IgA vasculitis in a patient with ulcerative colitis under infliximab: drug-induced or genetic?

IgA vasculitis induced by tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists: clinical features, diagnosis and management

INTRODUCTION

Anti-TNF therapies are commonly employed in the treatment of autoimmune disorders, yet they are associated with a rare side effect known as IgA vasculitis (IgAV), whose clinical presentation remains poorly understood. This study aims to clarify the features of IgAV linked to anti-TNF treatments to aid in prompt recognition and management.

METHODS

Case reports on TNF-α-antagonist-associated IgAV dated up to February 29, 2024, were retrieved for retrospective analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 35 cases from 30 publications were identified. The average age of patients was 36 years (range 11 to 69), with 31.4% being pediatric cases. The primary conditions treated were Crohn's disease (45.7%) and ulcerative colitis (22.9%). Infliximab (42.9%) and adalimumab (37.1%) were the most frequently used agents. The onset of IgAV after initiating anti-TNF therapy occurred at a median of 10 months (range 1 day to 11 years). Clinical symptoms predominantly involved the skin (97.1%), kidneys (68.6%), joints (57.1%), and gastrointestinal tract (40.0%). Renal failure developed in 11.4% of patients. Histopathology revealed leukocytoclastic vasculitis in the skin and mainly proliferative nephritis in renal biopsies, with significant IgA deposition observed. Most patients (80.0%) ceased anti-TNF treatment, and the majority received corticosteroids (96.2%) and dapsone (15.4%) as part of their treatment. Remission was achieved in 34 patients, while one patient worsened. Among the 14 patients who restarted anti-TNF therapy, 9 experienced a recurrence of IgAV.

CONCLUSION

IgAV associated with anti-TNF therapy may emerge months into treatment and can lead to severe renal complications necessitating ongoing surveillance. Halting anti-TNF therapy is imperative, but the decision to resume treatment must be weighed carefully against the risk of primary disease exacerbation and IgAV recurrence.

Mucocutaneous manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease

Mucocutaneous manifestations can be indicative of a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, and the dermatologist needs to know how to recognize them to refer the right patients to the gastroenterologist. Conversely, the gastroenterologist is often confronted with mucocutaneous lesions that raise the question of a possible association with a known digestive disease. Among the extra-intestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), mucocutaneous manifestations are the most common. This review will provide a breakdown by classifying them into 4 groups: 1) reactive manifestations, which include neutrophilic dermatoses, aphthous stomatitis, erythema nodosum, and vasculitis; 2) Crohn's disease-specific granulomatous skin lesions, which are histologically characterized by tuberculoid granulomas similar to those found in the gastrointestinal tract; 3) nutritional deficiency manifestations secondary to anorexia, malabsorption, loss, and drug interactions; and 3) a variety of autonomous autoimmune or inflammatory skin diseases. Dermatologists may also be involved in the management of the adverse effects of IBD treatments, especially the so-called "paradoxical" psoriatic eruptions.

Mendelian randomization analysis reveals causality of inflammatory bowel disease on risks of Henoch-Schönlein purpura and immune thrombocytopenia

BACKGROUND

Emerging clinical evidence has been discovered associating Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). However, it is unclear whether a cause-effect relationship exists between them. We aimed to examine the casual effect of IBD on the risk of HSP and ITP.

METHODS

Based on summary statistics from International IBD Genetics (IIBDG) Consortium and FinnGen study, a two-sample Mendelian randomization study was carried out to determine whether IBD including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) is causally related to HSP, ITP or secondary thrombocytopenia. To support the results, a variety of sensitivity analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Significant causal relationships between IBD and HSP (odds ratios = 1.20, 95% confidence interval: 1.07-1.36, adjusted P = 0.006) and ITP (odds ratios =1.22, 95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.38, adjusted P = 0.006) were found. Both genetically predicted UC and CD were positively related with ITP, while CD alone may be responsible for the higher risk of HSP. Besides, no significant association was observed between IBD and secondary thrombocytopenia.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this Mendelian randomization study supported the causal association of IBD with HSP and ITP. Taken together, our findings may present implications for management of IBD.