Unlabelled: We report the case of a 62-year-old male patient fully vaccinated for COVID-19, admitted to our emergency room for persistent fever associated with exertional dyspnoea, skin lesions, diffuse myalgias and arthralgias not responsive to broad-spectrum antibiotic and antiviral therapy, who developed a rapidly progressive refractory to treatment interstitial lung disease due to anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibodies, that required mechanical ventilation and ECMO. Here, we highlight the importance of always considering alternative diagnoses, i.e. viral and autoimmune diseases, including anti-MDA5 antibody screening, when dealing with patients with a skin rash, seronegative polyarthralgias and interstitial pneumonia, or acute respiratory distress syndrome of unknown origin.

Learning Points: MDA5-associated dermatomyositis is a rare systemic syndrome associated with rapidly progressive and treatment-refractory interstitial lung disease.The anti-MDA5 antibody is the key biomarker for the diagnosis.Early diagnosis is crucial to promptly start aggressive immunosuppressive therapy with the aims of improving prognosis and reducing mortality.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8592657PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.12890/2021_002860DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

interstitial lung
12
skin rash
8
interstitial pneumonia
8
anti-melanoma differentiation-associated
8
differentiation-associated gene
8
lung disease
8
rapidly progressive
8
anti-mda5 antibody
8
interstitial
5
rash interstitial
4

Similar Publications

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are increased in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease.

Respir Res

January 2025

Department of Key Laboratory of Ningxia Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, Ningxia, China.

Background: Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation has been implicated as a pathogenic mechanism in both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, the role of NETs in RA-associated ILD (RA-ILD) and the mechanisms driving NET formation remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the involvement of NETs in RA-ILD and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The fibronectin-targeting PEG-FUD imaging probe shows enhanced uptake during fibrogenesis in experimental lung fibrosis.

Respir Res

January 2025

Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI, 53792, USA.

Progressive forms of interstitial lung diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), are deadly disorders lacking non-invasive biomarkers for assessment of early disease activity, which presents a major obstacle in disease management. Excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition is a hallmark of these disorders, with fibronectin being an abundant ECM glycoprotein that is highly upregulated in early fibrosis and serves as a scaffold for the deposition of other matrix proteins. Due to its role in active fibrosis, we are targeting fibronectin as a biomarker of early lung fibrosis disease activity via the PEGylated fibronectin-binding polypeptide (PEG-FUD).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: People with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other forms of progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) have a high symptom burden and a poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Despite efforts to offer specialised treatment, clinical care for these patients remains suboptimal and several nonmedical needs remain unaddressed. Developing a core outcome set (COS) can help to identify a minimum set of agreed-upon outcomes that should be measured and acted-upon in clinical care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A woman in her mid-70s presented with worsening dyspnoea, cough and fatigue initially treated for pneumonia. Despite antibiotics, her condition deteriorated, prompting further investigation. Medical history included previous breast implants, the latter of which had ruptured years earlier and was subsequently removed prior to the current presentation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A nomogram for the prediction of co-infection in MDA5 dermatomyositis: A rapid clinical assessment model.

Clin Immunol

January 2025

Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Laboratory of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. Electronic address:

Background: Patients with anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5-positive dermatomyositis (MDA5 DM) are prone to infections, but there is a lack of rapid methods to assess infection risk, which greatly affects patient prognosis. This study aims to analyze the clinical features of MDA5 DM patients systematically and develop a predictive model for infections.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data from 118 hospitalized patients with MDA5 DM.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!