Jaccoud's arthropathy of the hands as a complication of pyrophosphate arthropathy

[Three cases of Jaccoud's arthropathy during systemic sclerosis]

INTRODUCTION

Jaccoud's arthropathy (JA) is a chronic and non-erosive deforming arthropathy, usually affecting the hands. JA pathophysiology is poorly known but involves periarticular structures such as tendons and the joint capsule. JA is associated with various conditions including the connective tissue disease, especially systemic lupus erythematosis. JA has been rarely described and studied in systemic sclerosis.

CASE REPORTS

We report the clinical histories of 3 patients with systemic sclerosis (ScS) who developed JA. One patient had a systemic limited disease and the 2 others a cutaneous limited disease ; mean age of the patients was 79.3 years. Systemic sclerosis was diagnosed respectively 19, 1 and 21 years prior to the development of JA. One of the 3 patients had a past clinical history of discoid lupus. For 1 out of the 3 patients, JA appeared whereas the ScS was completely stable. The disease was still active in the 2 remaining patients, with concurrent pulmonary hypertension diagnosis. Deformities increased during years (Z thumbs, ulnar deviation), leading to mild to severe disability. No benefit from either prednisone (n=2) or a combination of prednisone and methotrexate (n=1) was obtained.

CONCLUSION

We described 3 cases of Jaccoud's arthropathy among our scleroderma cohort of 296 patients (1%). This arthropathy worsens hand functional disability. Its pathophysiology is unknown and optimal therapeutic approach remains to establish.

Typical Jaccoud's arthropathy in a patient with sarcoidosis

Jaccoud's arthropathy (JA) is a deforming, non-erosive form of arthritis initially described in rheumatic fever but recently observed more frequently in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. However, cases of JA have been described in association with other diffuse connective tissue diseases, neoplasias, and infection. We describe a rare case of sarcoidosis in a female subject who developed JA in her hands later in the course of the disease.

Jaccoud arthropathy in systemic lupus erythematosus: analysis of clinical characteristics and review of the literature

Jaccoud arthropathy (JA) was initially described in patients with rheumatic fever and later in several other rheumatologic conditions, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In patients with the latter disorder, a prevalence of about 5% has been observed. We conducted the current study to describe a series of patients with SLE with JA, followed at the Hospital Santa Izabel, Salvador, Brazil, during the year 2006. We reviewed the literature on JA, with emphasis on the histologic, clinical, radiologic, and therapeutic aspects of the condition. Twenty-one patients with JA were identified, corresponding to a prevalence of 3.47% in the population of 606 patients with the diagnosis of SLE attended in our service. Twenty patients were women, and the mean age was 40.2 +/- 8.8 years (range, 24-55 yr). The most frequently found joint deformities were swan neck and thumb subluxation, both identified in 14 patients. Ulnar deviation was seen in 8, boutonniere deformity in 3, and hallux valgus in 2 patients. We found no difference in the clinical or laboratory features in SLE patients with or without JA. The patients with JA presented a trend toward a lower quality of life compared with the patients with SLE without JA, but without statistical significance.