Pancreatic Associated Manifestations in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic relapsing inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, encompassing Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and inflammatory bowel disease unclassified (IBD-U). They are currently considered as systemic disorders determined by a set of genetic predispositions, individual susceptibility and environmental triggers, potentially able to involve other organs and systems than the gastrointestinal tract. A large number of patients experiences one or more extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs), whose sites affected are mostly represented by the joints, skin, bones, liver, eyes, and pancreas. Pancreatic abnormalities are not uncommon and are often underestimated, encompassing acute and chronic pancreatitis, autoimmune pancreatitis, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and asymptomatic elevation of pancreatic enzymes. In most cases they are the result of environmental triggers. However, several genetic polymorphisms may play a role as precipitating factors or contributing to a more severe course. The aim of this paper is to provide an updated overview on the available evidence concerning the etiology, pathogenesis and clinical presentation of pancreatic diseases in IBD pediatric patients.

Autoimmune necrotising myopathy and HMGCR antibodies

Statins lower serum cholesterol concentrations by inhibiting the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR). Muscle side effects are relatively common and include asymptomatic elevation of serum creatine kinase (CK), myalgia, proximal muscle weakness and rhabdomyolysis. More recently, a subset of cases of immune-mediated necrotising myopathy has been found to have antibodies against HMGCR. It is often an aggressive and debilitating myopathy and has a complex pathogenesis characterised by fibre necrosis, usually with minimal associated inflammation. Not all such patients are taking statins. The general consensus is that best treatment involves withdrawing the statin and giving immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory treatment. We describe three cases of HMGCR-related immune-mediated necrotising myopathy, detailing their clinical course and subsequent management, illustrating the spectrum of this disorder.

Prognostic Significance of Asymptomatic Brain Natriuretic Peptide Elevation at Nephrology Referral in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: It is unclear whether asymptomatic elevation of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is associated with cardiovascular events (CVEs) or heart failure (HF) in predialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Methods: We measured BNP in 482 asymptomatic predialysis patients with CKD stages 2–5 at nephrology referral between August 2004 and October 2010, and followed them prospectively to investigate the prognostic significance of BNP using Cox models and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. The primary composite end point was the time to death or the first nonfatal CVEs. Secondary end points included CVEs including sudden death, HF and all-cause death. Results: The median age was 67 years (male, 67.4%; diabetic nephropathy, 33.4%), and estimated glomerular filtration rate was 20.1 mL/min/1.73 m2. The primary end point occurred in 92 patients. CVEs including sudden death, HF and all-cause death occurred in 66, 35, and 54 patients, respectively during a median follow-up period of 37.7 months. Multivariate analyses showed that BNP level was significantly associated with the primary end point (hazard ratio [HR] 1.241; 95% CI 1.020–1.511; p = 0.031), CVEs (HR 1.337; 95% CI 1.067–1.675; p = 0.012) and HF (HR 1.489; 95% CI 1.059–2.091; p = 0.022), but not associated with all-cause death (HR 1.081; 95% CI 0.829–1.410; p = 0.565). The ROC curves showed that the optimal predictive BNP levels for the primary end point, CVEs and HF were 92.5, 127.0, and 274.6 (pg/mL) respectively. Conclusion: Asymptomatic elevation of BNP is strongly predictive for CVEs and HF, which might help to integrate cardio-renal risk stratification in predialysis CKD patients.

Pattern and Significance of Asymptomatic Elevation of Liver Enzymes in Mycoplasma Pneumonia in Children

Mycoplasma infection is on the rise in recent times. It usually infects any system, including liver. This study aims to show the significance of elevated liver enzymes in mycoplasma pneumonia and to have a look at future prospects. This is a single-center retrospective study involving 105 children serologically positive for mycoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies and 50 with community-acquired pneumonia caused by organisms other than mycoplasma and Epstein-Barr virus from June 2015 to June 2016 and all without prior liver disease. The patients were followed after 10 days (7-14 days). The liver enzymes were significantly elevated in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. The mean levels of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase were 39.3 and 32.5 IU/L, respectively. There was a seasonal variation during the months of September and February. Liver involvement in mycoplasma pneumonia is mostly a benign condition and asymptomatic. It is insisted that children with continued elevation should be followed conservatively to avoid unnecessary diagnostic procedures in the future.