Correction to: “Living with COVID”—implications for immunosuppressed and immunocompromised

Clinical Rheumatology -     

Diffusion tensor imaging analysis of rheumatoid arthritis patients with neuropsychiatric features to determine the alteration of white matter integrity due to vascular events

Clinical Rheumatology - The pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis is not well known. The magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in rheumatoid arthritis...     

“Living with COVID”—implications for immunosuppressed and immunocompromised

Clinical Rheumatology -     

Spatial distribution and characteristics of injecting drug users (IDU) in five Northeastern states of India

Background  

Injecting drugs is the major driving force of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in Northeastern India. We have assessed the spatial distribution of locations where injecting drug users (IDU) congregate, as well as the risk behaviour and key characteristics of IDUs to develop new strategies strengthening intervention measures for HIV prevention in this region.     

A study on viral haemorrhagic fever due to dengue,chikungunya and Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever virus among patients attending tertiary care hospital in North East India

PurposeThe present study was undertaken with the objective to study the common etiology of Viral Haemorrhagic Fever (VHF) among patients attending tertiary health care centre in NE India and also to study the clinico-demographic profile of such patients. The agents of VHF included in the study were dengue, chikungunya and Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus. The inclusion of CCHF was based on evidence of seroprevalence in livestock (bovine, sheep and goat) in various North Eastern states.Materials and methodsSerum samples were collected from 51 suspected VHF patients. MAC-ELISA was done to detect dengue and chikungunya specific IgM antibody. The samples were also tested by real-time RT-PCR for detection of dengue, chikungunya and CCHF specific nucleic acid. The laboratory and clinico-demographic profile of these patients were noted in detail.ResultsSerum samples of 16 of 51 suspected cases were confirmed to be suffering from VHF. Among these confirmed cases, 12 were diagnosed with dengue haemorrhagic fever, one was diagnosed with chikungunya and three were diagnosed with dengue-chikungunya co-infection. Based on severity, DHF was further classified into- DHF I- (4,26.6%), DHF II (6,40%), DHF III (3,20%) and DHF IV (2,13.3%). There was no CCHFV infection detected in our study. Retro-orbital pain (P ?= ?0.02) and haematocrit level (P ?= ?0.03) were found to be statistically significant.ConclusionsThis study reiterates the fact that CCHF virus infection is still probably absent in human population of NE India and haemorrhagic symptoms, though rare maybe one of the atypical manifestations of chikungunya infection.     

The VEXAS syndrome from rheumatology perspective: genomic DNA sequencing as available blueprint for diagnosing rheumatic diseases with overlapping haematological or dermatological findings

Clinical Rheumatology -     

Pulmonary vasculitis in Hughes-Stovin syndrome (HSS): a reference atlas and computed tomography pulmonary angiography guide—a report by the HSS International Study Group

Clinical Rheumatology - Hughes-Stovin syndrome (HSS) is a systemic vasculitis characterized by widespread venous/arterial thrombosis and pulmonary artery aneurysms (PAAs), which is associated with...     

A case of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis masquerading as Sjögren syndrome

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) -positive vasculitis is a small-vessel vasculitis that affects multiple body systems. Salivary gland involvement in ANCA-associated vasculitis is rare. When present, it mimics infection or malignancy, which might lead to misdiagnosis. In this report, we describe a 72-year-old man who presented with parotid and submandibular gland pain and swelling in addition to dry mouth and eyes. He had bilateral non-tender parotid gland lumps and no lymphadenopathies. Laboratory tests were positive for ANCA, hematuria, and proteinuria but negative for Anti-Ro and -La. He was treated with corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide for acute kidney injury. Unfortunately, the patient died a few months later. This case report sheds light on a rare manifestation of salivary gland involvement in ANCA-associated vasculitis that mimics Sjögren syndrome and the challenges associated with its diagnosis and treatment.