Safety of Recombinant Zoster Vaccine in Rheumatology Patients.

Objectives: Recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) is Food and Drug Administration approved for the prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) in adults 50 years old and older. Immunocompromised subjects were excluded from the pivotal vaccine trials. We studied the safety of this vaccine in our university-affiliated rheumatology practice.

Dermatomyositis Developed After Exposure to Epstein-Barr Virus Infection and Antibiotics Use.

Dermatomyositis is an inflammatory disorder involving muscle and skin. Similar to many other autoimmune diseases, environmental factors appear to trigger the onset of disease in some cases. Many drugs have been reported to be associated with dermatomyositis, and rarely infections have been described as potential triggering agents.

Acute Liver and Renal Failure: A Rare Adverse Effect Exclusive to Intravenous form of Amiodarone.

Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic drug which is highly effective against a wide spectrum of ventricular tachyarrhythmias making it irreplaceable in certain group of patients. We report an unusual case of acute liver and renal failure within 24 hours of initiation of intravenous (IV) amiodarone which resolved after stopping the medication. The mechanism of acute liver and renal toxicity is not clearly known but is believed to be secondary to amiodarone induced (relative) hypotension, idiosyncratic reaction to the drug, and toxicity of the vector that carries the medication, polysorbate-80.