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Query: UMLS:C0409974 (lupus)
 22,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Critical conditions had been established in 21 (23.1%) of 91 patients with systemic connective tissue diseases for a 12 year period: renal failure (most often), sepsis, pericarditis with cardiac tamponade, hemorrhagic diathesis, terminal arteritis with gangrene, gastrointestinal perforations with peritonitis, etc. The corticosteroids applied in high doses and predominantly parenterally and the immunosuppressors are the main drugs used in the treatment of these conditions. Plasmapheresis when possible is a useful supplement. The prognosis of the acute critical conditions depends mainly on the affected organ (more favorable in pericarditis with tamponade and unfavorable in renal failure and gastrointestinal perforations with peritonitis (and on the basic disease) more optimistic in systemic lupus erythematodes and very pessimistic in nodal periarteritis and other allergic vasculitis).
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PMID:[The problems of treating acute critical states in diffuse connective tissue diseases]. 321 40

The experience of the district hospital in Stara Zagora in the treatment of patients with systemic connective tissue diseases for the period 1976-1986 is presented. The study includes 47 patients with systemic connective tissue diseases: 22 patients with systemic lupus erythematodes (19 alive, 3 deceased); 18 patients with systemic progressive sclerodermia (16 alive, 2 deceased); 5 patients with dermatomyositis (4 alive, I deceased); 2 patients with nodal polyarteriitis (I alive, I deceased). The characteristic of the course of the disease is discussed--acute, subacute and chronic. The treatment applied and the cause of death are analyzed. The mean duration of the disease from the first clinical signs for the alive and the deceased is as follows: systemic lupus erythematodes--13.7 years for the alive and 12.5 years for the deceased patients; systemic progressive sclerodermia--16.6 years for the alive and 3.0 years for the deceased patients; dermatomyositis--3.7 years for the alive, 1.5 years for the deceased patients; polyarteritis nodosa--5 years for the alive, 2 years for the deceased patients. The conclusion is reached that the contemporary treatment can lead to a remission even in severe cases and life-threatening forms of the disease.
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PMID:[The survival and treatment of patients with systemic connective tissue diseases (research based on data from the II Internal Medicine Department of the Main Community Hospital in Stara Zagora for 1976-1986)]. 324 9

Tocainide, an oral analog of lidocaine, was evaluated as a long-term antiarrhythmic agent in 21 patients with symptomatic complex ventricular ectopic activity (10 with hemodynamically significant ventricular tachycardia) refractory to currently available antiarrhythmics singly, and in combination for periods of 3 days to 35 months (mean 13.6 months). Tocainide appeared to be an effective and safe agent for the control of these refractory symptomatic ventricular arrhythmias in 14 of the 21 patients (66%). Minor central nervous system and gastrointestinal side effects were present in most of the patients, usually early on in therapy, and only precluded long-term use in 2 patients. Furthermore, lidocaine responsiveness was a good predictor of tocainide effectiveness in this group of patients. Tocainide precipitated atrioventricular (A-V) block in one patient with pre-existing A-V nodal disease; two patients developed a skin rash while on tocainide therapy. These two patients had previously developed lupus-like syndromes and skin rashes while on procainamide. The ANA titers had been falling in these two patients while on tocainide, and in one of these patients with true systemic lupus erythematosus, rechallenge with tocainide failed to produce skin rash. Tocainide's long plasma half-life and high oral bioavailability permit an 8-h regime. We conclude that tocainide is an effective, safe antiarrhythmic agent with tolerable side effects.
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PMID:Chronic tocainide therapy for refractory high-grade ventricular arrhythmias. 640 67

A retrospective study of 112 cases of lupus erythematosus, 103 acute disseminated lupus erythematosus (ADLE) and 9 chronic discoid lupus (CDL), was conducted to determine the incidence of disorders of conduction (DC), and to study their prognosis and discuss their pathogenicity. The mean age of the group was 38 +/- 16 years, and the mean follow-up period after discovery of the DC was 53 months. Cardiac lesions were present in 49.5 p. cent of the 103 patients with ADLE : pericarditis in 27 p. cent, murmur from lupus endocarditis or cardiomyopathy in 23 p. cent, heart failure in 4.8 p. cent, and hypertension in 17 p. cent. Disorders of conduction were present in 18 (17.5 p. cent) of the 112 patients studied. These included 5 partial right bundle-branch blocks (no complete right bundle-branch block), 2 complete and 3 partial left bundle-branch blocks, 5 complete, 2 first degree, and 1 second degree atrioventricular blocks (AVB). The atrioventricular blocks were usually located in the truncal or fascicular regions, but in 2 cases they were nodal in origin. The 5 complete AVB were associated with ADLE in two cases and CDL in the three other cases. The AVB in the ADLE cases appeared 9 to 20 years after the onset of the lupus, these two patients developing pericardiomyocarditis unaccompanied by disorders of conduction. The three complete AVB occurring during CDL were detected 9 to 18 months after the diagnosis. A fatal outcome was noted in 13 (12.5 p. cent) of the ADLE patients and one of the 9 cases of CDL. Ten-year survival curves showed no difference in prognosis for the groups with or without disorders of conduction, but mortality increased in patients with DC after 10 years. As disorders of conduction were more frequently observed in patients with lupus than in a control population, they can be attributed to either a lupus myocarditis or prolonged administration of synthetic antimalarial agents. Disorders of conduction, and particularly complete AVB are, in fact, observed in patients without pericardiomyocardial lesions, and when they exist usually develop a long time after the onset of the cardiac lesion. All patients had been treated with antimalarials, however, and the onset of the DC was associated with a chloroquine myopathy in some of them. Three of the five complete AVB were observed during the course of CDL in patients without cardiac lesions, this being a supplementary argument for implicating synthetic antimalarials.
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PMID:[Disorders of conduction in lupus erythematosus : frequency and incidence in a group of 112 patients (author's transl)]. 730 72

The classic cardiac manifestation of neonatal lupus is congenital heart block, attributed to antibody-mediated inflammation and subsequent fibrosis of the atrioventricular (AV) node. In considering the pathologic process of injury it may be that tissue damage results in a range of conduction abnormalities. Identification of less-advanced degrees of block or of fibrosis around the AV node without any conduction abnormality on EKG would support this pathologic model, and serve as a potential marker for treatment if the conduction defect could be shown to progress. To ascertain the spectrum of arrhythmias associated with maternal anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies, records of all children enrolled in the Research Registry for Neonatal Lupus were reviewed. Of 187 children with congenital heart block whose mothers have anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies, nine had a prolonged PR interval on EKG at birth, four of whom progressed to more advanced AV block. A child whose younger sibling had third degree block was diagnosed with first degree block at age 10 years at the time of surgery for a broken wrist. Two children diagnosed in utero with second degree block were treated with dexamethasone and reverted to normal sinus rhythm by birth, but ultimately progressed to third degree block. Four children had second degree block at birth: of these, two progressed to third degree block. Sinus bradycardia (< 100 bpm) was present in three (3.8%) of 78 fetuses for whom atrial rates were recorded by echocardiogram. Of 40 neonates for whom EKGs were available, the mean atrial rate was 137+/-20 bpm (range 75-200). These data have important research and clinical implications. In contrast to the AV node, permanent sinoatrial nodal involvement is not clinically apparent. Perhaps many fetuses sustain mild inflammation, but resolution is variable, as suggested by the presence of incomplete AV block. Since subsequent progression of less-advanced degrees of block can occur, an EKG should be performed on all infants born to mothers with anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies.
Lupus 2002
PMID:Spectrum and progression of conduction abnormalities in infants born to mothers with anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies. 1199 77

Few diseases exemplify the integration of research from bench to bedside as well as neonatal lupus, often described as a model of passively acquired autoimmunity. The signature histologic lesion of autoimmune congenital heart block (CHB) is fibrosis of the conducting tissue and, in some cases, the surrounding myocardium. Although anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies are detected in > 85% of mothers whose fetuses are identified with conduction abnormalities in a structurally normal heart, the risk for a woman with the candidate antibodies to have a child with CHB is 2%. The mechanism by which maternal anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies initiate and finally eventuate in atrioventricular nodal scarring is not yet defined, but it is clear that the antibodies alone are insufficient to cause disease and fetal factors are likely contributory. Previous in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that the pathologic cascade is initiated via apoptosis, resulting in translocation of SSA/Ro-SSB/La antigens to the cell surface where they are bound by maternal autoantibodies. Subsequently, the Fc portion of the bound immunoglobulin engages Fcgamma receptors on tissue macrophages, resulting in release of TGF-beta at a threshold favoring a profibrotic milieu and irreversible scarring. This cascade also involves tissue-specific activation of TGF-beta, which promotes the modulation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, a scarring phenotype. Recent findings point to genetic polymorphisms that promote high production of TGF-beta as possible fetal risk factors for CHB. Further elucidation of maternal and fetal contributory factors should provide insight into the pathogenesis of CHB and the rarity of irreversible injury.
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PMID:Autoimmune-associated congenital heart block: dissecting the cascade from immunologic insult to relentless fibrosis. 1536 47

Few diseases exemplify the integration of research from bench to bedside as well as neonatal lupus (NL), often referred to as a model of passively acquired autoimmunity. The signature histologic lesion of autoimmune congenital heart block (CHB) is fibrosis of the conducting tissue and, in some cases, the surrounding myocardium. It is astounding how rapid, and in most cases, irreversible, the fibrotic response to injury is. The mechanism by which maternal anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies initiate and finally eventuate in atrioventricular (AV) nodal scarring is not yet defined. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that one pathologic cascade leading to scarring may be initiated via apoptosis, resulting in the translocation of SSA/Ro-SSB/La antigens and surface binding by maternal autoantibodies. Subsequently, the Fc portion of the bound immunoglobulin engages Fcgamma receptors on tissue macrophages, resulting in the release of TGFbeta at a threshold that favors a pro-fibrotic milieu and irreversible scarring. This cascade also involves a tissue-specific activation of TGFbeta, which promotes the transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, a scarring phenotype. Phagocytosis of opsonized apoptotic cardiocytes is distinct from macrophage pathways engaged in physiologic clearance of dying tissue, which also results in the release of TGFbeta but in the latter case appropriately serves to dampen inflammation. Downregulation of TGFbeta (activation/secretion pathway) may provide the basis of a novel approach to treatment of CHB in the future.
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PMID:Autoantibody-associated congenital heart block: TGFbeta and the road to scar. 1565 72

The association of isolated congenital heart block (CHB) with maternal autoantibodies to SSA/Ro and SSB/La ribonucleoproteins is approaching the predictable, even in mothers who are completely asymptomatic. Indeed, this model of passively acquired autoimmunity offers an exceptional opportunity to examine the effector arm of immunity and define the pathogenicity of an autoantibody in mediating tissue injury. The study of CHB exemplifies not only translational research, which inherently draws upon clinical observations and explores them in the laboratory, but "integrational" research which attempts to fit critical clinical and basic observations together, even those seemingly at odds. The spectrum of conduction abnormalities includes second and third-degree block, but injury can extend to the myocardium and endocardium, in rare cases without AV nodal dysfunction. The rarity of disease continues to drive the search for factors (fetal and environmental) that might amplify the effects of the maternal autoantibodies. The identification of exaggerated apoptosis, macrophage/myfibroblast crosstalk, TGF beta expression, and extensive fibrosis in the conducting system and in some cases surrounding myocardium in fetuses dying with CHB, provide in vivo support for several parallel lines of in vitro investigation. Specifically, the consideration of exaggerated apoptosis as the initial link between maternal antibody and tissue injury led to the observation that cardiocytes are capable of phagocytosing autologous apoptotic cardiocytes and anti-Ro/La antibodies inhibit this function. Recognizing that this perturbation of physiologic efferocytosis might divert uptake to professional Fc gamma R-bearing phagocytes fits well with experiments demonstrating macrophage secretion of pro-inflammatory and fibrosing cytokines when coincubated with apoptotic cardiocytes bound by Ro/La antibodies. While CHB is rare, its study should set precedent for defining the role of autoantibodies in driving end organ disease.
Lupus 2008 Feb
PMID:Dying right to live longer: positing apoptosis as a link between maternal autoantibodies and congenital heart block. 1825 Jan 29

Kikuchi's disease (KD) is a self-limiting histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (HNL). Cutaneous manifestations are frequent and usually show histopathological findings similar to those observed in the involved lymph nodes. HNL with superposed histological features to KD has been described in patients with lupus erythematosus (LE), and a group of healthy patients previously reported as having HNL may evolve into LE after several months. Up to date, features to predict which HNL patients will have a self-limiting disease and which could develop LE have been not identified. In order to clarify the characteristics of skin lesions associated with KD, we report a case of HNL with evolution into systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a review of previous reports of KD with cutaneous manifestations. A 17-year-old woman presented with a 4-month history of fever and generalised lymphadenopathy. A diagnosis of HNL was established based on a lymph node biopsy. One month later, she developed an erythematoedematous rash on her upper body, with histopathological findings of interface dermatitis. After 8 months, anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) at titre of 1/320, anti-DNA-ds antibodies and marked decrease of complement levels were detected. During the following 2 years, she developed diagnostic criteria for SLE, with arthralgias, pleuritis, aseptic meningitis, haemolytic anaemia and lupus nephritis. To our knowledge, 27 cases of nodal and cutaneous KD have been reported, 9 of which later developed LE. In all these patients, the skin biopsy revealed interface dermatitis. Skin biopsy revealed a pattern of interface dermatitis in all reviewed KD cases, which evolved into LE. Even this histopathological finding was not previously considered significant; it might be a marker of evolution into LE.
Lupus 2008 Dec
PMID:Interface dermatitis in skin lesions of Kikuchi-Fujimoto's disease: a histopathological marker of evolution into systemic lupus erythematosus? 1902 82

According to current statistics of the WHO, tuberculosis is the infectious disease that causes the most deaths worldwide. Its most common cutaneous manifestation is lupus vulgaris which is seldom diagnosed today. A 69-year old immunocompetent woman complained of a partly elevated, partly sclerotic plaque on her left thigh which had been present for more than 55 years before slowly becoming ulcerated. After biopsy and subsequent excision of the 13 cm ulcer, the diagnosis of carcinoma in lupo with lymph node metastasis was made. Cutaneous and additional nodal metastases appeared rapidly. Tuberculostatic therapy was initiated. Despite systemic chemotherapy the tumor subsequently progressed and the patient died of metastatic carcinoma in lupo 15 months after the initial diagnosis. Early diagnosis and treatment of lupus vulgaris might have prevented the development of carcinoma in lupo and ensuing metastatic death of the patient.
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PMID:Rapidly metastatic carcinoma in lupo in a patient with lupus vulgaris for more than 50 years. 2003 Jul 41


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