1/27. Three different autoimmune bullous diseases in one family: is there a common genetic base?We report an unusual familial occurrence of autoimmune bullous diseases. Three members of a family suffered from three different autoimmune bullous diseases: pemphigus vulgaris (PV), linear IgA disease (LAD) and cicatricial pemphigoid (CP). The HLA type was determined in five family members: all were positive for HLA-DQ5/DR6, which is reported to be associated with susceptibility to PV. The CP patient was DQ7(3) positive, which is in concordance with enhanced susceptibility to ocular CP and CP. The LAD patient was B8 and DR3 negative but positive for HLA-A1. Our study supports the hypothesis that there is a genetically transmitted susceptibility to autoimmune bullous diseases but that additional factors seem necessary actually to develop a particular disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = susceptibility (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/27. insulin autoimmune syndrome: a rare cause of hypoglycaemia not to be overlooked.We report the case of a Caucasian patient with insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS), defined as the association of hypoglycaemic attacks with insulin autoantibodies in individuals not previously treated with exogenous insulin. This rare syndrome (more than 200 published cases) has been reported mainly in japan. Most affected patients present with other autoimmune disorders, most often Graves' disease. In most cases, insulin autoantibodies appear a few weeks after the beginning of treatment with a drug containing a sulphyldryl group. A significant increase in insulin and c-peptide plasma concentrations and the presence of other antiorgan antibodies are observed. The susceptibility haplotype is present in the Japanese population, which may account for the high frequency of IAS. Spontaneous remission is observed in 80% of cases, with cessation of hypoglycaemic attacks and disappearance of insulin autoantibodies some months after withdrawal of the drug. This rare cause of hypoglycaemia in Caucasian subjects should be considered in aetiologic investigation of spontaneous hypoglycaemia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = susceptibility (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/27. Development of histologic features of scleroderma in congenital lesions.BACKGROUND: Localized scleroderma has been reported after radiation therapy, but has never been reported to occur at the site of a congenital lesion. CASE REPORT: We present two patients, both with family histories of autoimmune disease, who reported unilateral hypopigmented areas on the trunk since birth. The areas remained asymptomatic and grew with the patients until adulthood when the areas became indurated then firm and showed hyperpigmentation. histology: Histologically, both lesions showed features of localized scleroderma with diffuse sclerosis of collagen and loss of periadnexal fat. There was a perivascular lymphoplasmocytic infiltrate with occasional eosinophils extending into the subcutaneous fat predominantly along fat septae, and diffuse loss of CD34 stromal cell populations within the lesions. CONCLUSION: We propose that somatic mutations affecting vessels may predispose to increased endothelial cell apoptosis. This could lead to the development of an autoimmune response in some individuals, and the areas of localized scleroderma may be markers of susceptibility to autoimmune disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = susceptibility (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/27. Autoimmune enteropathy in an adult with autoimmune multisystemic involvement.We describe the case of a 58-year-old woman with autoimmune enteropathy associated with thyroiditis, gastritis, transitory neutropenia, sicca syndrome and severe axonal polyneuropathy of autoimmune origin. Enterocyte autoantibodies were not detected. However, predisposition to autoimmune disease was indicated by the presence of high titres of anti-gastric parietal cell, anti-thyroglobulin, anti-thyroid peroxidase and anti-neutrophil antibodies. CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes were equally distributed in the lamina propria of the small intestine, but CD8 cells were highly represented among intraepithelial lymphocytes.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5.3581288375667keywords = predisposition (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/27. Coeliac disease associated with sjogren's syndrome, renal tubular acidosis, primary biliary cirrhosis and autoimmune hyperthyroidism.Although coeliac disease may occur in patients affected by another immune-mediated disorder, its coexistence with multiple autoimmune diseases is not frequently described. We report here the case of a 45-year-old woman referred to our centre because of diarrhoea and weight loss, who had already received a diagnosis of primary biliary cirrhosis, sjogren's syndrome and renal tubular acidosis. Following the development of diarrhoea we established the diagnosis of coeliac disease, based on the presence of anti-endomysium antibodies and a compatible duodenal biopsy. Despite gluten withdrawal she went on to develop an autoimmune hyperthyroidism. The patient tested positive for HLA DRB1*03 and DQB1*02. The association is unlikely to be casual and may be explained by autoimmune mechanisms, genetic susceptibility and favouring environmental factors commonly shared by the diseases of our patient.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = susceptibility (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/27. Clinical and immunological features of adult-onset generalized autoimmune gut disorder.OBJECTIVES: Autoimmune enteropathy is a rare disorder of unknown pathogenesis, characterized by protracted diarrhea, villous atrophy, and enterocyte autoantibodies. Its association with extended inflammation of the whole gastrointestinal tract is termed as generalized autoimmune gut disorder (GAGD), generally a pediatric disease of difficult management due to its association with immunodeficiency. The aim of our work is to describe the mucosal immunological basis of an adult-onset case of GAGD. methods: We studied an adult female with a severe inflammatory involvement of the gastrointestinal tract (stomach, small and large bowel, and liver) and antienterocyte autoantibodies. She had antibody deficiency and a predisposition to systemic autoimmunity. We analyzed, by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, the phenotypic and functional characteristics of her intestinal intraepithelial and lamina propria (LP) lymphocytes. RESULTS: We observed the prominent and constant presence of an unusual CD4 alphaE/beta7- Tc subset in the jejunal epithelium. Signs of the lymphocyte activation as well as the prominent lymphoid TNF-alpha production observed in the rectal mucosa support the involvement of a cell-mediated pro-inflammatory response in the pathogenesis of GAGD. CONCLUSIONS: We report the second case of an adult fulfilling all diagnostic criteria for GAGD. We propose that the activated LP CD4 T lymphocytes, as well as those atypically located in the epithelium, may play a pathogenic role. The alphaE/beta7- IEL could constitute a diagnostic marker of intestinal autoimmunity in the cases when autoantibodies are not evidenced, and mucosal TNF-alpha might represent a novel therapeutic target in this severe disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5.3581288375667keywords = predisposition (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/27. association between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and interferon- induced thyroid diseases in four patients with HCV-related chronic hepatitis.OBJECTIVES: The interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy for HCV hepatitis may exacerbate or induce underlying thyroid disorders. Besides viral factors, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) may be an independent risk factor. methods: We evaluated fifteen patients with HCV chronic hepatitis during a period of 40 months. At the enrollment, all the patients were negative for thyroid disorders, excluding one patient with subclinical hypothyroidism. Eleven patients received IFN-alpha therapy. The HLA system was examined in every patient, evaluating antigens (n=40) of locus A, B and Cw and alleles (n=19) of locus DRB1* and DQB1*. The HLA system was also examined in healthy subjects (n=107) as a control group. RESULTS: The HCV genotype distribution in patients was: 1b=20%, 2a=60%, 3a=20%. Four IFN-treated patients presented clinical thyroid disorders, including autoimmune hypothyroidism (n=2), transient thyrotoxicosis (n=1) and subacute thyroiditis (n=1). The HLA susceptibility to thyroid disorders (antigen/allele frequency) in the whole group of patients was not different in respect to controls and normal Italian population. The patients with HCV chronic hepatitis that developed thyroid diseases after IFN- treatment had a double and specific association with the HLA system (Mantel-Haenszel X(c)(2)=4.706, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This case report suggests that HLA system examination is an important and promising diagnostic aspect that may be considered in order to evaluate the appearance of thyroid disorders during the IFN-alpha treatment for HCV-related chronic hepatitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = susceptibility (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/27. lymphoma in sjogren's syndrome.sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease with a known predisposition for lymphoma development. Eight of 120 patients with primary sjogren's syndrome followed at the University of Ioannina over the past 7 years developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed according to the Kiel classification. The lymphomas differed by location and grading. Six were called low grade (immunocytoma) and two intermediate grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Five of the immunocytomas involved the minor salivary or lacrimal glands. Immunoperoxidase staining for light chains revealed monoclonal populations. Two patients showed spontaneous regression not previously reported in sjogren's syndrome. Thus, in sjogren's syndrome, low grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and especially immunocytomas are the most common lymphomas. These lymphomas tend to evolve very slowly and may regress spontaneously. Given these facts, a conservative approach to treatment is indicated in those patients with only localized disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5.3581288375667keywords = predisposition (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/27. A diallelic RFLP of the CD3-epsilon chain of the clonotypic T-lymphocyte receptor is not associated with certain autoimmune diseases.A diallelic restriction fragment length polymorphism of the CD3-epsilon (epsilon) gene, which encodes for an invariant component of the human T-lymphocyte receptor, is observed when using genomic dna TaqI digests probed with a CD3-epsilon chain cDNA probe. This combination shows two alleles of 9.1 kb and 8.4 kb with a frequency of 0.66 and 0.34, respectively, in the Spanish population. None of these alleles is associated with susceptibility to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM).- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = susceptibility (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/27. Thrombosis associated with procainamide-induced lupus anticoagulant.A predisposition to thrombosis in patients with procainamide-induced lupus anticoagulants is previously unrecognized. We describe two patients treated with procainamide who experienced acute thromboembolic events temporally associated with development of the lupus anticoagulant. One patient had a deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, while the other patient had a cerebrovascular accident. In both patients, coagulation parameters corrected with interruption of procainamide therapy. We suggest that thrombosis may complicate treatment with procainamide in patients who develop the lupus anticoagulant.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5.3581288375667keywords = predisposition (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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