Predictors of relapse of polymyositis/dermatomyositis associated interstitial lung disease.

Background: Polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM) patients often develop interstitial lung disease (ILD), which can lead to relapse despite anti-inflammatory treatments. This study aims to elucidate the clinical characteristics of relapses in PM/DM-associated ILD patients.

Methods: We gathered clinical data, including laboratory results, pulmonary function tests, chest high-resolution computed tomography findings from patients treated at Okinawa Chubu Hospital between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2018.

Validation of claims-based algorithms for rheumatoid arthritis in Japan: Results from the VALIDATE-J study.

Aim: Validity of Algorithms in Large Databases: Infectious Diseases, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Tumor Evaluation in Japan (VALIDATE-J) study examined algorithms for identifying rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Japanese claims data.

Methods: VALIDATE-J was a multicenter, cross-sectional retrospective study. Disease-identifying algorithms were used to detect RA diagnosed between January 2012 and December 2016 using claims data from two Japanese hospitals.

Validity of claims-based diagnoses for infectious diseases common among immunocompromised patients in Japan.

Background: To validate Japanese claims-based disease-identifying algorithms for herpes zoster (HZ), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), nontuberculous mycobacteria infections (NTM), and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP).

Methods: VALIDATE-J, a multicenter, cross-sectional, retrospective study, reviewed the administrative claims data and medical records from two Japanese hospitals. Claims-based algorithms were developed by experts to identify HZ, MTB, NTM, and PJP cases among patients treated 2012-2016.

Systemic lupus erythematosus presenting with lymphoid interstitial pneumonia as an initial manifestation.

A 25-year-old woman with an extensive travel history developed chronic cough and multiple lung nodules. The lung biopsy revealed lymphoid interstitial pneumonia. The patient later developed cervical lymphadenopathy, arthritis and livedo reticularis, then systemic lupus erythematosus was diagnosed with positive double-stranded DNA and low complement.

Late-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Associated with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia and Sixth Cranial Nerve Palsy.

BACKGROUND Patients with late-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) do not present with typical SLE symptoms or serology, and this can lead to a major delay in diagnosis. We report a complex case of an older woman who developed autoimmune hemolytic anemia and sixth cranial nerve palsy that posed considerable challenges in diagnosing late-onset SLE. CASE REPORT A 78-year-old Japanese woman presented with polyarthritis associated with generalized fatigue for 2 months, who later developed diplopia.

Unusual organ involvement in sarcoidosis: sarcoid myopathy and peritoneal sarcoidosis.

Myopathy and peritoneal involvement are rare complications of sarcoidosis, and the latter can mimic malignancy with peritoneal dissemination. In this case, a patient with a history of polyarthritis and positive rheumatoid factor presented with proximal muscle weakness and abdominal pain. Biopsies of muscle and peritoneum revealed non-caseating granuloma suggesting sarcoidosis.

Validity of claims-based algorithms for selected cancers in Japan: Results from the VALIDATE-J study.

Purpose: Real-world data from large administrative claims databases in Japan have recently become available, but limited evidence exists to support their validity. VALIDATE-J validated claims-based algorithms for selected cancers in Japan.

Methods: VALIDATE-J was a multicenter, cross-sectional, retrospective study.

Postpartum pheochromocytoma-induced takotsubo syndrome.

A postpartum patient with acute-onset dyspnoea and hypotention, associated with reduced left ventricular function requiring intensive blood pressure control, was initially misdiagnosed as having peripartum cardiomyopathy. Her clinical symptoms rapidly resolved. Echocardiography revealed reversible left ventricular dysfunction with apical ballooning and coronary angiography was normal.