Background/Objective The epidemiology of vasculitis is variable in different geographic areas, and this issue has not been approached in Brazil yet. The objective of this study was to assess the frequency of vasculitis in specialized centers in Brazil. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed in 9 vasculitis outpatient clinics from 6 different states mainly from the Southeast and the Northeast regions of Brazil between 2015 and 2017. Diagnosis and/or classification criteria for Behçet disease (BD), Takayasu arteritis (TA), giant cell arteritis (GCA), polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), and cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CryoVas) were used to include patients with at least 6 months of follow-up in this hospital-based survey. Results A total of 1233 patients with systemic vasculitis were included from the Southeast region. Behçet disease was the most frequent vasculitis (35.0%) followed by TA (26.4%), GPA (16.2%), PAN (5.8%), GCA (5.8%), EGPA (4.3%), MPA (3.4%), and CryoVas (3.0%). Up to 7.8% of vasculitis patients had a juvenile onset, and the frequency of vasculitides found in children and adolescents was as follows: TA (52.6%), BD (24.7%), GPA (12.4%), and PAN (10.3%). No cases of EGPA, MPA, and CryoVas were diagnosed before the age of 18 years. As a comparator, 103 vasculitis patients were included in the Northeast of Brazil where TA was found in 36.9% and BD in 31.1% of vasculitis cases. No GCA cases were found in the Northeast part of Brazil. Conclusions Similar to the epidemiology of vasculitis in Asia, BD and TA are the most frequent vasculitis in Southeastern Brazilian referral centers.

Objectives: To compare balance, foot function and mobility in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with and without foot orthoses. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Outpatient rheumatology clinic. Subjects: A total of 94 subjects with rheumatoid arthritis were randomized; of these, 81 were included in the analyses (Intervention group: 40; Control group: 41). Intervention: The Intervention Group received custom-made foot orthoses while the Control Group received none intervention. Main measure: The “Foot Function Index,” the “Berg Balance Scale,” and the “Timed-up-and-go Test” were assessed at baseline an after four weeks. The chosen level of significance was P < 0.05. Results: Average (standard deviation) participant age was 56.7 (±10.6) years old and average disease duration (standard deviation) was 11.4 (± 7.2) years. Groups were similar at baseline, except for comorbidity index and race. After four weeks, significant interaction group versus time was observed for Foot Function Index (change: Intervention group: −1.23 ± 1.58; Control group: −0.12 ± 1.16 – P = 0.0012) and for Berg Balance Scale (change: Intervention group: 2 ± 3; Control group: 0 ± 3 – P = 0.0110), but not for the Timed-up-and-go Test (change: Intervention group: −1.34 ± 1.99; Control group: −0.84 ± 2.29 – P = 0.0799). Conclusion: Foot orthoses improved foot function and balance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

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Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology. Although gastrointestinal involvement may be seen in half of the cases of PAN, vasculitis of the gallbladder at the disease onset is a rare presentation. We report a case of a 48-year-old man who was admitted due to acute cholecystitis. He had complained of myalgia, fever and weight loss for about one month prior to admission. At physical examination, mild hypertension and calf pain were noted. He underwent a cholecystectomy; histopathological evaluation disclosed necrotizing vasculitis suggestive of PAN. We emphasize that cholecystitis may be part of the initial presentation of systemic vasculitis.

The aim of this study was to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics in patients diagnosed with Behçet's disease (BD) in Brazil. We performed a retrospective review of all the patients' records with BD diagnosed from 1988 to 2010 in the Rheumatology Department at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). All patients had to fulfill the International Study Group for Behçet's disease diagnostic criteria. Eighty-seven patients were included in the study. The female/male ratio was 1.18:1, and the mean age at the onset of the disease onset was 28.03 ± 7.57 years. Oral aphthosis was the most frequent manifestation (100%). Genital aphthosis was also frequent (77%), followed by pseudofolliculitis (47.67%). Ocular symptoms were present in 80% and neurological manifestations in 31.03% of the patients. Arthralgia was reported in 31.03% and arthritis in 13.79% of the cases. Vascular involvement was seen in 13.95% of the patients. Only 1.14% had gastrointestinal involvement. This series, from a South American country, showed a similar general pattern of the BD to those found in different endemic areas in the world, with a high frequency of ocular and neurological manifestations.