Eosinophilic Fasciitis

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) includes clinical features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), dermatomyositis/polymyositis (DM/PM), and systemic sclerosis (SSc) occurring in conjunction with a high anti-U1-RNP antibody titer. Childhood MCTD rarely manifests the symptoms and signs of DM/PM and SSc, and mostly does those of SLE. Thus, the diagnosis of childhood MCTD is inevitably based on the two major findings, Raynaud's phenomenon and a high titer of anti-U1-RNP antibody. However, in clinical setting there exist patients who have both anti-dsDNA antibody, a SLE disease-marker, and anti-U1-RNP antibody, a MCTD disease-marker, and thus it is hard to differentiate MCTD patients from SLE. Eighty children were enrolled in this study, and divided into 3 groups ; group A, those who are positive for anti-dsDNA antibody/negative for anti-U1-RNP antibody (48 cases, 60.0%), group B : those who are positive for both anti-dsDNA and anti-U1-RNP antibody (22 cases, 27.5%), group C; those who are negative for anti-dsDNA antibody/positive for anti-U1-RNP antibody (10 cases, 12.5%), and each of the clinical characteristics among these 3 groups was mutually examined. The results indicated that the frequency of hypocomplementemia in group B was close to group A rather than group C, and the frequencies of both hyper-gamma-globulinemia and Raynaud's phenomenon were very close to group C, but not to group A. On the contrary, the findings which seemed to be specific to MCTD, high titers of speckled type anti-nuclear antibody and rheumatoid factor, located at the middle between group A and group C. Thus, children in group B essentially carried characteristic symptoms and signs of both SLE and MCTD, and it will be difficult to differentiate these two diseases at the onset of the disease. Taken together, children with high titers of both anti-dsDNA antibody and anti-U1-RNP antibody as well as clinical symptoms and signs such as hyper-gamma-globulinemia, Raynaud's phenomenon, membranous nephritis, positive speckled type anti-nuclear antibody and rheumatoid factor should be followed and treated as children with MCTD along with SLE.

BackgroundNailfold capillaroscopy (NC) is non-invasive and used by clinicians as a diagnostic tool. It allows the distinction between primary and secondary Raynaud Phenomenon (RP), the latter usually associated to autoimmune...

To assess nailfold capillaroscopy in children and adolescents with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile dermatomyositis, scleroderma and mixed connective tissue disease) and relate it to clinical and laboratory findings and disease activity. Cross-sectional study assessing 147 patients by use of nailfold capillaroscopy as follows: 60 with juvenile idiopathic arthritis; 30 with systemic lupus erythematosus; 30 with juvenile dermatomyositis; 20 with localized scleroderma; four with systemic sclerosis; and three with mixed connective tissue disease. Clinical and laboratory tests and nailfold capillaroscopy were performed in all patients. The nailfold capillaroscopy was performed with an optical microscope (at 10- and 16-time magnifications) by the same observer. Most patients (76.2%) had normal nailfold capillaroscopy. The major changes in nailfold capillaroscopy, characterizing the scleroderma pattern, were observed in patients with juvenile dermatomyositis, systemic scleroderma and mixed connective tissue disease. There was no association between nailfold capillaroscopy and disease activity in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and localized scleroderma. Disease activity and capillaroscopy were associated in patients with juvenile dermatomyositis. Nailfold capillaroscopy is a useful method to diagnose autoimmune rheumatic diseases and monitor disease activity.

Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is frequent in autoimmune connective tissue diseases (AICTD) and its approach includes nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC), as it is a non-invasive technique that permits direct visualization of the microcirculation. The aim of this study is to analyze and establish clinical correlations between NFC findings and particular aspects of autoimmune disorders. This is a retrospective study. Clinical data from patients attending our NFC clinic were reviewed. Inclusion criteria included AICTD previous diagnosis, which included systemic sclerosis (SSc), mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren syndrome, inflammatory idiopathic myopathies (IIM), rheumatoid arthritis, undifferentiated connective tissue disease and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Videocap® version 3.0 biomicroscope was used. NFC score was determined. For statistics, SPSS software was utilized. 384 patients were included; most of them were women, with mean age of 47years. RP was present in 91% of the patients, with greater prevalence in SSc and MCTD. Scleroderma pattern was the most prevalent NFC pattern, mainly in SSc, MCTD and IIM. Mean capillary density was reduced in IIM, SSc and MCTD. NFC score was worse in SSc, IIM and MCTD. In patients with AICTD, RP is related to microvascular damage and worse NFC score. NFC scleroderma pattern correlates with SSc classification criteria score. In MCTD, scleroderma pattern relates to myositis. SLE and APS reveal significant hemorrhages, but not related to APS antibodies. This study highlights the possible role of NFC as biomarker of AICTD, particularly in SSc and IIM.

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is a very rare disorder that belongs in the rare and clinically multifactorial groups of diseases. The pathogenesis of MCTD is still unclear. The best understood epigenetic alteration is DNA methylation whose role is to regulate gene expression. In the literature, there are ever-increasing assumptions that DNA methylation can be one of the possible reasons for the development of Autoimmune Connective Tissue Diseases (ACTDs) such as systemic sclerosis (SSc) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to define the global DNA methylation changes between MCTD and other ACTDs patients in whole blood samples. The study included 54 MCTD patients, 43 SSc patients, 45 SLE patients, and 43 healthy donors (HC). The global DNA methylation level was measured by ELISA. Although the global DNA methylation was not significantly different between MCTD and control, we observed that hypomethylation distinguishes the MCTD patients from the SSc and SLE patients. The present analysis revealed a statistically significant difference of global methylation between SLE and MCTD (p < 0.001), SLE and HC (p = 0.008), SSc and MCTD (p ≤ 0.001), and SSc and HC (p < 0.001), but neither between MCTD and HC (p = 0.09) nor SSc and SLE (p = 0.08). The highest % of global methylation (median, IQR) has been observed in the group of patients with SLE [0.73 (0.43, 1.22] and SSc [0,91 (0.59, 1.50)], whereas in the MCTD [0.29 (0.20, 0.54)], patients and healthy subjects [0.51 (0.24, 0.70)] were comparable. In addition, our study provided evidence of different levels of global DNA methylation between the SSc subtypes (p = 0.01). Our study showed that patients with limited SSc had a significantly higher global methylation level when compared to diffuse SSc. Our data has shown that the level of global DNA methylation may not be a good diagnostic marker to distinguish MCTD from other ACTDs. Our research provides the groundwork for a more detailed examination of the significance of global DNA methylation as a distinguishing factor in patients with MCTD compared to other ACTDs patients.

Rheumatology: An Annotated Bibliography of Recent Literature

Overlap syndrome: juvenile dermatomyositis and perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody vasculitis, a case report and review of literature.

Background:Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) with a range of clinical manifestations and is recognized as an independent disease with similarities to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc), or...

Objectives: To describe the pulmonary manifestations in rheumatic diseases in pediatrics - systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), systemic scleroderma (SSc), linear scleroderma (LS), and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)-and to correlate these findings with clinical manifestations, imaging and pulmonary function tests. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was performed. We evaluated patients with rheumatic disorders followed at the Rheumatology Department of Hospital Pequeno Principe from January 2000 to July 2012. All patients diagnosed with SSc, as well as patients with SLE, JDM, MCTD and LS who had pulmonary symptoms or worsening of their underlying disease, were submitted to chest radiography (CXR), chest high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and pulmonary function tests (PFTs). Results: A sample of 193 patients was obtained for this study. Thirty-eight percent of them were submitted to CXR and chest HRCT, with or without PFTs. Within all patients included in this study, 37% had some degree of pulmonary involvement, verified in at least one test. The groups who presented higher rates of pulmonary involvement were the SSc (100%) and the MCTD (46%). Patients with SLE and JDM had similar results, presenting pulmonary involvement in 35% of cases, and LS had the lowest rate of respiratory system involvement, with 25% of patients affected. In one quarter of the cases, the abnormalities found were due to infections. In the remaining three quarters pulmonary involvement was due to the underlying disease, and a large spectrum of manifestations was detected. Conclusions: Pulmonary involvement often occurs in systemic rheumatic diseases. There is a variety of manifestations in all rheumatic disorders, and there are no pathognomonic signs of pulmonary involvement in each disease. Health professionals should be aware of the possibility of pulmonary involvement in rheumatic disorders, in order to detect it early and initiate adequate treatment precociously, to improve the long term prognosis.

Scleroderma is rare in children who are more likely to have localized cutaneous scleroderma. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the cases of eleven children with systemic and localized scleroderma. Materials and Methods. We reviewed the records of eleven children with systemic or localized scleroderma seen from March 1993 to June 2006 in the Department of Pediatrics, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. They were diagnosed according to American College of Rheumatology criteria and clinical manifestations of hard skin involvement. Data extracted from the records included gender, age at onset, age at diagnosis, clinical manifestations, laboratory data, family history, trauma history, treatment, and outcome. Results. The mean age at diagnosis was 9.2 years (range, 3 to 12 years). The mean age at onset was 6.5 years (range, birth to 11.7 years). Two children (1 girl and 1 boy) had systemic scleroderma (both with pulmonary involvement and 1 with renal involvement) and the other 6 girls and 3 boys had localized scleroderma, either morphea or a linear pattern. Antinuclear antibodies were positive in 10 at titers of 40x to 640x; 6 had a speckled pattern, 2 had a homogenous pattern, and 2 had a speckled-to-homogenous pattern. Tests for anti-Scl-70 antibodies were all negative. Serum levels of rheumatoid factor ranged from ＜20 to 60.2 IU/ml with only 3 children having positive levels (60.2 IU/ml in 1 girl with systemic scleroderma; 45.6 and 58.2 IU/ml in 1 girl and 1 boy with localized scleroderma, respectively). All patients had skin tightening but none had subcutaneous calcification. Raynaud's phenomenon with digital pitting was present only in the 2 patients with systemic scleroderma. Skin biopsy specimens from 2 boys and 1 girl showed hypertrophic collagen bundles with atrophic skin appendages and lymphocytic infiltration. All patients were treated with D-penicillamine with or without steroids and methotrexate. Only 1 boy with localized scleroderma recovered completely while the others with localized disease had a benign course with some skin softening. None of those 9 children with localized scleroderma progressed to systemic disease. Conclusion. Childhood scleroderma is more likely to be a localized cutaneous disease which, while it may not resolve, does not appear to progress to systemic disease.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an important complication of connective tissue diseases (CTD) and especially seen in systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). In systemic sclerosis, PAH is isolated or accompanied by interstitial lung disease and currently, a major cause of mortality. It has been shown to be developed in approximately 10% of cases and annual screening with echocardiography has been recommended. Right heart catheterization is required for definite diagnosis. Limited skin involvement, late onset, Raynaud's phenomenon, digital ulcers, telangiectasias, diminished nail fold capillaries, anti-U3RNP and anticentromere antibodies are known as risk factors for PAH development in systemic sclerosis. Following diffusion lung capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP) levels can be helpful for evaluating PAH development. PAH in SLE linked to antiphospholipid antibodies and Raynaud's phenomenon in some studies. MCTD is an overlap syndrome with features of systemic sclerosis, SLE, polymyositis and positive anti-U1RNP antibodies. PAH develops in 9-27% of the patients and the leading cause of mortality in patients with MCTD. Endothelin receptor antagonists, prostacyclin analogs and phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors are being used in patients with systemic sclerosis. In SLE/MCTD patients with early diagnosis immunosuppressive treatments may be effective.

To understand the prevalence, investigate the correlation of clinical features, explore the early-stage diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with connective tissue disease (CTD). All cases with pulmonary arterial hypertension in 1892 CTD patients were analyzed retrospectively. The risk factor of PAH was evaluated and the prognostic influence of different treatments and primary diseases analyzed. The prevalence of PAH in patients with connective tissue disease was about 4.2%(79/1892). In these patients, systemic sclerosis (SSc) and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) had the highest incidence of PAH (18.18% and 12.00%) (P < 0.01). It was obviously higher than polymyositis/dermatomyositis (6.2%), systemic lupus erythematosus (4.4%), Sjogren syndrome (3.8%), rheumatoid arthritis (0.8%) and anti-phospholipid syndrome (0.5%), etc. (P < 0.01). Raynaud's phenomenon was related to a higher pulmonary arterial pressure (P < 0.01). There was a positive correlation (P < 0.01) between the presence of Raynaud's phenomenon and pulmonary arterial pressure. Abnormal lung function was a common finding. There were associations (P < 0.05) between the degree of pulmonary hypertension and IgG, anti-U1RNP antibody positive, antiphospholipid antibody positive, pericardial effusion and interstitial pneumonia. PAH is common in connective tissue disease. SSc and MCTD have the highest prevalence of PAH. The presence of Raynaud's phenomenon anti-U1RNP antibody is positively correlated with pulmonary arterial pressure. It can predict the development of PAH. It is useful to perform ultraechocardiogrphy for an early-stage diagnosis and prognostic analysis.

Anti-U1-RNP antibodies are necessary for the diagnosis of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), but they are also prevalent in other connective tissue diseases, especially systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), from which distinction remains challenging. We aimed to describe the presentation and outcome of patients with anti-U1-RNP antibodies and to identify factors to distinguish MCTD from SLE. We retrospectively applied the criteria sets for MCTD, SLE, systemic sclerosis (SSc) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to all patients displaying anti-U1-RNP antibodies in the hospital of Caen from 2000 to 2020. Thirty-six patients were included in the analysis. Eighteen patients (50%) satisfied at least one of the MCTD classifications, 11 of whom (61%) also met 2019 ACR/EULAR criteria for SLE. Twelve other patients only met SLE without MCTD criteria, and a total of 23 patients (64%) met SLE criteria. The most frequent manifestations included Raynaud's phenomenon (RP, 91%) and arthralgia (67%). We compared the characteristics of patients meeting only the MCTD (n = 7), SLE (n = 12), or both (n = 11) criteria. Patients meeting the MCTD criteria were more likely to display SSc features, including sclerodactyly (p < 0.01), swollen hands (p < 0.01), RP (p = 0.04) and esophageal reflux (p < 0.01). The presence of scleroderma features (swollen hands, sclerodactyly, gastro-oesophageal reflux), was significantly associated with the diagnosis of MCTD. Conversely, the absence of those manifestations suggested the diagnosis of another definite connective tissue disease, especially SLE.

To determine the frequency and nature of esophageal motor abnormalities in children and adolescents with scleroderma syndromes and mixed connective tissue disease, esophageal manometry was performed on seven patients with progressive systemic sclerosis, four patients with mixed connective tissue disease, and two patients with linear scleroderma. A total of 73% of patients with progressive systemic sclerosis and mixed connective tissue disease had symptoms of esophageal dysfunction. A significant association between the presence of Raynaud phenomenon and esophageal symptoms was noted. Esophageal motor abnormalities were detected in 73% of patients with progressive systemic sclerosis and mixed connective tissue disease; these abnormalities were characterized by decreased lower esophageal sphincter pressure and abnormal peristalsis in the distal two thirds of the esophageal body. They resemble those described among adults with progressive systemic sclerosis and mixed connective tissue disease but were not related to disease duration or to the presence of Raynaud phenomenon. Patients with linear scleroderma did not have esophageal symptoms and demonstrated only nonspecific motor abnormalities that did not worsen during several years of follow-up.

AB0576 INCIDENCE AND CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF RAYNAUD'S PHENOMENON IN RHEUMATIC DISEASES