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Internal Organ Involvement (internal + organ_involvement)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Relationship between change in skin score and disease outcome in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: Application of a latent linear trajectory model

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 7 2007
Lynne Shand
Objective To explore the relationship between changes in the severity of skin disease and morbidity and mortality in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc). Methods From a large single-center cohort, we identified 225 patients with dcSSc for whom serial clinical information was available from within 24 months of the onset of the first non,Raynaud's phenomenon manifestation of SSc. The end points analyzed included death and heart, lung, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract involvement. Latent linear trajectory modeling (LTM) was applied to identify patients with a similar trajectory of modified Rodnan skin thickness score (MRSS) changes over the first 3 years of followup. Clinical outcomes were compared between 3 different LTM subgroups. Results LTM permitted classification of 131 patients (58%) into 1 of 3 subgroups with different skin score trajectories. Survival was lowest in the subgroup of patients who had a high baseline skin score and experienced little improvement during followup (P = 0.003). However, the frequency of clinical end points was similar in the subgroup with the most favorable trajectory (i.e., a low initial MRSS and subsequent improvement) and the subgroup with a high baseline MRSS and no improvement. Interestingly, the end point frequency was greatest in the subgroup with a high initial MRSS and subsequent improvement, suggesting that sustained severe skin disease does not necessarily predict the number of visceral complications, and that the relationship between the skin score and internal organ involvement in dcSSc is more complex than previously thought. Conclusion Although mortality was highest among patients with the worst skin-related outcomes, no simple relationship between burden of disease and change in skin score was observed. [source]

Isolated symptomatic cutaneous disease in hypereosinophilic syndrome

AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
Veronica Preda
ABSTRACT A 41-year-old Phillipino man presented with a 3-year history of a relapsing and remitting generalized chronic pruritic erythematous papular and plaque-like eruption. Investigations showed a persistently elevated eosinophil count. His disease was limited to cutaneous involvement with an absence of demonstrable internal organ involvement, despite extensive investigations and multidisciplinary review. Other causes of eosinophilia were excluded. A diagnosis of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome was made. Our patient's presentation raises a number of issues related to hypereosinophilic syndrome. In particular, relating to managing hypereosinophilic syndrome and the challenge of minimizing therapy side-effects. Our case highlights the considerable morbidity of untreated isolated cutaneous disease, for which he was hospitalized with suicidal ideations. In a minority of reports, skin involvement is the only manifestation of hypereosinophilic syndrome. [source]

Epidemiology and pathogenesis of scleroderma

AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2003
Keng Chen
SUMMARY Scleroderma is a heterogenous connective tissue disorder characterized by fibrosis of the skin, with or without internal organ involvement. The aetiology of scleroderma may involve both environmental and genetic factors. Abnormalities involving the immune system, vascular tissue and extracellular matrix have been demonstrated. Recent research has focused on microchimerism as a risk factor for the development of scleroderma. This article reviews the epidemiology and pathogenesis of this disorder. [source]

Persistent urticaria characterized by recurrent lasting urticarial erythema with histological features of prominent perivascular eosinophilic infiltration

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2009
H. Amano
Summary We report a 29-year-old woman with a 15-year history of recurrent pruritic urticarial erythemas. The individual lesions lasted for > 24 h, and antihistaminic agents were not effective. Histological examination of a skin biopsy revealed interstitial oedema of the dermis and perivascular infiltration of numerous eosinophils without vasculitis. No internal organ involvement or peripheral blood eosinophilia was present. A diagnosis of persistent urticaria was made and the patient was successfully treated with oral corticosteroid therapy. Persistent urticaria has been described as an unusual reaction that lasts longer than typical urticaria. It is effectively treated with corticosteroids, but not with antihistaminic agents. In order to choose the most effective treatment, persistent urticaria should be recognized as a different clinical condition from typical urticaria. [source]