Pregnancy outcomes in ANCA-associated vasculitis patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV), namely granulomatosis with polyangiitis, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis constitute a group of rare systemic vasculitides, affecting small vessels. Genders are equally affected, with symptoms most commonly presenting during and/or after the fifth decade of life, but AAV may also present in younger individuals. As advanced maternal age is becoming common and safe over the last decades, it is now more feasible for middle-aged women suffering from AAV to get pregnant. Although adverse pregnancy outcomes have been thoroughly investigated in other systemic diseases, the exact prevalence of pregnancy complications and unfavorable outcomes in pregnant women with AAV has not been systematically evaluated.

METHODS

We researched PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Cinahl databases until September, 2022. Three blinded investigators extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. A random effects model was used for the analysis. The outcomes studied were pre-term delivery, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) neonates and disease flare.

RESULTS

We included six studies with 92 pregnancies in patients with AAV. The prevalence of pre-term delivery, IUGR neonates and disease flare were 18% (CI: 0.10-0.30, P=non-significant), 20% (CI: 0.11-0.33, P=non-significant) and 28% (CI: 0.09-0.59, P<0.01), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The analysis demonstrated higher occurrence of adverse outcomes in pregnant women suffering from AAV accompanied by an increased risk of disease flare during pregnancy. These findings underline the importance of preconception counseling and the necessity of close monitoring in these patients similarly to other systemic inflammatory diseases.

Prevalence of hearing loss in patients with Sjögren syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Sjögren syndrome (SS) is a multisystem autoimmune disease, primarily targeting salivary and lacrimal glands; skin, nasal and vaginal dryness, along with musculoskeletal pain and fatigue are the most commonly reported symptoms. Hearing loss is hypothesized to be frequent as well. The purpose of this systematic review was to estimate the prevalence of Hearing loss and its different subtypes in patients with Sjögren syndrome. PRISMA guidelines were followed to ensure highest quality for our systematic review. A random effects model meta-analysis and meta-regression was conducted using I² as heterogeneity indicator. Eleven observational studies were included in this systematic review. Ten of them were cross-sectional, while one study was case-control. Studies were assessed for risk of bias: all were rated to a moderate level, except for two rated to a low level. Pooled prevalence of any type of hearing loss was 52.2%. After excluding studies rated to moderate bias, the pooled prevalence of hearing loss was 36.7%. We also conducted a subgroup analysis depending on type of hearing loss. Pooled prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss was 42.6%., while pooled prevalence of conductive hearing loss and mixed hearing loss were 5% and 2.3%, respectively. Meta-regression was conducted in an effort to identify possible variables capable to explain high heterogeneity between studies. Sample size and year of study were separately found to account for a portion of heterogeneity between studies of sensorineural hearing loss. Year of study was also found to account for a portion of heterogeneity between studies of conductive hearing loss. In conclusion, sensorineural hearing loss, is highly prevalent in patients with Sjögren syndrome. On this basis, early screening and follow-up of patients with Sjögren syndrome by pure tone audiometry is important.

Walking Instability in a Patient with Known Neuro-Behçet's Disease

A 53-year-old man with known history of Neuro-Behçet›s Disease (NBD) presented to the Emergency Department with numbness on the left side of the body and the face. The patient was admitted to the Neurological Department and after a thorough investigation, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)of the brain revealed a lesion on the brainstem (rhombencephalitis). The case is presented due to rarity of the clinical picture and the good outcome. The therapeutic strategy and the modification of his medication is discussed.

Risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events and Venous Thromboembolism with JAK Inhibitors versus TNF Inhibitors in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective

The aim of this study was to compare the risk of major cardiovascular events (MACE) and venous thromboembolic events (VTE) between tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

We researched PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov until December of 2023 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. The outcomes studied were MACE (stroke, heart attack, myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death) and VTE (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism). We pooled data using random effects model. Risk for the reported outcomes was expressed as odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidential interval (CI). We performed a subgroup analysis based on study design.

Results

We identified 23 studies, 20 of which compared the odds for MACE and 14 the odds for VTE between JAK and TNF inhibitors in RA patients. Ten studies were RCTs and the rest were observational. Regarding MACE risk we pooled data from a total of 215,278 patients (52,243 were treated with JAK inhibitors, while the rest 163,035 were under TNF inhibitors). Compared with TNF inhibitors, the OR for JAK inhibitors in regards with MACE risk was 0.87 (0.64-1.17, p<0.01). Regarding VTE, a total of 176,951 patients were analysed (41,375 JAK inhibitors users and 135,576 TNF inhibitors users). The OR for VTE for JAK inhibitors compared with TNF inhibitors was 1.28 (0.89-1.84, p<0.01).

Conclusion

According to our results, there is no statistically significant difference for MACE or VTE in RA patients who receive either JAK or TNF inhibitors.

Major Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Exacerbation after Severe Clostridium Difficile Infection: A Case Report

Introduction

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease presenting with remission and flares. Relapses may be triggered by various factors, with infections being one of the most common. The following case is the first clostridium difficile infection (CDI)-induced SLE flare that resulted in involvement of organs not previously affected in patient's history before, such as lupus nephritis.

Case presentation

We present a case of a 77-year-old woman, who experienced a major flare, involving renal impairment, cardiorespiratory deterioration and pleuritis, along with signs of haemolytic anaemia, three weeks after a severe CDI. She received corticosteroids, rituximab (RTX), and cyclophosphamide (CYC), but the outcome was still fatal.

Conclusion

CDI infections are highly increasing in frequency and severity, given the antibiotic tolerance, so clinicians should bear in mind the risk of immune-mediated disorders reactivation.