Fatal Myocarditis in an Adolescent Girl with Evolving Connective Tissue Disease.

Connective tissue diseases are rarely suspected and diagnosed in childhood and adolescence. Rarity of occurrence and poor disease acceptance among parents make them extremely difficult to treat in the early stages. An adolescent girl presented with features of pneumonia, was worked up and diagnosed as an evolving connective tissue disease.

Persistent eosinophilia in rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective observational study.

Eosinophilia is an uncommon manifestation in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and there is a paucity of data regarding the relationship of eosinophilia with disease-related factors. We prospectively evaluated the clinical and disease-specific characteristics of RA patients with eosinophilia. Consecutive patients with RA with an absolute eosinophil count ≥ 500/mm without an apparent cause for eosinophilia, were investigated for parasitic infestation.

Renal involvement in primary Sjogren's syndrome: a prospective cohort study.

The objective of the study is to prospectively evaluate the spectrum of clinical and subclinical renal involvement in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). Of the 174 patients screened, seventy patients with pSS underwent renal function tests, urine examination, renal ultrasound, arterial blood gases, urine pH followed by urine acidification test and renal biopsy (if indicated). Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) was treated with alkali replacement and moderate-severe tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) was treated with oral prednisolone.

Takayasu arteritis (TA) first presenting with intestinal ischemia: a case report and review of gastrointestinal tract involvement (ischemic and non-ischemic) associated with TA.

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a large vessel vasculitis involving the aorta and its major branches. Insidious inflammation usually results in gradual arterial narrowing; however, critical organ ischemia is rare. We describe a young male with TA who presented with acute mesenteric ischemia requiring intestinal resection, followed by critical limb ischemia.