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The association between infectious diseases and autoimmunity has long been reported. Specifically, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this relation was further emphasized. The interplay between the two disease processes remains interesting, yet incompletely defined. Herein, we report a case series of six patients presenting with autoimmune phenomena first developed or exacerbated following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We describe the disease course and discuss the possible mechanisms underlying the association between autoimmunity and COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the case of a 65 year old female patient, presenting with a combination of bilateral hearing loss, otalgia, and hyperacusis. Pure tone audiometry revealed mixed bilateral hearing loss. Conventional cranial imaging tests failed to show a significant brain pathology, but fat‐suppressed T1‐weighted gadolinium‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging scan displayed a diffuse infiltrative skull base process, extending from the nasopharynx to the jugular fossa, and encasing the internal carotid artery. The latter findings, besides elevated inflammatory markers and a positive perinuclear anti‐neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (p‐ANCA) led to the diagnosis of ANCA‐associated vasculitis. Additional disease manifestations sequentially appeared, including a right peripheral nerve palsy, aortitis, hepatitis, peripheral neuropathy, and uveitis. Therapy with corticosteroids, azathioprine, and then cyclophosphamide brought no evident benefit, but rituximab led to impressive clinical and radiologic improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the case of a 29-year-old adult presenting with severe IgA vasculitis, with cutaneous, urologic, and renal manifestations. The late appearance of severe gastrointestinal bleeding dominated the clinical picture, necessitating the administration of tens of units of packed cells and the augmentation of the immunosuppressive protocol. It was not until therapy with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was introduced that the massive bleeding was controlled. We herein discuss the patient's presentation, the gastrointestinal manifestations of IgA vasculitis, the recommended treatments, and the existent evidence about IVIG therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 35-year-old female patient with exertion and responding poorly to treatment with simple analgesics. Topics include medical record being notable for anorexia nervosa, secondary amenorrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and a presumed diagnosis of palindromic rheumatism; and receiving therapy with estradiol, sulpiride, hydroxychloroquine, and laxatives.

We report the case of a 31-year-old male patient, presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a 6-week history of left-sided lateral neck pain, along with a minor localized swelling. A few weeks after the beginning of his complaints, he contracted a mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Upon examination, his aches were defined as carotidynia; thus, proper radiologic evaluation was carried out. While ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed evident signs of left common carotid (LCC) vasculitis, computed tomography angiography (CTA) and positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) scans revealed no vascular findings. Unexpected hypermetabolic hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy was found on PET-CT, necessitating lymph node biopsy. Pathology results displayed noncaseating granulomas. Besides, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) levels in blood were high. Sarcoidosis, with concurrent LCC vasculitis, was diagnosed, and corticosteroid therapy was started. Shortly thereafter, remarkable recovery ensued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the case of a 56-year-old male patient, who over two decades, sequentially presented with a combination of clinical manifestations. These included thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), right leg deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and eventually constitutional symptoms, arthralgia, diffuse lymphadenopathy, pancytopenia, skin rash, pericarditis, and glomerulonephritis. Serologic tests and renal pathology uncovered a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and immunosuppressive therapy was initiated. Soon after, the patient developed striking cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia, requiring prolonged antiviral therapy and reduction of immunosuppression. Finally, an acute embolic stroke complicated the disease course. Prompt interventions allowed an excellent clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound showed signs of peripheral enthesitis, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan displayed active lumbar interspinous bursitis (Figure 1A, arrows), with no signs of sacroiliitis. Keywords: bursitis; erosions; spondyloarthritis EN bursitis erosions spondyloarthritis 799 800 2 04/04/23 20230401 NES 230401 A 25 year-old male patient presented with a 2-week history of inflammatory back pain and right heel ache. Active spondyloarthritis may present as bursitis.[1] In fact, bursal tissue has been suggested to contribute to the enthesis complex,[2] implying a link between bursitis and enthesopathy.[3] While interspinous bursitis has been well-described in polymyalgia rheumatica,[4] to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of interspinous bursitis as a manifestation of active axial spondyloarthritis. [Extracted from the article]

In our previously published article, The Osteosclerosis Challenge: Toothpaste Unveiling Secrets ([1]), we reported the case of a tricenarian female patient with severe osteosclerosis, secondary to prolonged intentional fluoride consumption through toothpaste and mouthwash. Upon analysis, a very high fluoride content was found. gl Laboratory analysis was performed on the stones, revealing an extremely high fluoride concentration, approaching 22.6 parts per million. Chronic fluoride ingestion can lead to skeletal fluorosis, with the unfortunate effects on bone lasting for several years, and sometimes mimicking rheumatic diseases. [Extracted from the article]