting With Attacks of Abdominal Pain, Nausea, Vomiting, and Diarrhea. ACG Case Rep J 2024; 11:e01383. [PMID: 38883580 PMCID: PMC11177828 DOI: 10.14309/crj.0000000000001383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The etiology for concurrent attacks of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can be obscure. Mast cell activation syndrome is not usually considered in this differential diagnosis. A 53-year-old paint salesman suffered severe attacks of these symptoms for the 3 decades of his career. Nortriptyline, loperamide, hyoscyamine, and ondansetron failed to address his symptoms. Mast cell activation syndrome was ultimately diagnosed. Intravenous mast cell-targeted therapy reduced severity of attacks. Multiple oral mast cell-targeted treatments were ineffective, but addition of low-dose imatinib resulted in dramatic improvement. Recognition that paint-fume exposure-triggered attacks led to behavioral modifications which further reduced symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard B Weinstock
- Gastroenterology Department, Specialists in Gastroenterology, GI Alliance, St. Louis, MO
| | - Megan Tenkhoff
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacy School, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL
| | | | - Lawrence B Afrin
- Department of Mast Cell Studies, Hematology/Oncology, AIM Center for Personalized Medicine, Purchase, NY
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2
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Walters AS, Li Y, Koo BB, Ondo WG, Weinstock LB, Champion D, Afrin LB, Karroum EG, Bagai K, Spruyt K. Review of the role of the endogenous opioid and melanocortin systems in the restless legs syndrome. Brain 2024; 147:26-38. [PMID: 37633259 PMCID: PMC10796165 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is responsive to opioid, dopaminergic and iron-based treatments. Receptor blocker studies in RLS patients suggest that the therapeutic efficacy of opioids is specific to the opioid receptor and mediated indirectly through the dopaminergic system. An RLS autopsy study reveals decreases in endogenous opioids, β-endorphin and perhaps Met-enkephalin in the thalamus of RLS patients. A total opioid receptor knock-out (mu, delta and kappa) and a mu-opioid receptor knock-out mouse model of RLS show circadian motor changes akin to RLS and, although both models show sensory changes, the mu-opioid receptor knock mouse shows circadian sensory changes closest to those seen in idiopathic RLS. Both models show changes in striatal dopamine, anaemia and low serum iron. However, only in the total receptor knock-out mouse do we see the decreases in serum ferritin that are normally found in RLS. There are also decreases in serum iron when wild-type mice are administered a mu-opioid receptor blocker. In addition, the mu-opioid receptor knock-out mouse also shows increases in striatal zinc paralleling similar changes in RLS. Adrenocorticotropic hormone and α-melanocyte stimulating hormone are derived from pro-opiomelanocortin as is β-endorphin. However, they cause RLS-like symptoms and periodic limb movements when injected intraventricularly into rats. These results collectively suggest that an endogenous opioid deficiency is pathogenetic to RLS and that an altered melanocortin system may be causal to RLS as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur S Walters
- Sleep Division, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Yuqing Li
- Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Brian B Koo
- Sleep Medicine Laboratory, VA Connecticut Health Care System, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
- Yale Center for Restless Legs Syndrome, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - William G Ondo
- Department of Neurology, Methodist Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Leonard B Weinstock
- Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St.Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - David Champion
- Sydney Children's Hospital, Department of Pain Medicine, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
| | - Lawrence B Afrin
- Hematology/Oncology, AIM Center for Personalized Medicine, Purchase, NY 10577, USA
| | - Elias G Karroum
- Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, USA
| | - Kanika Bagai
- Sleep Division, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Karen Spruyt
- Université Paris Cité, NeuroDiderot Inserm, Paris 75019, France
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Jiménez-Jiménez FJ, Alonso-Navarro H, García-Martín E, Agúndez JAG. Inflammatory factors and restless legs syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev 2022; 68:101744. [PMID: 36634410 DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2022.101744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The possible role of inflammatory factors in the pathogenesis of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is not well understood. Because several inflammatory diseases have shown an association with the risk for RLS, the measurement of serum/plasma levels of inflammatory factors has been a matter of a scarce number of studies. We performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis to assess the possible association of serum/plasma levels of inflammatory markers with the risk for RLS. Our results showed a significant trend towards higher serum/plasma C reactive protein (CRP) levels and higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) ratio in patients diagnosed with RLS than in controls, although statistical significance disappeared after applying the random-effects model. Further studies are needed to confirm the suggested possible role of inflammatory factors in the pathogenesis of RLS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elena García-Martín
- Universidad de Extremadura, University Institute of Molecular Pathology Biomarkers. ARADyAL Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cáceres, Spain
| | - José A G Agúndez
- Universidad de Extremadura, University Institute of Molecular Pathology Biomarkers. ARADyAL Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cáceres, Spain
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4
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Jiménez-Jiménez FJ, Gómez-Tabales J, Alonso-Navarro H, Rodríguez C, Turpín-Fenoll L, Millán-Pascual J, Álvarez I, Pastor P, Calleja M, García-Ruiz R, Navarro-Muñoz S, Recio-Bermejo M, Plaza-Nieto JF, García-Albea E, García-Martín E, Agúndez JAG. LAG3/CD4 Genes Variants and the Risk for Restless Legs Syndrome. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314795. [PMID: 36499121 PMCID: PMC9739762 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
According to several studies, inflammatory factors could be related to the pathogenesis of idiopathic restless legs syndrome (RLS). In addition, RLS and Parkinson's disease (PD) have shown a possible relationship, and recent studies have shown an association between CD4 rs1922452 and CD4 rs951818 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and the risk for PD. For these reasons, we investigated the possible association between common variants in the LAG3/CD4 genes (which encoded proteins involved in inflammatory and autoimmune responses) and the risk for RLS in a Caucasian Spanish population. We assessed the frequencies of CD4 rs1922452, CD4 rs951818, and LAG3 rs870849 genotypes and allelic variants in 285 patients with idiopathic RLS and 350 healthy controls using a specific TaqMan-based qPCR assay. We also analyzed the possible influence of the genotypes' frequencies on several variables, including age at onset of RLS, gender, family history of RLS, and response to drugs commonly used in the treatment of RLS. We found a lack of association between the frequencies of genotypes and allelic variants of the 3 SNVs studied and the risk of RLS, and a weak though significant association between the CD4 rs1922452 GG genotype and an older age at onset of RLS. With the exception of this association, our findings suggest that common SNVs in the CD4/LAG3 genes are not associated with the risk of developing idiopathic RLS in Caucasian Spanish people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Félix Javier Jiménez-Jiménez
- Section of Neurology, Hospital Universitario del Sureste, E28500 Arganda del Rey, Spain
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +34-636-968-395
| | - Javier Gómez-Tabales
- ARADyAL Instituto de Salud Carlos III, University Institute of Molecular Pathology Biomarkers, Universidad de Extremadura, E10003 Cáceres, Spain
| | | | - Christopher Rodríguez
- ARADyAL Instituto de Salud Carlos III, University Institute of Molecular Pathology Biomarkers, Universidad de Extremadura, E10003 Cáceres, Spain
| | - Laura Turpín-Fenoll
- Section of Neurology, Hospital La Mancha-Centro, E13600 Alcázar de San Juan, Spain
| | - Jorge Millán-Pascual
- Section of Neurology, Hospital La Mancha-Centro, E13600 Alcázar de San Juan, Spain
| | - Ignacio Álvarez
- Fundació per la Recerca Biomèdica i Social Mútua de Terrassa, E08221 Terrassa, Spain
- Movement Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari Mutua de Terrassa, E08221 Terrassa, Spain
| | - Pau Pastor
- Fundació per la Recerca Biomèdica i Social Mútua de Terrassa, E08221 Terrassa, Spain
- Movement Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari Mutua de Terrassa, E08221 Terrassa, Spain
- Unit of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, The Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, E08916 Badalona, Spain
| | - Marisol Calleja
- Section of Neurology, Hospital Universitario del Sureste, E28500 Arganda del Rey, Spain
| | - Rafael García-Ruiz
- Section of Neurology, Hospital La Mancha-Centro, E13600 Alcázar de San Juan, Spain
| | | | - Marta Recio-Bermejo
- Section of Neurology, Hospital La Mancha-Centro, E13600 Alcázar de San Juan, Spain
| | | | - Esteban García-Albea
- Department of Medicine-Neurology, Universidad de Alcalá, E28801 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Elena García-Martín
- ARADyAL Instituto de Salud Carlos III, University Institute of Molecular Pathology Biomarkers, Universidad de Extremadura, E10003 Cáceres, Spain
| | - José A. G. Agúndez
- ARADyAL Instituto de Salud Carlos III, University Institute of Molecular Pathology Biomarkers, Universidad de Extremadura, E10003 Cáceres, Spain
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Afrin LB. Some cases of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome may be rooted in mast cell activation syndrome. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART C-SEMINARS IN MEDICAL GENETICS 2021; 187:466-472. [PMID: 34719842 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.c.31944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is the most common type of EDS, yet has remained steadfastly inscrutable vis-à-vis efforts to identify its cellular, molecular, and pathophysiologic roots. Once thought to principally affect just connective tissues, hEDS is now appreciated to be a multisystem disease of great heterogeneity with many symptoms and findings difficult to attribute solely to disordered connective tissue development. In the last decade, there has been growth in the appreciation of the existence of a wide range of disorders of chronic inappropriate mast cell (MC) activation (a large heterogeneous pool of MC activation syndromes [MCAS]) distinguishable from other MC disorders such as rare neoplastic mastocytosis. Via chronic aberrant release of the MC's vast repertoire of potent mediators, MCAS can drive extraordinary arrays of pathologies, most commonly of inflammatory, allergic, and dystrophic natures. Although hEDS is seen in only a minority of MCAS cases, limited studies have identified an association between hEDS and MCAS, fueling speculation that certain variants of MCAS may drive hEDS. No laboratory studies probing cellular or molecular linkages between hEDS and MCAS have been conducted yet, and research efforts to identify the genetic roots of hEDS should also consider those of MCAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence B Afrin
- Department of Mast Cell Studies, AIM Center for Personalized Medicine, Purchase, New York, USA
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Afrin LB, Ackerley MB, Bluestein LS, Brewer JH, Brook JB, Buchanan AD, Cuni JR, Davey WP, Dempsey TT, Dorff SR, Dubravec MS, Guggenheim AG, Hindman KJ, Hoffman B, Kaufman DL, Kratzer SJ, Lee TM, Marantz MS, Maxwell AJ, McCann KK, McKee DL, Menk Otto L, Pace LA, Perkins DD, Radovsky L, Raleigh MS, Rapaport SA, Reinhold EJ, Renneker ML, Robinson WA, Roland AM, Rosenbloom ES, Rowe PC, Ruhoy IS, Saperstein DS, Schlosser DA, Schofield JR, Settle JE, Weinstock LB, Wengenroth M, Westaway M, Xi SC, Molderings GJ. Diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome: a global "consensus-2". Diagnosis (Berl) 2021; 8:137-152. [PMID: 32324159 DOI: 10.1515/dx-2020-0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The concept that disease rooted principally in chronic aberrant constitutive and reactive activation of mast cells (MCs), without the gross MC neoplasia in mastocytosis, first emerged in the 1980s, but only in the last decade has recognition of "mast cell activation syndrome" (MCAS) grown significantly. Two principal proposals for diagnostic criteria have emerged. One, originally published in 2012, is labeled by its authors as a "consensus" (re-termed here as "consensus-1"). Another sizable contingent of investigators and practitioners favor a different approach (originally published in 2011, newly termed here as "consensus-2"), resembling "consensus-1" in some respects but differing in others, leading to substantial differences between these proposals in the numbers of patients qualifying for diagnosis (and thus treatment). Overdiagnosis by "consensus-2" criteria has potential to be problematic, but underdiagnosis by "consensus-1" criteria seems the far larger problem given (1) increasing appreciation that MCAS is prevalent (up to 17% of the general population), and (2) most MCAS patients, regardless of illness duration prior to diagnosis, can eventually identify treatment yielding sustained improvement. We analyze these proposals (and others) and suggest that, until careful research provides more definitive answers, diagnosis by either proposal is valid, reasonable, and helpful.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Linda S Bluestein
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Wausau, WI, USA
| | | | - Jill B Brook
- Alaska Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | | | - Jill R Cuni
- Division of Pediatrics, Beaver Medical Group, Banning, CA, USA
| | - William P Davey
- Department of Dermatology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Alena G Guggenheim
- Comprehensive Pain Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | - Bruce Hoffman
- Hoffman Centre for Integrative and Functional Medicine, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Laurie Menk Otto
- Helfgott Research Institute, National College of Natural Medicine, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Laura A Pace
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mark L Renneker
- Department of Family Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - William A Robinson
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Aaron M Roland
- Department of Family Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Peter C Rowe
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jill R Schofield
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Janet E Settle
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA
| | | | - Martina Wengenroth
- Institute of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | | | - Shijun Cindy Xi
- Section of Allergy and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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7
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Walters AS, Paueksakon P, Adler CH, Moussouttas M, Weinstock LB, Spruyt K, Bagai K. Restless Legs Syndrome Shows Increased Silent Postmortem Cerebral Microvascular Disease With Gliosis. J Am Heart Assoc 2021; 10:e019627. [PMID: 33998250 PMCID: PMC8483539 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.120.019627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Background Patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) have increased silent microvascular disease by magnetic resonance imaging. However, there has been no previous autopsy confirmation of these magnetic resonance imaging findings. RLS is also frequently associated with inflammatory and immunologically mediated medical disorders. The postmortem cortex in patients with RLS was therefore evaluated for evidence of microvascular and immunological changes. Methods and Results Ten microvascular injury samples of precentral gyrus in 5 patients with RLS (3 men, 2 women; mean age, 81 years) and 9 controls (2 men, 7 women; mean age, 90 years) were studied by hematoxylin and eosin stains in a blinded fashion. None of the subjects had a history of stroke or neurologic insults. In a similar manner, the following immunohistochemistry stains were performed: (1) glial fibrillary acidic protein (representing gliosis, reactive change of glial cells in response to damage); (2) CD3 (a T‐cell marker); (3) CD19 (a B‐cell marker); (4) CD68 (a macrophage marker); and (5) CD117 (a mast cell marker). Patients with RLS had significantly greater silent microvascular disease (P=0.015) and gliosis (P=0.003). T cells were increased in RLS compared with controls (P=0.009) and tended to colocalize with microvascular disease (P=0.003). Other markers did not differ. There was no correlation between microvascular lesion load and RLS severity or duration. Conclusions Patients with RLS had statistically significantly more silent cerebral microvascular disease and gliosis than controls compatible with previous magnetic resonance imaging studies and with studies showing a link between RLS and hypertension, clinical stroke, and cardiovascular disease. T‐cell invasion may be a secondary phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur S Walters
- Sleep Division Department of Neurology Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville TN
| | - Paisit Paueksakon
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville TN
| | - Charles H Adler
- Department of Neurology Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Scottsdale AZ
| | - Michael Moussouttas
- Cerebrovascular Division Department of Neurology Rutgers Medical School New Brunswick NJ
| | | | | | - Kanika Bagai
- Sleep Division Department of Neurology Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville TN
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Dodson C, Bagai K, Weinstock LB, Thompson E, Okamoto LE, Peltier A, Raj SR, Walters AS. Restless legs syndrome is increased in postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. J Clin Sleep Med 2021; 17:791-795. [PMID: 33231164 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.9020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and restless legs syndrome (RLS) are both characterized by sleep disturbance along with autoimmune/inflammatory features and autonomic dysfunction. However, to our knowledge, there has been no direct study looking at the prevalence of RLS in patients with POTS patients compared with healthy participants (controls). METHODS Ninety-six physician-diagnosed patients with POTS (89 female and 7 male) and 130 controls (99 female and 31 male) were administered the Cambridge Hopkins questionnaire. Participants who were diagnosed with probable or definite RLS on the Cambridge Hopkins questionnaire were then contacted to determine the severity of RLS with the International Restless Legs Scale. RESULTS More patients with POTS (15 of 96; 15.6%) than controls (6 of 130; 4.6%) were diagnosed with probable or definite RLS on the Cambridge Hopkins questionnaire (P = .0048). A sensitivity analysis with only female respondents yielded similar results. RLS severity was in the moderate range (12.23 ± 9.22). CONCLUSIONS There is a higher prevalence of RLS in patients with POTS patients compared with controls. This association may have to do with shared increased inflammatory/autoimmune load and autonomic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Dodson
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Kanika Bagai
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | | | - Emily Thompson
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Luis E Okamoto
- Clinical Pharmacology Division, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Amanda Peltier
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Satish R Raj
- Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Arthur S Walters
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
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Weinstock LB, Pace LA, Rezaie A, Afrin LB, Molderings GJ. Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: A Primer for the Gastroenterologist. Dig Dis Sci 2021; 66:965-982. [PMID: 32328892 DOI: 10.1007/s10620-020-06264-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mast cell activation syndrome is thought to be a common, yet under-recognized, chronic multi-system disorder caused by inappropriate mast cell activation. Gastrointestinal symptoms are frequently reported by these patients and are often mistaken by physicians as functional gastrointestinal disorders. This syndrome can be diagnosed by the medical history and measurable biomarkers. Gastroenterologists manage diseases associated with active inflammatory cells including neutrophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and eosinophils. The mast cell has only recently been recognized as a major player in our specialty. Gastrointestinal disorders from mast cell mediators often present with apparent irritable bowel syndrome, dyspepsia, chronic or cyclical nausea, and heartburn. Individuals with mast cell activation syndrome experience significant delays in diagnosis. The gastrointestinal symptoms are often refractory to symptom-targeted prescription medications. Beyond avoiding triggers, the best therapy is directed at modulating mast cell activation and the effects of the mediators. Many of these therapies are simple over-the-counter medications. In this article, we review mast cell function and dysfunction and the gastrointestinal symptoms, comorbid conditions, diagnosis, and management of mast cell activation syndrome. Gastroenterologists who become aware of this syndrome can dramatically improve the quality of life for their patients who previously have been labeled with a functional gastrointestinal disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard B Weinstock
- Specialists in Gastroenterology, 11525 Olde Cabin Rd, St. Louis, MO, 63141, USA.
| | - Laura A Pace
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, 30 N 1900 E, SOM 4R118, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA
| | - Ali Rezaie
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Gastroenterology, 8730 Alden Dr., Suite 204E, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Lawrence B Afrin
- Armonk Integrative Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, 3010 Westchester Avenue, Suite 401, Armonk, NY, 10577, USA
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Guo J, Pei L, Chen L, Chen H, Gu D, Peng Y, Sun J. Bidirectional association between irritable bowel syndrome and restless legs syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med 2020; 77:104-111. [PMID: 33348297 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several observational studies have shown that patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may have a high risk of restless legs syndrome (RLS). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively investigate the bidirectional association between IBS and RLS. METHODS All conservational studies on IBS and RLS were searched in MEDLINE (assessed by PubMed), Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library database and Google Scholar from inception to June 14, 2020. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality were used to assess the methodological quality of the cohort and cross-sectional studies, respectively. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using Reviewer Manager 5.3. RESULT A total of five cross-sectional studies of moderate methodological quality and one cohort study of high methodological quality were included in our review. Four cross-sectional studies and one cohort study involving 86 438 individuals met the criteria of IBS predicating the onset of RLS. Patients with IBS had a nearly three-fold increased odds of RLS compared with controls (OR = 2.60, 95%CI: 2.17-3.12, P < 0.00001; I2 = 48%, P = 0.11). Three sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the pooled result. Two cross-sectional studies involving 3581 individuals met the criteria of RLS predicating the onset of IBS. RLS patients had a nearly four-fold increased odds of IBS compared with controls without RLS (OR = 3.87, 95%CI: 1.73-8.66, P = 0.0010; I2 = 77%, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we found a substantial bidirectional association between IBS and RLS. More prospective, high-quality, population-based studies are warranted in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Guo
- The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Lixia Pei
- The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Lu Chen
- The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Dongmei Gu
- The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yongjun Peng
- The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
| | - Jianhua Sun
- The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
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