scholarly journals Cytokine Release Syndrome in COVID-19 Patients, A New Scenario for an Old Concern: The Fragile Balance between Infections and Autoimmunity

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Picchianti Diamanti ◽  
Maria Manuela Rosado ◽  
Claudio Pioli ◽  
Giorgio Sesti ◽  
Bruno Laganà
Keyword(s):  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Immunosuppressive Agents ◽  
Close Monitoring ◽  
Cytokine Release ◽  
Cytokine Release Syndrome ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Right ◽  
Consequent Increase

On 7 January 2020, researchers isolated and sequenced in China from patients with severe pneumonitis a novel coronavirus, then called SARS-CoV-2, which rapidly spread worldwide, becoming a global health emergency. Typical manifestations consist of flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, fatigue, and dyspnea. However, in about 20% of patients, the infection progresses to severe interstitial pneumonia and can induce an uncontrolled host-immune response, leading to a life-threatening condition called cytokine release syndrome (CRS). CRS represents an emergency scenario of a frequent challenge, which is the complex and interwoven link between infections and autoimmunity. Indeed, treatment of CRS involves the use of both antivirals to control the underlying infection and immunosuppressive agents to dampen the aberrant pro-inflammatory response of the host. Several trials, evaluating the safety and effectiveness of immunosuppressants commonly used in rheumatic diseases, are ongoing in patients with COVID-19 and CRS, some of which are achieving promising results. However, such a use should follow a multidisciplinary approach, be accompanied by close monitoring, be tailored to patient’s clinical and serological features, and be initiated at the right time to reach the best results. Autoimmune patients receiving immunosuppressants could be prone to SARS-CoV-2 infections; however, suspension of the ongoing therapy is contraindicated to avoid disease flares and a consequent increase in the infection risk.

scholarly journals Dealing with Pheochromocytoma during the First Trimester of Pregnancy

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Kiroplastis ◽  
Apostolos Kambaroudis ◽  
Apostolos Andronikou ◽  
Andromachi Reklou ◽  
Dimitris Kokkonis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Woman ◽  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Fetal Mortality ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
First Trimester Of Pregnancy ◽  
The Right ◽  
Specific Symptoms

Purpose. Pheochromocytoma in association with pregnancy is a very rare, without specific symptoms, life-threatening condition, increasing both maternal and fetal mortality up to 50%. The present paper illustrates the case of a pregnant woman, diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, aiming to demonstrate and discuss the difficulties that arouse during the diagnosis and the problems concerning the treatment.Patient. A 34-year-old woman, in the 9th week of pregnancy, complained for headache, sweating, and a feeling of heavy weight on the right renal area. A tumor of 10 cm diameter at the site of the right adrenal was found. Twenty-four-hour urine catecholamine and VMA excretion levels were well raised.Results. Multidisciplinary approach treated the patient conservatively. Surgical resection of the tumor was performed after the 14th week of pregnancy at the completion of organogenesis. Neither postoperative complications occurred nor hypertension relapse was recorded. The fetus was delivered without complications at the 36th week.Conclusions. There are no consensus and guidelines for treating pheochromocytoma during pregnancy, especially when it is diagnosed in the first trimester. The week of pregnancy and a multidisciplinary approach will determine whether the pregnancy should be continued or not, as well as the time and the approach of surgical treatment.

May-Thurner syndrome – Are we aware enough?

VASA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 381-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katalin Mako ◽  
Attila Puskas
Keyword(s):  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Iliac Vein ◽  
Common Iliac Vein ◽  
Vein Thrombosis ◽  
Compression Syndrome ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Iliac Vein Compression ◽  
Iliac Vein Compression Syndrome ◽  
The Right

Summary. Iliac vein compression syndrome (May-Thurner syndrome – MTS) is an anatomically variable clinical condition in which the left common iliac vein is compressed between the right common iliac artery and the underlying spine. This anatomic variant results in an increased incidence of left iliac or iliofemoral vein thrombosis. It predominantly affects young women in the second or third decades of life with preponderance during pregnancy or oral contraceptive use. Although MTS is rare, its true prevalence is underestimated but it can be a life-threatening condition due to development of pulmonary embolism (PE). In this case based review the authors present three cases of MTS. All patients had been previously confirmed with PE, but despite they were admitted to hospital, diagnosed and correctly treated for PE and investigated for thrombophilia, the iliac vein compression syndrome was not suspected or investigated. With this presentation the authors would like to emphasize that MTS is mostly underdiagnosed, and it needs to be ruled out in left iliofemoral vein thrombosis in young individuals.

scholarly journals Necrotizing fasciitis with group A Streptococci and Eggerthella lenta as a complication of Varicella in a child – case presentation –

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-39
Author(s):  
Cambrea Simona Claudia ◽  
Ilie Maria Margareta ◽  
Carp Dalia Sorina ◽  
Ionescu C.
Keyword(s):  
Necrotizing Fasciitis ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
The Body ◽  
Group A Streptococci ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Group A ◽  
The Right ◽  
Surgery Department ◽  
Short Time

ABSTRACT Necrotizing fasciitis is a life threatening condition that can be quickly spread through the flesh surrounding the muscle. The disease can be polymicrobial, or caused by group A beta hemolytic Streptococci, or by Clostridium spp. We present a case of a 7 years old girl, which was hospitalized in Children Infectious Diseases Department in a 7th day of chickenpox (hematic crusts all over the body), high fever, asthenia, vomiting, oligoanuria, and tumefaction, pain and functio lessa in the right thigh. In a very short time in the right thigh swelling, edema and congestion have increased gradually, and in the third highest middle thigh the ecchymotic areas appeared evolving towards bubbles and blisters which included the right thigh and calf. After excluding the diagnosis of thrombophlebitis was raised suspicion of necrotizing fasciitis. CT pelvic scan evidenced pelvic asymmetry by maximus and medium right gluteal muscles swelling with important inflammatory infiltrate extended laterally in the subcutaneous adipose tissue. In blood culture was isolated Eggerthella lenta, and from throat swab was isolated group A Streptococci. Treatment consists of a combination of antibiotics associated with intravenous immunoglobulin administration. Despite medical treatment evolution worsened and required transfer in a pediatric surgery department where emergent surgical debridement associated with intensive antibiotic therapy was done. After this intervention evolution was slowly favorable without major limb dysfunction. Polymicrobial necrotizing fasciitis is a severe disease, which if recognized early can have a favorable outcome.

scholarly journals Croup and COVID-19 in a child: a case report and literature review

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. e244769
Author(s):  
Chee Chean Lim ◽  
Jeyasakthy Saniasiaya ◽  
Jeyanthi Kulasegarah
Keyword(s):  
Paediatric Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Rare Case ◽  
Prolonged Treatment ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Close Monitoring ◽  
Limited Experience ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Severe Pathology ◽  
Inflammatory Syndrome

Croup (laryngotracheitis) is frequently encountered in the emergency department in a young child presenting with stridor. We describe a rare case of croup secondary to SARS-CoV-2 in an 18-month-old child who presented with stridor and respiratory distress and required urgent intubation. Subsequently, the child developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The child was monitored in paediatric intensive care unit. We would like to highlight that COVID-19 croup in children may be an indicator for MIS-C, and close monitoring is warranted as MIS-C is a life-threatening condition. Our limited experience suggests that COVID-19 croup especially if associated with MIS-C has an underlying more severe pathology and may require prolonged treatment in comparison with the typical croup or even COVID-19 croup. It is important to recognise this clinical entity during a time when most countries are in a third wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Stridor in infant caused by subglottic hemangiome: case report

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Lot ◽  
Caroline Rosa ◽  
Camila Freitas ◽  
Gracinda Adnet ◽  
Luisa Costa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beta Agonist ◽  
First Year ◽  
Vascular Neoplasms ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Diagnostic Hypothesis ◽  
Therapeutic Measures ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Age Range

Subglottic hemagioma is a rare cause of stridor, but it is one of the most common vascular neoplasms of the airways in childhood. If the treatment is not promptly instituted, it becomes a life-threatening condition. The diagnosis should be suspected when infants outside the age range for acute laryngitis present with stridor associated with severe respiratory effort, without viral prodromes, with a condition that is not responsive to initial therapeutic measures considering the main diagnostic hypothesis. Infantile hemangiomas begin to proliferate during the first year of life (between the 1st and 2nd month of life). Involution usually occurs between 6 months and 12 months of life (most involution until 4 years). The case is a 5-month-old female infant, with sudden stridor associated with respiratory distress without viral prodromes or fever, with little response to inhaled short-acting beta-agonist, inhaled adrenaline, as well as corticosteroids inhalation/parenteral. Bronchoscopy showed a bulging of the submucosa to the right of the subglottis with slight vascularization, suggestive of subglottic hemangioma. Treatment with propranolol was initiated orally with the aim of regressing the hemangioma and after clinical stability, the infant was discharged with outpatient follow-up.

scholarly journals Cardiac sarcoidosis: systematic review of literature on corticosteroid and immunosuppressive therapies

2021 ◽  
pp. 2100449
Author(s):  
Julien Stievenart ◽  
Guillaume Le Guenno ◽  
Marc Ruivard ◽  
Virginie Rieu ◽  
Marc André ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Events ◽  
Cardiac Sarcoidosis ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Immunosuppressive Agents ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Randomised Control Trial ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Prisma Statement ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening

BackgroundCardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a life-threatening condition in which clear recommendations are lacking. We aimed to review systematically the literature on cardiac sarcoidosis treated by corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressive agents in order to update the management of CS.MethodsUsing Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases, we found original articles on corticosteroid and/or standard immunosuppressive therapies for CS which provided at least fair SIGN overall assessment of quality and analyse the relapse rate, major cardiac adverse events (MACEs) and adverse events. We base our methods on Prisma statement and checklist.ResultsWe retrieved 21 studies. Mean quality provided by SIGN assessment was 6.8/14 (range 5–9). Corticosteroids appeared to have a positive impact on left ventricular function, atrioventricular block, and ventricular arrhythmias. For corticosteroids alone, nine (45%) studies (n=351) provided data on relapses, representing an incidence of 34% (n=119). Three studies (14%, n=73) provided data on MACEs (n=33), representing 45% of MACEs in patients treated by corticosteroid alone. Nine studies provided data on adjunctive immunosuppressive therapy in which four studies (n=78) provided data on CS relapse, representing an incidence of 33% (n=26). Limitations consisted in no randomised control trial retrieved and unclear data on MACEs in patients treated by combined immunosuppressive agents and corticosteroids.ConclusionsCorticosteroids should be started early after diagnosis but the exact scheme is still unclear. Studies concerning adjunctive conventional immunosuppressive therapies are lacking and benefits of adjunctive immunosuppressive therapies are unclear. Homogenous data on CS long-term outcomes under corticosteroids, immunosuppressive therapies and other adjunctive therapies are lacking.

(Un) conventional complicated pancreatitis

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-67
Author(s):  
Michal Rybár ◽  
Ivo Horný
Keyword(s):  
Acute Pancreatitis ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Pancreatic Necrosis ◽  
Surgical Intervention ◽  
Secondary Infection ◽  
Abdominal Ultrasound ◽  
Stent Migration ◽  
Endoscopic Extraction ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening

Acute pancreatitis is sudden inflammatory disease of pancreas, which can vary from a mild form to severe life threatening condition. The management of pancreatitis usually consists of intensive care and multidisciplinary approach, often including surgical intervention or digestive endoscopy. In this article, we present a 68-year-old female with recidivous acute pancreatitis who underwent a series of endoscopic examinations and at the end also an unusual surgical intervention due to numerous complications. At first, it seemed that there was an idiopatic etiology because neither an anamnesis of alcohol consumption nor metabolic risks or CT signs of cholelithiasis were found. The condition was complicated by the development of acute necrotic collection, gastrointestinal bleeding and development of walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WOPN). Later, the biliary etiology was revealed after cholecystolithiasis was found on abdominal ultrasound. The WOPN was endoscopically drained because of the local compression syndrome. After the drainage, we noticed two cases of stent migration and the secondary infection of the WOPN. At the end, the migrated stents caused transient bowel obstruction and were stuck in the distal ileum. After three unsuccessful attempts to endoscopic extraction, the condition was solved by surgical intervention and double enterotomy was performed. The postoperative care was not easy anyway, being complicated by the dehiscence of the surgical wound with the need of opening the wound and use the VAC system to heal it up.

scholarly journals Preemptive mitigation of CD19 CAR T-cell cytokine release syndrome without attenuation of antileukemic efficacy

Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (24) ◽  
pp. 2149-2158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca A. Gardner ◽  
Francesco Ceppi ◽  
Julie Rivers ◽  
Colleen Annesley ◽  
Corinne Summers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽  
Cytokine Release ◽  
Cytokine Release Syndrome ◽  
Car T Cell ◽  
Car T ◽  
Antileukemic Effect ◽  
Life Threatening

Gardner et al report that early intervention with tocilizumab and steroids at the first signs of mild cytokine release syndrome (CRS) following CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell infusion for B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia reduces the development of life-threatening severe CRS without having a negative impact on antileukemic effect.

scholarly journals Current concepts in the diagnosis and management of cytokine release syndrome

Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel W. Lee ◽  
Rebecca Gardner ◽  
David L. Porter ◽  
Chrystal U. Louis ◽  
Nabil Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Algorithm ◽  
Interferon Γ ◽  
Therapeutic Benefit ◽  
Cytokine Release ◽  
Cytokine Release Syndrome ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Circulating Levels ◽  
Important Cytokine

Abstract As immune-based therapies for cancer become potent, more effective, and more widely available, optimal management of their unique toxicities becomes increasingly important. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a potentially life-threatening toxicity that has been observed following administration of natural and bispecific antibodies and, more recently, following adoptive T-cell therapies for cancer. CRS is associated with elevated circulating levels of several cytokines including interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon γ, and uncontrolled studies demonstrate that immunosuppression using tocilizumab, an anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, with or without corticosteroids, can reverse the syndrome. However, because early and aggressive immunosuppression could limit the efficacy of the immunotherapy, current approaches seek to limit administration of immunosuppressive therapy to patients at risk for life-threatening consequences of the syndrome. This report presents a novel system to grade the severity of CRS in individual patients and a treatment algorithm for management of CRS based on severity. The goal of our approach is to maximize the chance for therapeutic benefit from the immunotherapy while minimizing the risk for life threatening complications of CRS.

Intracranial aneurysm following radiation therapy for medulloblastoma

1997 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. K. Jensen ◽  
A. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Intracranial Aneurysm ◽  
Intracranial Aneurysms ◽  
Distal Part ◽  
Anterior Cerebral Artery ◽  
Craniospinal Radiation ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Radiation Induced ◽  
The Right

Radiation-induced intracranial aneurysm formation is a rare but life-threatening condition with a high mortality rate secondary to rupture of the aneurysm. Further-more, this condition can mimic tumour recurrence. Only 10 months after craniospinal radiation therapy for medulloblastoma, a 9-year-old boy developed a subarachnoid haemorrhage secondary to a ruptured saccular aneurysm arising from the distal part of the right anterior cerebral artery. The development of intracranial aneurysms and rupture following radiation damage of the arteries has been reported previously, but in no case as soon as 10 months after radiation therapy. It is important to diagnose these aneurysms as they can be successfully treated.

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