Invisible, Uncontrollable, Unpredictable: Illness Experiences in Women with Sjögren Syndrome.

: Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) is a chronic degenerative rheumatic disease. Because of its chronic nature, it significantly affects the quality of life of those who suffer from it. : This qualitative study investigated disease experience among women suffering from SS to understand its impact on their overall well-being.

[Pulmonary manifestations of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated vasculitis].

This article reviews the pulmonary manifestations of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated vasculitis (AAV). Its frequency in the different phenotypes of the disease, clinical manifestations and updated therapeutic recommendations are reviewed, aiming to alert the medical community about the existence of these diseases. We pretend to stimulate a timely suspicion, diagnostic precision, and the implementation of effective therapies, to reduce the eventual sequelae derived from a diagnostic omission or an inappropriate treatment for the different clinical scenarios in which these diseases appear.

Illness Experience and Quality of Life in Sjögren Syndrome Patients.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a disease with autoimmune features that affects mainly women and compromises the health-related quality of Life (HRQoL); it is important to evaluate illness experience for a better understanding of the life situation of the patient. The aim of the study was to summarize the individual life experiences and determine the impact of HRQoL and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and their correlation with health self-assessment in women with SS. The life experiences evaluation employed a concept mapping design to structure qualitative content obtained from semi-structured interviews.

[Giant cell arteritis. Experience in 32 patients].

Background: Giant cell Arteritis (GCA) is the most common systemic vasculitis in patients over 50 years. Diagnosis is based on clinical, laboratory, imaging and biopsy. Temporal artery biopsy (TAB) may be inconclusive in up to 40% of patients.

[IGG4-related disease. Report of 52 patients].

Background: IgG4-related disease (IgG4 RD) is an immune-mediated fibro-inflammatory disorder, with tissue infiltration of IgG4+ plasma cells. It causes pseudotumors, tumors, and a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations.

Aim: To report the clinical, laboratory, histopathological and treatment characteristics of a group of Chilean patients with IgG4 RD.

Diffuse Lymphadenopathy Syndrome as a Flare-Up Manifestation in Lupus and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease Following Mild COVID-19.

BACKGROUND Manifestations of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, are highly variable among healthy populations. In connective tissue disease patients, the spectrum of clinical manifestations is even broader. In mild COVID-19 patients, diffuse lymphadenopathy (DL) has not been described as a late manifestation, and only severe COVID-19 has been associated with lupus flare-ups.

[Variables associated with mortality in 103 patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies associated vasculitis].

Background: Cumulative survival in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) associated vasculitis (VAA) is 88 and 78% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. Despite this, mortality continues to be 2.7 times higher than the general population.

Interstitial lung disease and microscopic polyangiitis in chilean patients.

Objective: To describe the clinical and serological patients characteristics with Microscopic Polyangiitis (MPA) and Interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Methods: Of all the patients with AAV diagnosed between 2007-2017 at the Hospital Clinico Universidad de Chile, those with MPA and ILD were selected and studied retrospectively.

Results: All patients were Hispanic; median age at diagnosis 65 years (32-84).

Illness Experiences of Chilean Women With Sjögren's Syndrome: The Patient Perspective.

Objective: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) challenges everyday functioning and well-being. The aim of this study was to structure and summarize the life experiences of Chilean women with SS in an integrated model.

Methods: Interviews from a previous study yielded 75 experiences of living with SS.

Illness Experiences in Women with Oral Dryness as a Result of Sjögren's Syndrome: The Patient Point of View.

Background: Sjögren's syndrome and the associated dryness can have multiple consequences. The aim of the present qualitative study was to give an in-depth account of the life experiences of women with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) and health-related behaviours, and to summarize these experiences in an integrated model.

Methods: Twelve women diagnosed with pSS who regularly attended the Hospital of the University of Chile participated in detailed interviews.

[Aortitis: report of three cases].

Aortitis is a nonspecific term that describes an inflammation of the aortic wall caused by inflammatory, infectious, paraneoplastic and idiopathic diseases. The symptoms are variable and nonspecific; therefore a high level of clinical suspicion is required to diagnose it. It is often an incidental finding while looking for other diagnoses and it is confirmed mainly through imaging studies.

Anti-TNF therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis decreases Th1 and Th17 cell populations and expands IFN-γ-producing NK cell and regulatory T cell subsets.

The aim of this work was to study the effect of anti-TNF treatment on CD4+ Th1, Th17 and regulatory T cells (Tregs), together with CD8+ T cells and NK cells from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. For this purpose, 18 RA patients received adalimumab during 16weeks and their peripheral blood lymphocytes were assessed by flow cytometry at the beginning and at the end of the study. We found that the proportion of Th17 cells was directly correlated with Th1 cells, but inversely correlated with IFN-γ-producing NK cells.

Weak CD4+ T-cell responses to citrullinated vimentin in rheumatoid arthritis patients carrying HLA-DR9 alleles.

Citrullinated vimentin (cVIM) is one of the antigens specifically targeted by anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The association between ACPA and certain HLA-DRB1 alleles, those coding for the shared epitope (SE), suggests that this response could be T-cell mediated. HLA-DR9 alleles, which do not code for the SE, have recently been associated with ACPA (+) RA.

The presence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) does not affect the clinical response to adalimumab in a group of RA patients with the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α-308 G/G promoter polymorphism.

The introduction of antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents has improved the outcome for many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To date, the only replicated genetic predictor of anti-TNF response is the -308 G > A single-nucleotide polymorphism in the TNF promoter region. The presence of the -308 TNF G/G genotype appears to be a marker of good response to anti-TNF treatment.

B cells from rheumatoid arthritis patients show important alterations in the expression of CD86 and FcgammaRIIb, which are modulated by anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy.

Introduction: Several molecules help preserve peripheral B cell tolerance, but when altered, they may predispose to autoimmunity. This work studied the expression of the costimulatory molecule CD86 and the inhibitory receptor for IgG immune complexes FcgammaRIIb (CD32b), on B cells from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and the influence of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy.

Methods: Peripheral B cells from 18 RA patients and 13 healthy donors were characterized using flow cytometry.

[Retrospective review of 44 Chilean patients with Behçet disease].

Background: Behçet's disease (BD) is a rare multisystemic inflammatory disease that is potentially disabling and may cause death.

Aim: To describe the characteristics of BD patients from two Chilean centers.

Patients And Method: Retrospective review of the clinical records of patients with BD attended in two rheumatology services between 1985 and 2007.