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Query: UMLS:C0243026 (sepsis)
 52,417 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Necrotizing angiitis or vasculitis exhibits a wide clinical spectrum characterized by many different cutaneous manifestations. Diagnosis must be confirmed by histopathology. We studied in retrospect 25 patients whose conditions had been diagnosed by skin biopsy. Histologic examination revealed infiltration by polynuclear cells and fibrinoid necrosis of the walls of the blood vessels in the skin. The great variety of clinical manifestations and etiologies stands out in a review of the records of these patients. Necrotizing angiitis has been found associated with mixed cryoglobulinemia; administration of drugs, milliary tuberculosis, bacterial meningitis, rickettsiosis, staphylococcal sepsis, pharyngotonsillitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Necrotizing angiitis is a group of diseases with a great variety of clinical manifestations, ranging from benign to fatal. The various entities described to date have been more like different clinical forms of the same disease that distinct conditions. In cases of necrotizing angiitis caused by basically immunological mechanisms, the walls of the blood vessels may be impaired in varying diffuse degrees. The prognosis of the disease depends on the intensity of the inflammation and its repercussions on the parenchymas of different organs. The kidney is the most susceptible organ in this case. Treatment should be directed toward the avoidance of predisposing and etiologic factors, detection of the immunological reaction, requiring careful and individual attention in every case.
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PMID:[Necrotizing angiitis of small vessels. A clinical study of 25 patients with skin biopsy (author's transl)]. 3 57

To examine the role of circulating immune complexes (CIC) in infective endocarditis, we studied 64 patients with infective endocarditis for the presence of CIC by the polyethylene-glycol (PEG)-precipitation test and the Clq binding test. This study was repeated during the course of the disease in 23 patients. CIC were found in 84 per cent of patients (66 per cent with acute infective endocarditis, 89 per cent with subacute infective endocarditis) during the active phase of the disease. Higer PEG precipitates were associated with typical cutaneous signs, cryoglobulins and nonstreptococcic culture-positive infective endocarditis. Under appropriate antibiotic treatment, the PEG precipitate levels of 17 patients fell within 1 month to the normal range, with a concomitant drop in cryoglobulinemia and rheumatoid factor. Conversely, uncontrolled sepsis always (six of six) yielded a rising level of CIC. These findings support the hypothesis that CIC may be important in the pathogenesis of peripheral lesions in infective endocarditis.
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PMID:Fate of circulating immune complexes in infective endocarditis. 15 40

Plasma fibronectin (FN) is one of the major blood opsonins. The content of the glycoprotein reduces in sepsis which in turn may aggravate the course of the infection. FN is detectable in the content of cryoglobulins and cryofibrinogen. The formation of the heparin precipitate following plasma incubation in the cold in the presence of heparin is determined by FN involvement. Fibrinogen (FG) is another main component of the heparin precipitate. To determine the functional activity of plasma FN in sepsis and other pathological conditions, a study was made of the ability of FN and FG to go into the precipitate formed in blood plasma in the cold after its incubation with heparin. Unlike normal subjects in whom over 80% of FN on the average and about 20% of FG went into the heparin precipitate, in patients with hemoblastoses and aplastic anemia complicated by sepsis, less than 40% of FN on the average and about 7% of FG went into the precipitate. In some patients with sepsis, the heparin precipitate did not form. The reduction of FN ability to go into the heparin precipitate correlated with the gravity of the patients' condition. In uncomplicated hemoblastoses, cryoglobulinemia and cryofibrinogenemia and in immunocomplex pathology, the consumption of FN and FG during heparin precipitate formation did not significantly differ from the control. The data indicate that sepsis patients with blood system pathology may develop not only quantitative FN deficiency in the blood but also disorder of the functional activity of the opsonin.
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PMID:[Decreased effectiveness of cold-induced heparin precipitation of plasma fibronectin in infection]. 379 36

The relation between the duration of bacterial infection and circulating immune complexes (CIC) level was evaluated using the C1q binding assay in a group of patients with well defined clinical sepsis. Fifty-four patients with endocarditis and 35 with post-open heart surgery mediastinitis were prospectively studied over a period of 2 years. CIC were detected in 42% of patients studied. Interindividual variations were observed but it was found that the level of CIC increased statistically with time (P less than 0.001). CIC were statistically linked with cryoglobulinemia (P less than 0.001), rheumatoid factor (P less than 0.001) and a decreased CH50 (P less than 0.05). CIC were more frequent in patients with endocarditis (53%) than in patients with mediastinitis (24%). However, when the duration of the infection was taken into account the difference was no longer significant. No relation could be evidenced between the incidence of CIC and clinical symptoms including prognosis and renal signs. In our experience, determination of CIC does not have a critical clinical value.
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PMID:Circulating immune complexes and severe sepsis: duration of infection as the main determinant. 708 30

A characteristic intermittent neutrophilic dermatosis, associated with polyarthritis, tenosynovitis, malaise, fever, and cryoglobulinemia, occurs in 20% of patients who undergo ileojejunal bypass surgery for the treatment of morbid obesity. The clinical syndrome may mimic gonococcal sepsis. The histologic changes in the skin are those of Sweet's syndrome. The syndrome remits spontaneously in most cases, but it may recur intermittently over a period of years. Treatment with low-dose steroids, tetracycline, or metronidazole suppresses symptoms in most cases, and restoration of normal bowel anatomy is curative. Skin testing with Streptococcus pyogenes antigen causes an excerbation of symptoms, or may provoke the entire syndrome de novo. Bacterial peptidoglycans, especially those of group A streptococci, produce similar arthritis and skin lesions in animal models. Peptidoglycans from numerous intestinal bacteria share common structural and antigenic features with S. pyrogenes peptidoglycan and are suggested as causative of the toxic and immunologic features of this syndrome.
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PMID:The bowel bypass syndrome: a response to bacterial peptidoglycans. 740 Apr 4

We reported a case of type II cryoglobulinemia involving glomerulopathy associated with HCV-induced liver cirrhosis. The patient was a 57-year-old woman. Her past history included chronic hepatitis at 51 years and rheumatoid arthritis at 53 years of age. At 46 years, an erythematous lesion appeared on her legs, which was diagnosed as allergic vasculitis by skin biopsy. At 50 years, proteinuria, hematuria and hypertension were recognized. The next year, the first renal biopsy was performed and showed membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN). Recently, the edema of her legs has progressed, and the laboratory data showed proteinuria, hematuria, hypocomplementemia, rheumatoid factor positivity, and increase of monoclonal IgG kappa chain. The second renal biopsy revealed an endocapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis-like lesion with marked infiltration of monocytes and macrophages. The subendothelial deposit showed a fine fibril-like pattern. She was treated with steroids and double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) therapy, but the treatment was not very effective. She died of liver cirrhosis, which was probably induced by hepatitis C virus (HCV), and sepsis. Generally, the patients of type II cryoglobulinemia often showed HCV antibody positivity, pointing to HCV as an etiological factor. In this case, renal biopsy was performed twice in the same patient, and the histologic findings suggest the clinicopathological course of cryoglobulinemia.
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PMID:[A case of type II cryoglobulinemia involving glomerulopathy associated with hepatitis C antibody]. 750 47

Cryofiltration apheresis (CA) is a specific therapy for treatment of patients with cryoglobulinemia. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of CA in patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia associated with hepatitis C. As reported previously, the Cryoglobulin Filter comprises a membrane module inside a refrigeration unit on-line with a Spectra Apheresis System (COBE, Denver, CO). The efficacy of cryofiltration was measured by comparing the sieving coefficient of cryoprecipitable proteins (CPP) to that of albumin and comparing the systemic CPP concentration ratio post to pre treatment. Five patients were enrolled in this study, and a minimum of 10 procedures were performed for each patient. The risk for hepatitis C was multiple blood transfusions, intravenous drug abuse, immunosuppressive therapy, or renal transplantation. Four patients had Type II mixed cryoglobulinemia, and one patient had Type III. Four patients had chronic renal failure; one with liver cirrhosis received alpha interferon along with CA. One patient had no response to conventional plasma exchange and immunosuppressive therapy secondary to repeated infections and sepsis; CA was the only viable therapy for this patient. The maximum CPP concentration before therapy ranged from 1,440 to 7,440 micrograms/ml. The plasma CPP sieving coefficient at 1 L filtrate ranged from 0.25 to 0.74 (average +/- SE, 0.51 +/- 0.19; n = 39). The sieving coefficient for albumin was 1 (n = 50). The systemic CPP ratio post to pre treatment ranged from 0.28 to 0.83 (average +/- SE, 0.59 +/- 0.20; n = 37). No adverse effects specific to CA were observed. The CA was safe and effective and possibly the only choice of therapy in patients with cryoglobulinemic hepatitis C who have no response to plasma exchange and immunosuppressive therapy.
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PMID:Cryofiltration apheresis for treatment of cryoglobulinemia associated with hepatitis C. 857 15

Palpable purpura is the hallmark of cutaneous vasculitis. Small-vessel vasculitis is a common vasculitis manifestation associated with acute or chronic infection. It is also characteristic of a systemic disease whether infectious or not. The pathogenic mechanisms appear to be complex: immune complex formation, vessel damage or altered vessel function mediated directly by infectious agents, humoral or cellular immunologic response. It is also a reaction to mixed cryoglobulinemia. Diagnosis of cutaneous vasculitis is simple (palpable purpuric eruption, nodules, vesiculobullous lesions, ulcerations), but etiological investigation is often difficult because the infectious origin is only rarely demonstrated. This type of purpura occurs in bacterial endocarditis and therefore blood cultures must be performed in any febrile patient particularly in the presence of a cardiac murmur. In fact the viral, parasitic or bacterial infectious origin is demonstrated in less than 30% of the cases of leucocytoclastic vasculitis. While focal sepsis is often found and its eradication should be followed-up, its role has not been proven particularly as antibiotics alone themselves can cause hypersensitivity vasculitis. Finally, mention must be made of virus induced vasculitis (B and C hepatitis, cytomegalovirus, parvovirus), antiviral treatment which permits better control of vasculitis.
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PMID:[Infection and vascular purpura]. 1046 26

In summary, use of plasmapheresis has changed in recent years given advances in medical technology that have allowed a wider clinical application in the critical care setting. Membrane filtration technology has provided an alternative to centrifugation that can be easily applied in intensive care units. Use of plasmapheresis has also changed in recent years reflecting the availability of evidence largely obtained from controlled prospective studies. However, the clinical efficacy of plasmapheresis for many acute renal conditions is still controversial. Plasmapheresis appears to be a useful adjunct to conventional therapy in the treatment of anti-GBM nephritis, severe dialysis-dependent forms of pauciimmune RPGN, cryoglobulinemia, and HUS-TTP. Reported data also suggest a possible benefit of plasmapheresis in patients with myeloma cast nephropathy, sepsis, and poisoning/overdose, but the case for plasmapheresis in these disorders is largely unproven and the reported evidence insufficient to recommend its use outside research settings. In contrast, data from controlled trials do not support a role for plasmapheresis in immune complex-mediated RPGN, such as lupus nephritis, and acute allograft rejection. The more widespread application of prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trials should help to better define the value of plasmapheresis for treatment of acute renal diseases.
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PMID:Plasmapheresis. Technical aspects and indications. 1205 39

The clinical course of cryoglobulinemic syndrome (CS) is usually slow; however, fast aggravations have been frequently reported in recent years. In these cases vasculitic ischemic tissue damage accounts for glomerular involvement, neuropathy, cutaneous ulcers, ischemic heart disease, lung or jejunal impairment and stroke. Other critical events in CS may be represented by sepsis, liver insufficiency, hepatocellular carcinoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Sometimes emergency can not be controlled and the evolution is fatal. Long-term follow up, emergency outcome and cause of death have not been considered in controlled studies, in large series. Here we report a 53-year old woman affected by IgG-IgMk type II HCV-related mixed cryoglobulinemia, who presented several critical events over the course of the disease, which required therapeutical emergency interventions. The latter consisted of plasma exchange, cytotoxic agents, corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, antihypertensive drugs, antibiotics, and rituximab. Eventually no therapy was effective and the patient died from a catastrophic-like syndrome. This case is relevant because it enables us to consider some important steps in the treatment of emergency in CS.
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PMID:Emergency in cryoglobulinemic syndrome: what to do? 1793 11


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