Background/Aims Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is one of the most common opportunistic ocular infections and has traditionally been associated with immunocompromised individuals. We present a case of CMV retinitis following 3 months of treatment with tofacitinib in conjunction with methotrexate (MTX) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in an elderly lady with no other co-morbidities. Methods The case is presented below. Results 69-year-old lady with long standing seronegative, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide negative, erosive RA since 2016. She was intolerant of sulphasalazine, leflunamide, methotrexate and etanercept. Hydroxychloroquine was avoided due to idiopathic cystoid macular oedema in the right eye with a baseline visual acuity of 6/18. Baseline fundus fluorescein angiogram (FFA) was negative for any vascular, inflammatory or occlusive disease. She was escalated to tofacitinib in August 2019. Approximately 3 months later, she noticed significantly reduced vision in her right eye from 6/18 down to 6/60. She had an FFA and Indocyanine Green Angiography, which showed quite extensive retinal ischaemia and vasculitis. Her bloods revealed a raised serum ACE and a T-spot test from 2018 was reactive followed by a repeat in 2019 which was equivocal. Tofacitinib was discontinued. She was commenced on rifampicin and isoniazid as 3 months prophylaxis for latent tuberculosis (LTBI). Additionally, she was started on oral prednisolone 60mg daily for presumed sarcoid related retinal vasculitis. She failed to improve despite a week’s treatment and subsequently had a vitreous aspirate which was strongly positive for CMV PCR. Her CMV viral load was 267copies/ml. The aspirate was negative for other infectious agents. She was commenced on valganciclovir for CMV retinitis. Unfortunately, her vision remained unchanged despite the viral load becoming undetectable a few weeks later. Despite having LTBI, there was no reactivation of this with her immunosuppressive therapy. Conclusion CMV retinitis is usually associated with immunocompromised individuals and is rarely encountered related to tofacitinib therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. Tofacitinib suppresses T cell function by inhibiting STAT signalling pathways, modulating T cell activation and cytokine production. Our case highlights the preferential development of CMV retinitis over active TB in the presence of LTBI, which is a recognised risk with the use of JAK kinase inhibitors. TB risk has been associated with genetic mutations in IL-12, IFN-γ and STAT1 pathways while CMV activation may be influenced by mutations in HLA ,Toll-like receptors, immunoglobulin light chain antibodies, IFN lambda region as well as alternative transcripts of the CMV viral major immediate early genes. Disclosure K. Beharry: None. S. Kaur: None. E. Papagiannuli: None. S. Moses: None. D. De Lord: None.
Background/Aims Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare disease. We present a case of DM with both anti-nuclear matrix protein 2 antibody (NXP2) as well as anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GAD) positivity, the combination of which has yet not been documented in the current literature. Methods The case is described below. Results A 48 year old Caucasian male with no co-morbidities presented with a one-month history of sore throat and lethargy, followed 2 weeks later by muscular pain in his upper arms. On examination, there was erythema to the sun-exposed areas of the face and arms, hoarse voice and Gottron’s papules. He had proximal muscle weakness of 4/5 in his shoulder and hips. His creatinine kinase(CK) was elevated at 2914U/L. He was started on methylprednisolone 1 gram od for 3 days with improvement of his CK to 642U/L. His muscle biopsy showed mild chronic neurogenic changes and upregulation of C5b-9 but no evidence of inflammatory myopathy which was attributed to the steroid use prior to the biopsy. His myositis antibody screen was positive for Anti-Nuclear Matrix Protein antibody 2(NXP2). After 4 days he developed rapid onset dysphagia and a sudden drop in his spirometry readings with a fall in his FEV1from 94% to 85% and a fall in his FVC from 88% to 79%. He became acutely unwell, drowsy with difficulty completing sentences and global weakness. His CK had risen to 1567U/L despite the high dose intravenous methylprednisolone. He was diagnosed with Diabetic ketoacidosis(DKA) with a blood glucose of 32mmol/L , pH of 7.0, and transferred to ITU. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was administered with subsequent improvement in all muscle groups. He was then commenced on a subcutaneous insulin regime and pulsed intravenous cyclophosphamide (Eurolupus) as his EMG showed a sensorimotor polyneuropathy as well as an inflammatory myopathy. His serology was negative for infectious aetiology. Malignancy screen including PET scan, oesophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy were normal however, he was found to be positive for anti-GAD antibody. Conclusion GAD antibodies are known to be associated with many disorders including diabetes and stiff person syndrome and can recognise different epitopes in various diseases. This is the first documented case of GAD occurring in a DM patient, in the presence of NXP2 antibodies. IVIG is used to treat both stiff man syndrome and refractory DM. It is possible that the combination of GAD and NXP2 contributed to the pathogenesis and severity of the clinical presentation in this case. Disclosure K. Beharry: None. G. Barminski: None. D. De Lord: None.
Background The British Society for Rheumatology has recently issued Choosing Wisely guidance on ANA testing, to avoid unnecessary testing and inappropriate use of resources. Currently there are no local guidelines on ANA testing. The aim of this audit was to use the BSR guidance as best practice to assess current local testing and then develop guidelines. The standards assessed were as follows: testing ANA should be reserved for patients suspected to have a diagnosis of a connective tissue disease, e.g. lupus. Testing ANA should be avoided in the investigation of widespread pain or fatigue alone. Repeat testing is not normally indicated unless the clinical picture changes significantly. Methods Retrospective data collection of ANA requests at East Kent Hospitals University & Foundation Trust was extracted from the pathology IT system (Apex) from January to March 2019. The clinical indications entered for electronic requesting were recorded. All ANA requests were recorded as ‘appropriate’, ‘inappropriate’ or having ‘insufficient documentation’. A request was considered appropriate if it documented one of the following indications/suspected diagnoses: inflammatory arthritis, connective tissue features - Raynaud’s, vasculitis/photosensitive rash, scleroderma, clinical myositis, autoimmune haemolytic anaemias, cytopenia, Suspected autoimmune liver disease, pleurisy, pulmonary fibrosis, pericarditis, serositis, autoimmune renal disease, autoimmune neurologic disease, BILAG registered patients, patients on/requiring biologics. All other requests which did not meet these standards were considered inappropriate. Results There were 1,517 requests made in 3 months; 180 requests (11.86%) were positive and 1,337 (88.14%) were negative. 61% of ANA requests were from outpatients, 25% were inpatient requests and 14% were requests from GPs. Outpatients requests: neurology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, respiratory and renal medicine (in order of frequency). Only 17% of requests met the set standards; 41% were inappropriate requests and 42% were requests with insufficient details. Conclusion ANA testing is relatively expensive compared to other routine screening tests. The assay is time consuming and labour-intensive, and due to the volume of requests made, 2 batches are tested daily in East Kent. With only 17% of the 1,517 tests meeting the standards, this suggests the majority were inappropriately requested. There were >15,000 requests from East Kent and nearby trusts from April 2018 to December 2018. At £2.50 per test, adhering to guidelines could save potentially £12,000 per year. Local guidelines have now been devised based on the Choosing Wisely standards, indications & suspected diagnoses documented. ANA testing will be re-audited in 6 months. Disclosures S. Rasool None. K. Beharry None. A. Afifi None. F. Shahzad None. R. mahadi None. D. De Lord None.
Background/Aims Increasing experience in managing patients with COVID-19 infection has demonstrated the development of autoimmune phenomena following infection. We describe a patient with preceding COVID-19 infection who presented with inflammatory immune myositis, positive myositis antibodies and a normal creatine kinase. Methods N/A Results A 61-year-old Caucasian female presented feeling generally unwell and with weakness. She had COVID-19 infection 4 months prior, which necessitated admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ITU), treatment with dexamethasone and oxygen and subsequent discharge with home continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Other co-morbidities included atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease stage three, hypertension, obesity, recent pulmonary embolism, obstructive sleep apnoea, chronic lymphoedema and hypercholesterolaemia on atorvastatin. Her mobility had been gradually reducing over the previous months to now requiring a wheelchair. Neurological examination demonstrated bilateral proximal lower limb weakness, power 3/5 and an unsafe swallow, for which a naso-gastric tube was inserted. A non-specific erythematous pruritic rash was noted on the arms. Full body Computerised tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain and spine were unremarkable. Creatinine kinase (CK) was within normal limits at 81, and C-reactive protein (CRP) was mildly raised at 36. C3 was low at 0.67 and C4 low at 0.03. Cryoglobulins were not detected. She was positive for antinuclear antibody (ANA) (1:320 titre), Ro-52, PM-Scl75, and anti-La. Anti-dsDNA was negative. Electromyography could not be performed due to the presence of chronic lymphoedema. MRI showed symmetrical STIR hyperintense signal changes in the quadriceps muscles bilaterally. A muscle biopsy showed a small focus of mild lymphocyte infiltration in the endomysial connective tissue, mild increase in acid phosphatase expression in many fibres in dotlike pattern, overexpression of HLA-ABC with deposits of complement found in in endomysial capillaries, consistent with a diagnosis of inflammatory myopathy. Following commenced of 60 mg prednisolone daily, there was a marked improvement in swallowing and the NG tube was removed. A positron emission tomography (PET) scan showed non-specific marrow, splenic and adrenal hyperplasia. The patient was then started on mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), but was switched to azathioprine due to side effects. On review following discharge, the patient continues to require a wheelchair to mobilise, but there has been improvement in her swallow and she reports feeling better within herself. Conclusion Inflammatory myositis is a rare sequela of COVID-19 infection. The development of myositis-specific antibodies post infection has previously been described. This case highlights the significant dysphagia and debility despite a normal CK and the need for a high index of suspicion. Possible triggers of an inflammatory response predisposing to autoimmune phenomena include molecular mimicry, bystander activation, exposure of previously hidden epitopes to activated T cells, activation of Toll-like receptors and activation of the complement system. Disclosure G. Bartminski: None. A. Vijayan: None. K. Beharry: None. D. De Lord: None.
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