Antibiotics for treating osteomyelitis in people with sickle cell disease

Probing Beyond the Pain Scale: A Rare Case of Cutibacterium Acnes Septic Arthritis

Patients with sickle cell disease frequently present to the hospital for pain control secondary to vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs). Diagnostic challenges exist for healthcare providers in distinguishing joint pain secondary to a VOC from an intraarticular infection at initial presentation due to the lack of established clinical markers exclusive to one or the other. We present a 35-year-old female with sickle cell disease and avascular necrosis of bilateral hips and the right shoulder with several previous admissions for VOC pain control complaining of a "different" kind of pain in her shoulder. Treated initially for pain control, our patient was found to be suffering from culture-positive septic arthritis of the shoulder with Cutibacterium acnes, a rare source of de novo intraarticular infection. This case highlights the importance of incorporating patients' subjective descriptions of illness into differential diagnosis considerations, notably for those caring for patients with sickle cell disease. This case also establishes C. acnes as a rare organism responsible for de novo septic arthritis in the setting of sickle cell disease.

Management of Salter-Harris Type 1 Fracture Complicated with Osteomyelitis in a Sickle Cell Disease Patient: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Salter-Harris fractures may occur due to a single injury or repetitive stress fractures on the extremities. Type I to III fractures are managed medically, while types IV and V, which are rare, are treated surgically. In the pediatric population, Salter-Harris I fractures of the distal tibia are commonly seen, and management of such fractures are well established in the literature. Despite the availability of a wide range of treatment for such fractures, osteonecrosis or avascular necrosis of the proximal femur can subsequently develop. Avascular necrosis is cell death secondary to metabolic disturbances, trauma, adverse effects of certain medications, or sickle cell disease. Avascular necrosis commonly affects the talus, humerus, or tibia in addition to the femoral head. Radiographic images are essential for prompt diagnosis and to minimize negative health outcomes in these patients. However, Salter-Harris I fracture in sickle cell patients can be very challenging due to these patients' vulnerability to bone infections and sickle cell crisis. In this case report, our patient with a history of sickle cell disease and with a diagnosis of Salter-Harris I fracture was treated with surgical intervention as type V, which is discussed in this article, and responded well to treatment. Thus, this case suggests a new approach to managing Salter-Harris I fractures complicated with osteomyelitis in sickle cell patients.

[Osteoarticular infections in patients with sickle cell disease in Lubumbashi: epidemiological study focusing on etiology and management]

INTRODUCTION

infections are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with sickle cell disease, especially before age 5 years. The purpose of this study was to highlight the epidemiological features, etiologies and management of osteoarticular infections in patients with sickle cell disease in Lubumbashi.

METHODS

we conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective study at the Research Center for Sickle Cell Disease in Lubumbashi (RCSCDL) over a three-year period from June 2014 to June 2017. It included all patients with sickle cell disease on follow up at the RCSCDL who developed osteoarticular infection. Data were obtained from a survey form. Parameters were patient's age, age at first visit, sex, reason for consultation, history, physical signs, diagnosis, paraclinical assessment and treatment.

RESULTS

we identified 35 cases of osteoarticular infections out of a total of 380 cases of sickle-cell disease, reflecting a rate of 9.2%. The most affected age group was people under 5 years of age (37.1%); the average age was 10.9±9.5 years ranging from 8 months and 37 years. There was a slight female predominance (51.4% of cases; sex ratio 1.06 in favor of women). Most patients with osteoarticular infection had a history of transfusion (16.6%) and splenectomy (8.6%). The most common reason for consulting was limb pain (84%); 20 patients (57.1%) had bulbar conjunctival icterus and 26 (74.3%) were pale. Clinical examination showed limb swelling and wound in 27 patients (77.1%) and 19 patients (54.3%), respectively. Clinical palpation of the splenomegaly was performed in 6 patients (17.1%). Three types of osteoarticular infections were detected. They were dominated by osteomyelitis (24 cases; 68.57%) followed by osteitis (7 cases; 20%) and suppurative arthritis (4 cases; 11.43%). Out of 24 cases of osteomyelitis, 18 were acute (75%) and 6 were chronic (25%), of which 4 had a hyperostosing behaviour and 2 a fistulising behaviour. Tibia was the most affected bone (18 cases), X-ray mainly showed osteolysis (27 cases; 77.1%) and then periosteolysis (15 cases; 42.9%). Homozygous sickle cell disease was found in 88.6% of cases. Hemoculture was performed in 17 out the 35 patients and salmonella was isolated in 15 out of 17 cultures (88.23%). Pyoculture was performed in 10 patients; it isolated other germs. Assessment of inflammation was performed in 21 patients: 15 had hyperleukocytosis, 13 pathological white blood cell formula , all had increased sedimentation rate (greater than 20mm in the 1st hour). With respect to immunization schedule, 62.86% of patients received EPI vaccines while patients with sickle cell disease who needed specific vaccine had an adherence rate of 17.14%. With respect to therapy, all of our patients received medical treatment; 6 patients underwent sequestrectomy (17.14%) while the majority of patients (25 cases) underwent orthopedic treatment. Conclusion: bone infection in patients with sickle cell disease is a worryng issue in our poor environment where there isn't a specific vaccine for patients with sickle cell disease.

Antibiotics for treating osteomyelitis in people with sickle cell disease

BACKGROUND

Osteomyelitis (both acute and chronic) is one of the most common infectious complications in people with sickle cell disease. There is no standardized approach to antibiotic therapy and treatment is likely to vary from country to country. Thus, there is a need to identify the efficacy and safety of different antibiotic treatment approaches for people with sickle cell disease suffering from osteomyelitis. This is an update of a previously published Cochrane Review.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether an empirical antibiotic treatment approach (monotherapy or combination therapy) is effective and safe as compared to pathogen-directed antibiotic treatment and whether this effectiveness and safety is dependent on different treatment regimens, age or setting.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched The Group's Haemoglobinopathies Trials Register, which comprises references identified from comprehensive electronic database searches and handsearching of relevant journals and abstract books of conference proceedings. We also searched the LILACS database (1982 to 20 October 2016), African Index Medicus (20 October 2016), ISI Web of Knowledge (20 October 2016) and clinical trials registries (19 September 2019).Date of most recent search of the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group's Haemoglobinopathies Trials Register: 18 September 2019.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We searched for published or unpublished randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Each author intended to independently extract data and assess trial quality by standard Cochrane methodologies, but no eligible randomised controlled trials were identified.

MAIN RESULTS

This update was unable to find any randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials on antibiotic treatment approaches for osteomyelitis in people with sickle cell disease.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We were unable to identify any relevant trials on the efficacy and safety of the antibiotic treatment approaches for people with sickle cell disease suffering from osteomyelitis. Randomised controlled trials are needed to establish the optimum antibiotic treatment for this condition, however, we do not envisage further trials of this intervention will be conducted, and hence the review will no longer be regularly updated.

Sickle Cell Disease and Infections in High- and Low-Income Countries

Infections, especially pneumococcal septicemia, meningitis, and Salmonella osteomyelitis, are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). SCD increased susceptibility to infection, while infection leads to SCD-specific pathophysiological changes. The risk of infectious complications is highest in children with a palpable spleen before six months of age. Functional splenectomy, the results of repeated splenic infarctions, appears to be a severe host-defense defect. Infection is the leading cause of death, particularly in less developed countries. Defective host-defense mechanisms enhance the risk of pneumococcal complications. Susceptibility to Salmonella infections can be explained at least in part by a similar mechanism. In high-income countries, the efficacy of the pneumococcal vaccine has been demonstrated in this disease. A decreased in infection incidence has been noted in SCD patients treated prophylactically with daily oral penicillin. Studies in low-income countries suggest the involvement of a different spectrum of etiological agents.