1/64. Efficacy of filtration leukocytapheresis on rheumatoid arthritis with vasculitis.The present study was designed to determine the efficacy of filtration leukocytapheresis (LCAP) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with vasculitis. Nine RA patients with vasculitis were studied by the Malignant RA Collaborative Group formed by 8 clinical centers. A total of 7 filtration LCAP procedures using the Cellsorba column (Asahi Medical Co., Ltd., tokyo, japan) were performed with 1 week intervals between treatments. During each apheresis procedure, 3,000 ml of blood was filtered and returned to the patient at a flow rate of 50 ml/min for 60 min. In addition to the amelioration of arthritis, the improvement of extraarticular symptoms associated with rheumatoid vasculitis such as polyneuritis, skin ulcers, digital gangrene and rheumatoid nodules was obtained. In contrast, no improvement was observed in interstitial pneumonia or lung fibrosis. LCAP could be an optional modality for the treatment of RA with vasculitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pneumonia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/64. Pneumococcal polyarticular septic arthritis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.Rheumatoid arthritis is the most commonly reported host-related risk factor for septic arthritis. This risk is highest in severe, seropositive, long-standing (mean, 10 years) rheumatoid arthritis responsible for extraarticular symptoms and treated with systemic glucocorticoids. The clinical presentation of the joint infection is often atypical, leading to diagnostic wanderings. In 25% of cases, the infection is polyarticular, with 3.5 involved joints on average. staphylococcus aureus is the most common causative organism. streptococcus pneumoniae causes 5% of all cases of septic arthritis and is more often responsible for polyarticular infections than other organisms. Polyarticular septic arthritis carries a poor prognosis, with a mortality rate of 50% in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Despite its low incidence, polyarticular septic arthritis should be routinely considered in the differential diagnosis of rheumatoid flares. We report a case of pneumococcal septic arthritis involving five joints in a patient with known rheumatoid arthritis. Three other cases with involvement of more than four joints have been published.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pneumonia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/64. Epstein-Barr virus-associated Hodgkin's lymphoma and legionella pneumophila infection complicating treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis with methotrexate and cyclosporine A.We describe the case of a 53-month-old girl with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), complicated by the occurrence of Hodgkin's lymphoma and legionella pneumophila infection during immunosuppressive treatment with methotrexate (MTX) and cyclosporine A (CSA). The girl had received variable anti-inflammatory combination therapy, including MTX for 28 months and CSA for 3 months. Thirty-six months after the onset of arthritis, the girl presented with an enlargement of the lymph nodes of the mediastinum, the hilum of the lungs, and the abdomen. Concomitantly, a diagnosis of Legionella pneumonia was rendered. autopsy showed Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's lymphoma. The neoplastic cells were positive for CD15, CD 30, and latent membrane protein 1 (LMP 1). The present case is the second reported to occur in a child, and it lends support to the hypothesis that immunosuppressive treatment may contribute to an increased risk of the development of EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) in pediatric patients suffering from JRA.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pneumonia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/64. Peripheral gangrene complicating idiopathic and recessive hemolytic uremic syndromes.Three patients with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) developed peripheral gangrene. Bilateral carotid artery thromboses occurred in one of these patients after recovery from HUS. One patient had a long history of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. In the second patient, a flu-like illness preceded the onset of HUS. The third was one of two sisters, with the HUS appearing more than 1 year apart. None had evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation or infection with streptococcus pneumoniae. The patient with rheumatoid arthritis had renal cortical necrosis but recovered moderate renal function after treatment with dialysis and plasmapheresis for 6 months. The child with a genetic form of HUS died of renal failure and had massive cortical necrosis and vascular thrombosis at autopsy. This is the first report of peripheral gangrene in children with idiopathic HUS and autosomal recessive HUS.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pneumonia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/64. Interstitial pneumonia complicated by sjogren's syndrome, Hashimoto's disease, rheumatoid arthritis and primary biliary cirrhosis.A 66-year-old woman diagnosed as having Hashimoto's disease and rheumatoid arthritis manifested interstitial pneumonia. We diagnosed sjogren's syndrome and primary biliary cirrhosis as complications in this case. Steroid therapy was relatively effective for the interstitial pneumonia which was in an active state; however, during tapering of the steroid, there was a relapse and also severe dry throat. cyclophosphamide was added and was effective in the prevention of recurrence. Even after discontinuation of steroid therapy, her general condition is stabilized. It is very important to carefully investigate other organ involvement as a prognostic factor in cases in which there are multiple autoimmune diseases.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6keywords = pneumonia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/64. legionnaires' disease in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.A 62-year-old male with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who was taking nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug for controlling synovitis developed a flare of his arthritis, hepatitis, and pneumonia due to infection with legionella pneumophila serotype 1. adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occurred following the development of pneumonia. After the introduction of erythromycin and ventilator support with positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP), his condition stabilized and he recovered gradually. We suggest that L. pneumophila should be considered early in the differential diagnosis of pneumonia in RA patients due to their immunocompromised status.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = pneumonia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/64. A case of BOOP developed during bucillamine treatment for rheumatoid.We describe a patient with rheumatoid arthritis(RA) who developed bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia(BOOP) during the treatment of bucillamine. A 51 year-old man was admitted to the hospital for an abnormal shadow on his chest radiograph. He had been diagnosed as having RA 3 years previously and had been receiving 200 mg of bucillamine for 21 months. Two months prior to admission, he presented with a cough and his chest X-ray showed opacities in both lower lungs. He was treated with antibiotics for 2 months after the development of cough and lesions on the chest X-ray, but the symptoms and lung lesions became more aggravated. On admission, an HRCT revealed airspace consolidations in the subpleural space of both basal lungs and a CT-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy showed Masson's body filling air space, interstitial infiltration of acute and chronic inflammatory cells and type II cell hyperplasia, consistent with BOOP. Bucillamine was stopped and 50 mg of prednisolone was administered. His symptoms and infiltrations on the chest X-ray resolved. We suggest that bucillamine should be considered as a drug possibly associated with BOOP.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pneumonia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/64. An autopsy case of primary biliary cirrhosis with severe interstitial pneumonia.A 74-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of interstitial pneumonia. She had a 14-year history of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) diagnosed histologically, with a positive test for anti-mitochondrial antibodies and elevated biliary enzyme activity. She also had a 7-year history of rheumatoid arthritis and a 26-year history of sjogren's syndrome. Though the symptoms of these complications improved, the interstitial pneumonia deteriorated very quickly and the patient died of respiratory failure due to acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia when the activity of PBC decreased. We report this case because it is relatively rare for PBC to be complicated by severe interstitial pneumonia, and it may offer insight into the etiology of these diseases.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 8keywords = pneumonia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/64. Pulmonary nocardiosis in a patient treated with corticosteroid therapy.We report a case of pulmonary nocardiosis in a 69-year-old man with rheumatoid arthritis who was receiving corticosteroid treatment. The patient received prednisolone for rheumatoid arthritis and antibiotics for his fever and pneumonia in another hospital, but the response to the therapy was poor. After admission to our hospital, he improved following treatment with imipenem/cilastatin for nocardia asteroides. Pulmonary nocardiosis is difficult to diagnose and should be considered in the differential diagnosis, especially in an immunocompromised host.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pneumonia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/64. Migratory pulmonary infiltrates in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.The case history is described of an elderly man with rheumatoid arthritis receiving treatment with sulfasalazine and the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib who presented with severe shortness of breath, cough, and decreased exercise tolerance. The chest radiograph showed unilateral alveolo-interstitial infiltrates and a biopsy specimen of the lung parenchyma showed changes consistent with acute eosinophilic pneumonia. Antibiotic treatment was unsuccessful, but treatment with steroids and discontinuation of sulfasalazine and celecoxib resulted in a marked clinical improvement confirmed by arterial blood gas analysis. The condition may have developed as an adverse reaction either to sulfasalazine or to celecoxib, although hypersensitivity to the latter has not previously been reported.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pneumonia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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