Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults: Comparison with other inflammatory conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A) is an increasingly recognized complication of Covid-19. We assessed risk factors, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients with MIS-A compared with other inflammatory conditions.

METHODS

We analyzed a cohort of patients ≥21 years hospitalized with MIS-A in Quebec, Canada between February 2020 and March 2021. We included comparison groups that share symptomatology or pathophysiology with MIS-A, including Kawasaki disease, toxic shock syndrome, and other Covid-19 complications. We examined characteristics of men and women at admission, and identified preexisting factors associated with MIS-A through odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from adjusted logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Among 22,251 patients in this study, 52 had MIS-A, 90 Kawasaki disease, 500 toxic shock syndrome, and 21,609 other Covid-19 complications. MIS-A was associated with an elevated risk of respiratory failure compared with Kawasaki disease (OR 7.22, 95% CI 1.26-41.24), toxic shock syndrome (OR 4.41, 95% CI 1.73-11.23), and other Covid-19 complications (OR 3.03, 95% CI 1.67-5.50). Patients with MIS-A had a greater risk of cardiac involvement, renal failure, and mortality. The data pointed towards sex-specific differences in presentation, with more respiratory involvement in women and cardiac involvement in men compared with patients that had other Covid-19 complications. Except for allergic disorders and cancer, prior medical risk factors were not associated with a greater likelihood of MIS-A.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with MIS-A have an elevated risk of mortality compared with other inflammatory conditions, with women having a predominance of respiratory complications and men cardiovascular complications.

Atypical Kawasaki Disease after COVID-19 Vaccination: A New Form of Adverse Event Following Immunization

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a medium-vessel vasculitis that is typically presented during childhood; fewer than 100 cases of KD have been reported worldwide in adult patients who met the criteria according to the American College of Rheumatology. This study presents the case of an 18-year-old patient with no previous history of any disease, who presented atypical KD with liver and kidney dysfunction, with a good response to intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. The symptoms began 22 days after the application of the COVID-19 vaccine (nonreplicating viral vector Vaxzevria), and other conditions were ruled out. The term Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI)encompasses all the reactions that follow the application of any vaccine with no necessary causal relationship and can be due to the vaccine product, quality of the vaccine, immunization errors, or anxiety or just happen to be coincident events. These reactions should be reported so that clinicians can identify compatible cases and consider that the presentation of this disease, despite being atypical, can be manifested in adult patients. Likewise, case reports are an important basis for the pharmacovigilance of vaccines.

Oral and cutaneous manifestations of viral and bacterial infections: Not only COVID-19 disease

Globalization entails several medical problems along with economic and social complications. Migrations from other continents, increasing numbers of tourists worldwide, and importation of foreign parasites (eg, Aedes albopictus) have made diseases previously unknown in Europe a reality. The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic throughout the world is a warning that other epidemics are still possible. Most, if not all of these diseases, transmitted by viruses or bacteria, present with cutaneous symptoms and signs that are highly important for a speedy diagnosis, a fundamental concept for arresting the diseases and saving lives. Dermatologists play a significant role in delineating cutaneous and mucosal lesions that are often lumped together as dermatitis. We provide a review of many of these cutaneous and mucosal lesions that sometimes are forgotten or even ignored.

Adult-onset recurrent Kawasaki disease: an unusual cause of fever of unknown origin

We present the case of a 20-year-old man with a background of transposition of the great arteries presenting with fever of unknown origin, who developed a shock like syndrome with respiratory failure necessitating intubation. After extensive investigation, a diagnosis of adult-onset Kawasaki disease was made, and he was successfully treated with IVIg and corticosteroids. We present the clinical findings clinicians should be aware of, and review the literature on managing this rare presentation in adult, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis in improving outcomes. Both children and adults with Kawasaki disease require long-term follow-up, as they remain at increased risk of both coronary artery aneurysms and early acute coronary syndrome.

Epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults: a rapid review

Multisystem inflammatory disease in children (MIS-C) is one of the severe presentations of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has been described in the literature since the beginning of the pandemic. Although MIS-C refers to children, cases with similar clinical characteristics have been recently described in adults. A description of the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of multisystem inflammatory disease in adults (MIS-A) is a starting point for better knowledge and understanding of this emerging disease. We identified nine case reports of MIS-A in the literature, five from the United States, two from France and two from the United Kingdom. The case descriptions revealed similarities in clinical features, including occurrence during post-acute disease phase, fever, digestive symptoms, cardiac involvement and elevated inflammatory markers. All the patients were hospitalized, three required admission to the intensive care unit and one died. The most common treatments were intravenous immunoglobulin, prednisolone and aspirin. These findings suggest that MIS-A is a severe complication of COVID-19 disease that can lead to death. Further studies to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of MIS-A, which will help improve treatment decisions and prevent sequelae or death.

Kawasaki disease with acute myocarditis in an adolescent

A previously healthy 16-year-old adolescent was admitted to our hospital with fever, sore throat, diarrhoea, strawberry tongue, rashes on lower extremities, and pain in the neck, abdomen and joints. He was initially diagnosed with IgA vasculitis triggered by acute pharyngitis. Despite antibiotic treatment, he gradually developed multiorgan failure and cardiac shock. Cardiac catheterisation did not show any signs of coronary artery disease. Subsequently, he developed serious rhabdomyolysis and peripheral extremity necrosis, suggesting peripheral arteritis. Although blood culture results were negative, he received endotoxin adsorption therapy, but it was ineffective. Hence, we suspected Kawasaki disease (KD). We administered high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin therapy (2 g/kg), which was effective. He gradually recovered without major complications and was given ambulatory discharge 43 days after admission. Early diagnosis and administration of intensive care in adolescents with KD with acute myocarditis are critical but challenging.

Adult-onset Kawasaki disease: A great masquerader

Kawasaki disease is a necrotising small-to-medium vessel vasculitis affecting children between age groups of 6 months and 5 years. Following the first description in Japanese infants, it has been recognised as the single most common cause of non-infectious vasculitis in children worldwide. Presentation in adult age groups, although described, is rare. Herein, we report a case about a 19-year-old female Indian patient diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and managed with antiplatelets and intravenous immunoglobulin, without further sequalae. We aim to highlight the importance of recognising this entity in adult age groups in day-to-day clinical practice.

SARS-CoV-2 leads to a small vessel endotheliitis in the heart

BACKGROUND

SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19 disease) can induce systemic vascular involvement contributing to morbidity and mortality. SARS-CoV-2 targets epithelial and endothelial cells through the ACE2 receptor. The anatomical involvement of the coronary tree is not explored yet.

METHODS

Cardiac autopsy tissue of the entire coronary tree (main coronary arteries, epicardial arterioles/venules, epicardial capillaries) and epicardial nerves were analyzed in COVID-19 patients (n = 6). All anatomical regions were immunohistochemically tested for ACE2, TMPRSS2, CD147, CD45, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD68 and IL-6. COVID-19 negative patients with cardiovascular disease (n = 3) and influenza A (n = 6) served as controls.

FINDINGS

COVID-19 positive patients showed strong ACE2 / TMPRSS2 expression in capillaries and less in arterioles/venules. The main coronary arteries were virtually devoid of ACE2 receptor and had only mild intimal inflammation. Epicardial capillaries had a prominent lympho-monocytic endotheliitis, which was less pronounced in arterioles/venules. The lymphocytic-monocytic infiltrate strongly expressed CD4, CD45, CD68. Peri/epicardial nerves had strong ACE2 expression and lympho-monocytic inflammation. COVID-19 negative patients showed minimal vascular ACE2 expression and lacked endotheliitis or inflammatory reaction.

INTERPRETATION

ACE2 / TMPRSS2 expression and lymphomonocytic inflammation in COVID-19 disease increases crescentically towards the small vessels suggesting that COVID-19-induced endotheliitis is a small vessel vasculitis not involving the main coronaries. The inflammatory neuropathy of epicardial nerves in COVID-19 disease provides further evidence of an angio- and neurotrophic affinity of SARS-COV2 and might potentially contribute to the understanding of the high prevalence of cardiac complications such as myocardial injury and arrhythmias in COVID-19.

FUNDING

No external funding was necessary for this study.

Acute cholestasis as uncommon onset of Kawasaki disease: a case report

BACKGROUND

Kawasaki disease (KD) or mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome is a vasculitis that mostly occurs in young children. Adult-onset KD (AKD) is rare and often misdiagnosed. Here we report a rare case of KD with cholestasis as principal symptom.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 43-year-old caucasian man was admitted to our hospital for high fever, lack of appetite related to nausea and vomiting, headache and significant malaise. Physical examination highlighted fever, increasing jaundice, bilateral laterocervical lymph nodes, erythema of the palms, and strikingly red lips and conjunctiva. The clinical course was complicated by arterial hypotension, tachycardia, decreasing haemoglobin, increasing acute phase reactants tests, and multiorgan failure. Due to cardiovascular instability the patient was admitted to the local Intensive Care Unit. Chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasound, chest and abdominal CT and Colangio Magnetic Resonance were normal. Jaundice was investigated and infections, autoimmune diseases or drugs adverse reactions, were excluded. Also coronary artery computed tomography was carried out excluding coronary artery aneurysms. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were not effective. After exclusion other possible conditions, diagnosis of KD was set. He was treated with high doses of corticosteroids and acetylsalicylic acid and clinical conditions as well as laboratory exams improved.

CONCLUSIONS

This report dealing with an adult onset of atypical KD may be of benefit to physicians of various specialties, including primary care doctors, hospital internists, intensivists and gastroenterologists due to its peculiarities. It demonstrates that a case of prolonged fever unresponsive to antibiotics and related to cholestatic jaundice, oedema or erythema of the extremity associated with desquamation of feet and hands, and red eyes, may suggest atypical form of KD.

Infliximab as an alternative therapy for refractory adult onset Kawasaki disease: A case report

RATIONALE

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile illness predominantly affecting children less than 5 years of age and characterized by systemic inflammation in all medium-sized arteries. Adult-onset KD (AKD) is rare with only 105 case reports published. Recently, the efficacy of infliximab (IFX) for patients with refractory KD has been demonstrated.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A previously healthy 24-year-old man was admitted because of a persistent fever, and elevated serum level of AST, ALT, LDH, and CRP.

DIAGNOSIS

The patients met the diagnostic criteria for KD based on the findings of persistent fever, polymorphous exanthema, unilateral cervical lymphadenopathy, non-purulent palpebral conjunctivitis and membranous desquamation. Echocardiogram revealed the dilatation at the proximal sites of the right coronary artery (7.9 mm) and left anterior descending artery (5 mm). The patient was treated with high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (1 g/kg/day for 2 days) and ASA (100 mg daily). However, his fever and arthralgia persisted.

INTERVENTIONS

He was administered single 5 mg/kg doses of IFX.

OUTCOMES

He became afebrile the next day and his arthralgia improved.

LESSONS

We report the first case of administration of IFX in a patient with AKD refractory to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and successful reduction of systemic inflammation. However, the effectiveness of IFX in the regression of coronary artery aneurysm remains to be determined.

Kawasaki disease in adults: Observations in France and literature review

OBJECTIVE

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a vasculitis that mostly occurs in young children and rarely in adults. We analyzed the characteristics of adult-onset KD (AKD) in France.

METHODS

We collected retrospective and prospective data for patients with a diagnosis of KD occurring after the age of 18 years. Cases were obtained via various French medical networks and identified from the international literature.

RESULTS

We included 43 patients of AKD at 26 institution from 1992 to 2015, with mean (SD) age 30 (11) years (range 18-68) and sex ratio (M/F) 1.2; 34 patients met the American Heart Association criteria and 9 were incomplete AKD. The median time to diagnosis was 13 days (interquartile range 8-21). The main symptoms were fever (100%), exanthema (98%), changes in the extremities (91%), conjunctivitis (77%), oral cavity changes (89%), cervical adenitis (55%) and cardiac abnormalities (45%). Overall, 35% of patients showed large-vessel vasculitis: coronary vasculitis (26%) and coronary aneurysm (19%). Treatment was mostly intravenous immunoglobulins (79%) and aspirin (81%). Four patients showed myocardial infarction due to coronary vasculitis, but none were treated with IVIg because of late diagnosis. After a median follow-up of 5 months (range 1-117), persistent aneurysm was noted in 9% of cases. Damage was significantly lower with early treatment than late or no treatment (p=0.01).

CONCLUSION

Given the high frequency of cardiac involvement and complications in this series of AKD, diagnosis and treatment should not be delayed, and early IVIg treatment seems to improve the outcome.