Tuberculous lymphadenitis is among the most frequent presentations of extrapulmonary tuberculosis; the most common presentation is isolated chronic non-tender lymphadenopathy in young adults without ...systemic symptoms. Dupilumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody directed against interleukin-4 receptor-α that blocks the synergistic effects of interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 on allergic inflammation. Its well-known adverse events are allergic conjunctivitis, injection site reaction, and dupilumab facial redness. A 32-year-old female with severe atopic dermatitis was treated with dupilumab for 2 months at our clinic. She complained of multiple enlarged palpable lymph nodes on the right side of the neck and inguinal area for 2 months. Laboratory tests showed an increased total eosinophil count and immunoglobulin E level, as well as positive interferon-γ release assays. Radiological examination showed multiple low echoic and heterogeneous well-enhancing lymph nodes in level II, III, IV, and V of the neck. Histological examination revealed caseous necrosis and tuberculoid granuloma. The lymph node enlargements were completely relieved after antituberculosis treatment. The mechanism for the development of tuberculous lymphadenitis in a patient receiving dupilumab is not fully understood yet. In some previous studies, treatment with dupilumab suppressed the expression of genes related not only to T helper 2 and eosinophil response but also to proinflammatory responses. It could not inhibit the intracellular growth of
in macrophages, predisposing them to the development of tuberculous infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the development of tuberculosis lymphadenitis in a patient treated with dupilumab.
Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a vascular and lymphatic neoplasm caused by human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8). AIDS-related KS has variable clinical courses ranging from mild disease presenting as an incidental ...finding to severe disease presenting as an aggressively progressing neoplasm that can lead to poor prognosis or even death. Typical clinical manifestation of KS is known as multiple cutaneous lesions on the extremities, trunk, and face with mucosal involvement. A 46-year-old male with AIDS complained of an erythematous patch on the right forearm which appeared 5 months ago. For a year, he was treated with antiretroviral drugs for AIDS. Physical examination revealed a 2.5-cm solitary erythematous patch only on the right forearm. Laboratory data revealed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 RNA of less than 40 copies/ml and a CD4 cell count of 264 cells/mm
. Histological examination revealed numerous slit-like spaces and vascular proliferation with primitive blood vessels dissecting between the collagen bundles and the dermis. Immunohistochemical staining showed positive HHV-8 nuclear staining of spindle cells. The histological features and positive HHV-8 immunohistochemical stain were consistent with the diagnosis of early patch stage of AIDS-related KS. KS can readily be misdiagnosed in early patch stage even by experienced clinicians, which leads to requirement of pathologic determination. On close inspection, it can be distinguished from other mimickers by its distinctive histologic features and immunohistochemical staining for HHV-8. Therefore, in cases of HIV-positive patients with clinically or histologically vascular-appearing mucocutaneous lesions, KS should be considered as a possible differential diagnosis.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) patients usually wonder if their condition will worsen after vaccination or if they should continue with the treatment they are receiving. Considering that many patients ...treated with dupilumab had previously experienced severe AD symptoms and flares, the concerns are more understandable.
This study aimed to investigate the safety of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in patients with AD treated with dupilumab.
We enrolled 133 patients (101 dupilumab-treated and 32 systemic oral agents-treated as control group) with AD from six hospitals. Patients were asked about worsening pruritus and AD (5-point Likert scale) after vaccination. AD variables (eczema area and severity index EASI, investigator's global assessment IGA, itch numerical rating scale NRS, sleep NRS, and patient-oriented eczema measure POEM) were compared pre- and post-vaccination. Adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccination were observed.
The incidence of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines and worsening AD symptoms in dupilumab-treated patients were not significantly different compared with that in the control group. The itch NRS score increased significantly after vaccination (
<0.001). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the pre-and post-EASI, IGA, and POEM scores. Eight patients (7.9%) had worse EASI scores and required rescue therapy; however, most were easily managed with low-dose steroids or topical agents. None of the patients discontinued dupilumab treatment.
No serious adverse reactions were observed in patients with AD after COVID-19 vaccination. Exacerbation of pruritus and AD symptoms was observed but was mostly mild and transient.
Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) patients usually wonder if their condition will worsen after vaccination or if they should continue with the treatment they are receiving. Considering that many ...patients treated with dupilumab had previously experienced severe AD symptoms and flares, the concerns are more understandable.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the safety of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in patients with AD treated with dupilumab.
Methods: We enrolled 133 patients (101 dupilumab-treated and 32 systemic oral agents-treated as control group) with AD from six hospitals. Patients were asked about worsening pruritus and AD (5-point Likert scale) after vaccination. AD variables (eczema area and severity index EASI, investigator’s global assessment IGA, itch numerical rating scale NRS, sleep NRS, and patient-oriented eczema measure POEM) were compared pre- and post-vaccination. Adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccination were observed.
Results: The incidence of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines and worsening AD symptoms in dupilumab-treated patients were not significantly different compared with that in the control group. The itch NRS score increased significantly after vaccination (p<0.001). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the pre-and post-EASI, IGA, and POEM scores. Eight patients (7.9%) had worse EASI scores and required rescue therapy; however, most were easily managed with low-dose steroids or topical agents. None of the patients discontinued dupilumab treatment.
Conclusion: No serious adverse reactions were observed in patients with AD after COVID-19 vaccination. Exacerbation of pruritus and AD symptoms was observed but was mostly mild and transient.
There has been no nation-wide data on the outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) after commercialization of TAVI in Korea. We report clinical features and outcomes of the first ...cohort of TAVI performed from Jun 2015 to Jun 2017 in Korea.
The first cohort of Korean-TAVI (K-TAVI) registry includes 576 consecutive patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI from 17 Korean hospitals for 2 years.
Most of TAVI procedures were performed for septuagenarians and octogenarians (90.8%) through transfemoral approach (98.3%). The rate of device success was 92.5% and permanent pacemaker was implanted in 5.6%. In successive years, incidences of paravalvular leakage (PVL) and major bleeding declined. Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score was 5.2 (3.0 to 9.0) and 34.7% of patients had high surgical risk (STS ≥8). One-year all-cause death occurred in 8.9% and was significantly lower in low to intermediate risk one than in high risk (5.4% vs. 15.5%, p<0.001). The independent predictors of 1-year mortality were age (hazard ratio HR, 1.087; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.036-1.141; p=0.001), moderate or severe PVL (HR, 4.631; 95% CI, 1.624-13.203; p=0.004) and end-stage renal disease (HR, 5.785; 95% CI, 2.717-12.316; p<0.001).
K-TAVI registry showed favorable 1-year outcomes with decreasing complication rate over time in real-world Korean patients. Two-thirds of patients were low to intermediate surgical risk and showed a significantly lower mortality than the high-risk patients, suggesting the promising future on the expanded indications of TAVI.