D-penicillamine in the treatment of eosinophilic fasciitis: case reports and review of the literature

Eosinophilic fasciitis (Shulman disease) with clinical, imaging and pathological correlation

Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is a rare subacute fibrosing disorder of unknown aetiology, characterised by thickening of the muscular fascia and subcutaneous tissue, leading to swelling of limbs and trunk and sparing fingers and toes. Eosinophilic infiltration and degranulation may prompt tissue damage and consequent fibrosis due to the accumulation of collagen and extracellular matrix proteins. MRI is the best imaging modality for diagnosis, depicting fascial thickening and enhancement. MRI may also have a significant role in excluding alternative diagnosis and guiding the skin-muscle biopsy.We report a case of EF with clinical and pathological correlation, highlighting the diagnostic value of MRI for early diagnosis and further treatment.

D-Penicillamine: The State of the Art in Humans and in Dogs from a Pharmacological and Regulatory Perspective

Chelant agents are the mainstay of treatment in copper-associated hepatitis in humans, where D-penicillamine is the chelant agent of first choice. In veterinary medicine, the use of D-penicillamine has increased with the recent recognition of copper-associated hepatopathies that occur in several breeds of dogs. Although the different regulatory authorities in the world (United States Food and Drugs Administration-U.S. FDA, European Medicines Agency-EMEA, etc.) do not approve D-penicillamine for use in dogs, it has been used to treat copper-associated hepatitis in dogs since the 1970s, and is prescribed legally by veterinarians as an extra-label drug to treat this disease and alleviate suffering. The present study aims to: (a) address the pharmacological features; (b) outline the clinical scenario underlying the increased interest in D-penicillamine by overviewing the evolution of its main therapeutic goals in humans and dogs; and finally, (c) provide a discussion on its use and prescription in veterinary medicine from a regulatory perspective.

Eosinophilic fasciitis in a pregnant woman with corticosteroid dependence and good response to infliximab

Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is characterized by symmetrical thickening of subcutaneous muscular fascia, causing skin induration with wrinkles and prominent hair follicles: the classic peau d'orange. Eosinophilia is a characteristic-albeit not universal-finding. We present the case of a 43-year-old pregnant woman diagnosed with EF during pregnancy who had extensive cutaneous involvement and severe functional repercussions, including worsening of lung function and intrauterine growth restriction as a possible complication. Treatment with prednisone was initiated during gestation and it was necessary to increase the dose. After delivery, methotrexate treatment was initiated and the corticosteroid dose progressively decreased, with progressive worsening in the torso and abdomen and secondary dyspnea due to thoracic pressure. Treatment with infliximab was then initiated, with favorable progress, though residual ankle and tarsal joint stiffness and significant muscular atrophy in the limbs continued. The triggering factor of EF was not identified. In a systematic search of the medical literature, three cases of EF in pregnant woman without clear triggers were found. Interestingly, all three cases progressed favorably with steroid treatment. Apart from this case, there are only seven published cases of infliximab use in the literature, all with moderate or complete response. Infliximab could be an option for corticosteroid-dependent EF with no response to other options.

The use of tocilizumab in the treatment of refractory eosinophilic fasciitis: a case-based review

Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is a rare disorder involving chronic inflammation of the fascia and connective tissue of unknown aetiology and poorly understood pathogenesis. We present the case of a 60-year-old man diagnosed with eosinophilic fasciitis with extensive cutaneous involvement and severe functional repercussion, which appeared weeks after suffering from pneumonia due to Legionella pneumophila. The patient did not experience any clinical response with high-dose corticosteroids, subcutaneous methotrexate, and intravenous immunoglobulins. Consequently, tocilizumab was initiated at 8 mg/Kg monthly achieving clinical response measured by a control MRI at the fifth dose. Response in terms of cutaneous thickness has been slower however favourable, therefore, more months of follow-up are necessary to assess the complete remission at skin level. EF treatment still constitutes a challenge, and experience with tocilizumab in the management of the disease is very limited. Through a systematic search of medical literature, we retrieved two cases describing EF treated with tocilizumab and several cases using another monoclonal antibody or Janus kinase inhibitor. We report the third case to our knowledge of the efficacy of tocilizumab in a refractory EF to corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs.

Eosinophilic fasciitis: an atypical presentation of a rare disease

Eosinophilic fasciitis, or Shulman's disease, is a rare disease of unknown etiology. It is characterized by peripheral eosinophilia, hypergammaglobulinemia, and high erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The diagnosis is confirmed by a deep biopsy of the skin. The first line of treatment is corticotherapy. We present a rare case of eosinophilic fasciitis in a 27-year-old woman with an atypical presentation with symmetrical peripheral edema and a Groove sign. The patient responded well to treatment with corticosteroids at high doses and, in this context, was associated with hydroxychloroquine and azathioprine. After two and a half years, peripheral eosinophilia had increased, and more of her skin had hardened. At that time, the therapy was modified to include corticoids, methotrexate, and penicillamine. It is of great importance to publicize these cases that allow us to gather experience and better treat our patients.

Diagnostic criteria, severity classification and guidelines of eosinophilic fasciitis

We established diagnostic criteria and severity classification of eosinophilic fasciitis because there is no established diagnostic criteria or widely accepted severity classification of the disease. Also, there has been no clinical guideline for eosinophilic fasciitis, so we established its clinical guideline ahead of all over the world. In particular, the clinical guideline was established by clinical questions based on evidence-based medicine according to the New Minds Clinical Practice Guideline Creation Manual (version 1.0). We aimed to make the guideline easy to use and reliable based on the newest evidence, and to present guidance as specific as possible for various clinical problems in treatment of eosinophilic fasciitis.

Severe eosinophilic fasciitis: comparison of treatment with D-penicillamine plus corticosteroids vs. corticosteroids alone

OBJECTIVES

To compare the therapeutic effectiveness of corticosteroids (CS) alone vs. CS plus d-penicillamine (d-Pen) in severe eosinophilic fasciitis.

METHOD

A long-term prospective non-randomized trial of d-Pen plus CS vs. CS alone in patients with severe eosinophilic fasciitis, defined as clinically apparent cutaneous fibrotic involvement affecting more than 15% body surface area (BSA) or more than 10% BSA with joint flexion contractures.

RESULTS

Sixteen patients with severe eosinophilic fasciitis entered the study. Ten patients received d-Pen plus CS and six received CS alone. Affected BSA decreased from an average of 29% to 8.9% in the d-Pen plus CS group compared to a decrease in affected BSA from 28% to 22.83% in the CS-alone group. The reduction in affected BSA in the d-Pen plus CS group was significantly greater than in the CS-alone group (p = 0.038). Clinical improvement occurred in all d-Pen plus CS patients compared to only 33.3% of CS-alone patients (p = 0.008). There was no difference in overall frequency of adverse events between the groups (p = 0.60). The most common adverse event in the d-Pen plus CS group was proteinuria (33.3%). However, proteinuria also occurred in 16.6% in the CS-alone group.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with CS alone failed to induce clinical improvement in the majority of the severe eosinophilic fasciitis patients. By contrast, d-Pen plus CS resulted in significantly greater clinical improvement. These results suggest that initial treatment of severe eosinophilic fasciitis with CS alone is not sufficient for optimal therapeutic response and that addition of an antifibrotic agent results in an improved outcome.

[Eosinophilic fasciitis (Shulman's disease): Diagnostic and therapeutic review]

Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is a rare connective tissue disease characterized by symmetrical and painful swelling with a progressive induration and thickening of the skin and soft tissues. The diagnosis of EF is often based on the association of characteristic skin or subcutaneous abnormalities and a thickened fascia with an inflammatory infiltration, mostly composed of lymphocytes and eosinophils. A peripheral eosinophilia is frequently present (60-90%) but is not mandatory for the EF diagnosis. At the onset, the morphological diagnosis might be helped by a muscle magnetic resonance imaging, which typically may evidence an increased signal intensity within the fascia and marked fascia enhancement after gadolinium administration at the acute phase of the disease. Differential diagnoses include eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome after L-tryprophane ingestion, hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES), systemic sclerosis, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangeitis, and peripheral T cell lymphomas with cutaneous involvement. There is no consensual therapeutic strategy. However, oral corticosteroids, with or without methylprednisolone pluses, remain the mainstay treatment with a significant improvement for the majority of patients. It might be associated to an immunosuppressive drug, mainly methotrexate, in patients with morphea-like lesions or an unsatisfactory response to corticosteroids alone.

Finger stiffness or edema as presenting symptoms of eosinophilic fasciitis

To investigate the clinical features and finger symptoms of eosinophilic fasciitis (EF), we reviewed five patients with EF. The chief complaint was pain, edema and/or stiffness of the extremities. The distal extremities were affected in all patients, and there was also proximal involvement in one patient. One patient had asymmetrical symptoms. All four patients with upper limb involvement had limited range of motion of the wrist joints, and three of them complained of finger symptoms. Two of these three patients showed slight non-pitting edema of the hands, and the other one had subcutaneous induration of the forearm. All four patients with lower limb symptoms had limited range of motion of the ankle joints, and two showed edema or induration of the legs. Inflammatory changes in the joints were not detected in any of the patients. Two patients displayed neither objective induration nor edema, and two patients had muscle tenderness. In conclusion, finger symptoms of patients with EF might be caused by fasciitis of the forearms, which leads to dysfunction of the long finger flexors and extensors as well as slight edema of hands. Limited range of motion of wrist and/or ankle joints indicates sensitively distal muscle dysfunction caused by fasciitis.

Penicillamine revisited: historic overview and review of the clinical uses and cutaneous adverse effects

Penicillamine is a well-known heavy metal chelator, classically used in the treatment of Wilson disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cystinuria. From a dermatologic standpoint, penicillamine was found to be useful in the treatment of systemic sclerosis. The successful therapeutic uses of penicillamine have been hindered by its numerous adverse effects, both cutaneous and extra-cutaneous. It is a unique drug since it provokes a diversity of dermatologic manifestations that include (1) acute hypersensitivity reactions, (2) dermopathies characterized by elastic fiber abnormalities including elastosis perforans serpiginosa and pseudo-pseudoxanthoma elasticum, (3) autoimmune disorders such as pemphigus and penicillamine-induced lupus erythematosus-like syndrome, and (4) miscellaneous dermatoses that result from undefined mechanisms. These cutaneous adverse effects may correlate with the dosage and duration of penicillamine therapy as well as the disease being treated.