Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) are systemic autoimmune diseases that may lead to multiorgan failure due to the destruction of small- and medium-sized blood vessels. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may exacerbate autoimmune diseases and induced vasculitis.
METHODS: 9 patients median age 42 years (IQR, 31 to 50) with AAV after SARS-CoV-2 were assessed for signs of autoimmune disease and
serologic inflammation.
RESULTS: There were no significant differences in median age between male and female groups. Symptoms and comorbidities were comparable in
men and women. All patients were hospitalized with fever, cough, and vasculitis symptoms. Fever (88.9 %), cough (66.7 %), skin and oral lesions
(88.9%), polyarthralgia (55.6%) and myalgia (44.4%) were the most common symptoms. Five patients (55.6%) experienced asthenia. Morbilliform eruptions (44.4%), papules and peripheral erythema (55.6%), and pernio-like acral lesions (33.3%) were distributed symmetrically on all extremities and lower trunk. Microvascular thrombosis was seen in skin biopsies of two patients with vaso-occlusive cutaneous lesions.
Serology showed positive antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-myeloperoxidase (ANCA-MPO). The anti-myeloperoxidase antibody levels were 42.6 67.6 kU/l (N <0.3 ). Eight patients had C-reactive protein levels above the normal range (8.8 mg/L to 156.9 mg/L), elevated liver enzymes, and D-dimer. The appearance was consistent with SARS-CoV-2-associated vasculitis, erythema multiforme, and viral exanthem. Organ function improved after methylprednisolone and IVIG treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2-associated AAV is a rare presentation requiring specific diagnostic assessment and therapy to suppress the severe underlying inflammation associated with ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Immunosuppressive therapy is complex and challenging to do correctly due to on-target and off-target side effects. However, it is vital to successful allotransplantation. In this article, we analyzed the critical classes of immunosuppressants used in renal transplantation, highlighting the mechanisms of action and typical clinical applications used to develop predictive models for the diagnosis of various diseases, including the prediction of survival after kidney transplantation. In patients, the authors used a dataset with two immunosuppressants (tacrolimus and cyclosporin). The primary task was investigating critical risk factors associated with early transplant rejection. For this, the censored Kaplan-Meier survival estimation method was used. Our study shows a pairwise correlation between taking and not using a particular immunosuppressant. Therefore, the correct choice of immunosuppressive drugs is necessary to improve the prognosis of transplant survival.

The presented article shows the importance of using such additional clinical markers of the development of pathological and critical conditions as non-specific adaptive reactions, which are integral indicators of the imbalance of all homeostatic systems of the body. The purpose of the study was to establish the types of non-specific adaptive reactions, to take into account changes in the ratio of cellular parameters of peripheral blood, and to use them to improve the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The results of examinations in three research groups (79 patients) were analyzed: Group I - 28 patients with STEMI and normal body weight, Group II - 24 patients with STEMI and excess body weight, and Group III - 27 patients with STEMI and obesity of the I-III degrees. The diagnosis (acute coronary syndrome) of ACS was made based on a complex clinical, laboratory and instrumental examination. Blood was taken for the study when patients were admitted to the department. The total number of leukocytes and the leukocyte blood formula were determined by standardized methods; the type of non-specific adaptation reaction - according to the method of L.H. Harkavi; the ratio of the absolute content of neutrophils to the absolute content of lymphocytes (neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, NLR), and the ratio of the absolute content of neutrophils to the absolute content of platelets (neutrophil to platelet ratio, NPR) was determined. The course of ACS occurs against the background of several non-specific adaptation reactions, where the stress reaction was dominant (42.8% - group I, 50% - group II, and 51.9% - group III), indicating the disease's severity. The highest level of NLR (p<0.05) was found in group III, relative to the NLR indicator in group I and group II, and the highest level of NPR was found in group III precisely in case of a stress reaction, which indicates an unfavourable prognosis for patients of this group. Determining the type of nonspecific adaptation reaction can serve as an additional indicator of the severity of the patient and allows us to assess the effectiveness of therapy in patients with STEMI. The indicators of NLR and NPR were useful and powerful indicators of adverse consequences during the hospitalization of patients with ACS. The type of adaptive response and the indicators of NLR and NPR are determined based on clinical blood analysis indicators, and they are economical biomarkers for predicting the severity of inflammation.

Анотація

Мeта статті — ознайомити кардіологів та лікарів сімейної медицини із сучасними лікувальними підходами, що враховують психологічні особливості пацієнтів. Професійна діяльність лікарів терапевтичного профілю значною мірою (порівняно з хірургічними та анестезіологічними спеціальностями) потребує розвитку комунікативних навиків, оскільки пацієнти відрізняються не лише за клінічними особливостями, а й за психологічними рисами, що виявляються під час діагностики та лікування. Представлено розбір чотирьох клінічних випадків із докладним описом соціально‑демографічних і поведінкових особливостей хворих, які звернулися до кардіолога для корекції медикаментозного лікування. Окрім аналізу скарг, анамнезу й даних лабораторних та інструментальних обстежень, описано типові проблеми спілкування зі «складними» хворими та надано практичні рекомендації. Висвітлено чотири варіанти можливої поведінки пацієнтів, що визначаються їхніми психологічними особливостями та виявляються під час спілкування із лікарями терапевтичного профілю. Як «класичні» обрано психотипи «експресивний», «директивний», «аналітичний» і «дружній». Для двох перших характерною ознакою є наявність високого рівня владності під час спілкування із співрозмовниками, а для двох останніх — низького рівня владності. «Аналітичні» та «директивні» особистості характеризуються значно вищим ступенем самоконтролю порівняно з «експресивними» та «дружніми». Переважно медичні працівники контактують із хворими, які поєднують риси двох психотипів із домінуванням одного з них. Обізнаність лікарів терапевтичного профілю з психологічними особливостями пацієнтів дасть змогу зрозуміти їхні очікування і поліпшити прихильність до фармакотерапії. 

Objective — to acquaint cardiologists and family medicine doctors with modern treatment approaches that take into account the psychological characteristics of patients. The professional activity of therapeutic doctors is to a large extent (especially in comparison with surgical and anesthesiology specialties) related to the need to develop communication skills, since patients differ not only in clinical features, but also in psychological traits that are revealed in the process of diagnosis and treatment. The authors performed the analysis of four clinical cases with a detailed description of socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of patients who ask for a cardiologist’s consultation for the purpose of correcting drug treatment. In addition to the analysis of complaints, anamnesis and data from laboratory and instrumental examinations, typical problems of communication with «difficult» patients have been described and practical recommendations were provided. Four variants of the possible behavior of patients are presented, determined by their psychological characteristics and manifested during communication with doctors of a therapeutic profile. The following psychotypes were chosen as «classical»: «expressive», «directive», «analytical» and «friendly». For the first two, a characteristic feature is the presence of a high level of authority in the process of communicating with interlocutors, and for the last two — a low level. Also, «analytical» and «directive» personalities are marked by a significantly higher degree of self-control compared to «expressive» and «friendly». Doctors mostly come into contact with patients who combine the features of two psychotypes with the dominance of one of them.
Physicians’ understanding of the therapeutic profile of patients’ psychological characteristics will allow understanding their expectations and improving adherence to pharmacotherapy.

Новину відредагував: library-lnmu - 22-03-2024, 10:59