Deficiencies of the early complement components of the classical pathway (CP) are well-documented in association with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or SLE-like syndromes and severe pyogenic infections. Among these, complete C1s deficiency has been reported in nine cases so far. Here, we describe a 34-year-old male patient who presented with severe, recurrent infections since childhood, including meningitides with pneumococci and meningococci, erysipelas, subcutaneous abscess, and recurrent infections of the upper airways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk of infections; therefore, immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases is important. Methotrexate (MTX) impairs the antibody response to pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in patients with arthritis, and the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. Here, we investigate the potential role of the innate immune system in the faltering antibody response following PCV vaccination in RA patients treated with MTX.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In hereditary angioedema (HAE), low levels (type 1) or defect in function (type 2) of the serine-protease inhibitor C1 Inhibitor protein results in activation of the classical pathway of the complement system as well as the contact system. Here, we investigated the risk of comorbidities in HAE.
Methods: Individuals with HAE (n = 239; identified through a physician made diagnosis) and a control cohort from the general population (n = 2383; matched for age, gender, and county of residence) were compared with the Swedish inpatient, cause of death, cancer, and prescription registers.
Methotrexate (MTX) impairs antibody response after pneumococcal vaccination. We aimed to investigate differences in phenotypes of circulating B and T cells after pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients on MTX (MTX group), RA without disease-modifying drugs (0DMARD), and controls (HC). MTX group (n = 11), 0DMARD (n = 12) and HC (n = 13) were studied.
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