OBJECTIVES: To determine the possible association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels with disease activity and respiratory infection in granulomatosis with polyangiitis patients during two different periods: winter/spring and summer/autumn. METHODS: Thirty-two granulomatosis with polyangiitis patients were evaluated in the winter/spring, and the same patients (except 5) were evaluated in summer/autumn (n=27). The 25OHD levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Disease activity was assessed by the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score Modified for Wegener’s Granulomatosis (BVAS/WG) and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) positivity. Respiratory infection was defined according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. RESULTS: 25OHD levels were lower among patients in winter/spring than in summer/autumn (32.31±13.10 vs. 38.98±10.97 ng/mL, p=0.04). Seven patients met the criteria for respiratory infection: 5 in winter/spring and 2 in summer/autumn. Patients with respiratory infection presented lower 25OHD levels than those without infection (25.15±11.70 vs. 36.73±12.08 ng/mL, p=0.02). A higher frequency of low vitamin D levels (25OHD<20 ng/mL) was observed in patients with respiratory infection (37.5% vs. 7.8, p=0.04). Serum 25OHD levels were comparable between patients with (BVAS/WG≥1 plus positive ANCA) and without disease activity (BVAS/WG=0 plus negative ANCA) (35.40±11.48 vs. 35.34±13.13 ng/mL, p=0.98). CONCLUSIONS: Lower 25OHD levels were associated with respiratory infection but not disease activity in granulomatosis with polyangiitis patients. Our data suggest that hypovitaminosis D could be an important risk factor for respiratory infection in granulomatosis with polyangiitis patients.

A polimiosite é uma miopatia inflamatória idiopática sistêmica que, além da manifestação muscular, pode eventualmente cursar com acometimento respiratório, do trato gastrintestinal e, raramente, renal. Neste último caso, há descrição de apenas dois casos de nefropatia por IgA em pacientes com miopatia, ambos em dermatomiosite. Em contrapartida, relatamos pela primeira vez esta rara associação em polimiosite.

Polymyositis is a systemic and idiopathic inflammatory myopathy that, besides muscle manifestation, may occur with respiratory involvement, gastrointestinal tract and rarely renal involvement. In this latter, there are only two cases of IgA nephropathy, but both in dermatomyositis. On the other hand, we reported, for the first time, a case of IgA nephropathy in polymyositis.

OBJETIVOS: Devido à escassez de trabalhos na literatura, realizamos análise de uma série de pacientes com síndrome antissintetase (SAS) do tipo anti-PL-7, PL-12 e EJ. MÉTODOS: Estudo de coorte, retrospectivo, envolvendo 20 pacientes com SAS (8 com anti-PL-7, 6 com PL-12, 6 com EJ), em acompanhamento em nosso serviço, entre 1982 e 2012. RESULTADOS: A média de idade dos pacientes ao início da doença foi de 38,5 ± 12,9 anos, e a duração da doença de 4,5 ± 6,4 anos. Setenta por cento dos pacientes eram brancos e 85% eram mulheres. Sintomas constitucionais ocorreram em 90% dos casos. Todos apresentavam fraqueza muscular objetiva dos membros; ao diagnóstico, 30% encontravam-se acamados e 65% com disfagia alta. Envolvimento articular, pulmonar e fenômeno de Raynaud ocorreram, respectivamente, em 50%, 40% e 65% dos casos; mais da metade dos pacientes apresentava pneumopatia incipiente, opacidade em vidro-fosco e/ou fibrose pulmonar. Não houve casos de envolvimento neurológico e/ou cardíaco. Todos receberam prednisona e, como poupadores dessa medicação, diferentes imunossupressores, dependendo da tolerância, efeitos colaterais e/ou refratariedade da doença. De relevância, os pacientes com anti-EJ apresentaram maiores taxas de recidiva. Dois pacientes evoluíram para óbito ao longo do seguimento, e um paciente teve neoplasia mamária na ocasião do diagnóstico da doença. CONCLUSÕES: A SAS (anti-PL-7, PL-12 e EJ) afetou predominantemente mulheres brancas. Embora os autoanticorpos descritos no presente estudo estejam mais relacionados com o acometimento pulmonar comparativamente ao articular, nossos pacientes apresentaram uma porcentagem significativa de ambos e com percentagem alta de miopatia. Além disso, houve menor taxa de mortalidade.

OBJECTIVES: Due to the scarcity of studies in the literature, we conducted an analysis of a series of patients with the anti-PL-7, PL-12 and EJ types of antisynthetase syndrome (ASS). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 20 patients with ASS (8 with anti-PL-7, 6 with PL-12, 6 with EJ) monitored in our department between 1982 and 2012. RESULTS: The mean patient age at disease onset was 38.5 ± 12.9 years, and the disease duration was 4.5 ± 6.4 years. Of all the patients, 70% were white and 85% were female. Constitutional symptoms occurred in 90% of cases. All patients presented objective muscle weakness in the limbs; in addition, 30% were bedridden and 65% demonstrated high dysphagia at diagnosis. Joint and pulmonary involvement and Raynaud's phenomenon occurred in 50%, 40% and 65% of cases, respectively, with more than half of the patients presenting incipient pneumopathy, ground-glass opacity and/or pulmonary fibrosis. There were no cases of neurological and/or cardiac involvement. All patients received prednisone or other immunosuppressants depending on tolerance, side effects and/or disease refractoriness. Importantly, patients with the anti-EJ type of ASS demonstrated higher rates of recurrence. Two patients died during follow-up, and 1 patient had breast cancer at the time of diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: ASS (anti-PL-7, PL-12 and EJ) was found to predominantly affect white women. Although the autoantibodies described in the present study are more related to pulmonary than joint involvement, our patients showed a significant percentage of both types of involvement and a high percentage of myopathy. We also observed a low mortality rate.

OBJETIVO: Devido à escassez de estudos populacionais, apresentamos um estudo epidemiológico em síndrome antissintetase anti-Jo-1 (SAS). PACIENTES E MÉTODOS: Estudo coorte retrospectivo realizado em um centro de 1980 a 2010. Dados clínico-laboratoriais e demográficos foram obtidos dos prontuários médicos. Todos os pacientes preenchiam critério de Bohan e Peter (1975) e apresentavam anti-Jo-1, além de envolvimento articular, muscular e pulmonar. Dezoito pacientes com SAS anti-Jo-1 foram analisados. RESULTADOS: A média de idade ao início da doença foi de 39,9 ± 15,7 anos, e a média da duração da doença, 9,7 ± 7,0 anos. Todos os pacientes eram brancos, e 94,4% eram mulheres. Sintomas constitucionais ocorreram em metade dos casos. Envolvimento cutâneo e do trato gastrointestinal ocorreram, respectivamente, em 66,6% e 55,6% dos casos. Não houve casos de envolvimento neurológico ou cardíaco. Metade dos pacientes apresentava pneumopatia incipiente, opacidade em vidro-fosco e fibrose pulmonar basal. Houve um caso de tuberculose, três de herpes zoster e um linfoma não Hodgkin. Um óbito ocorreu devido ao choque séptico (broncopneumonia hospitalar). Todos os pacientes receberam prednisona (1mg/kg/dia) e 12 (66,7%) receberam pulsoterapia com metil prednisolona (1 g/dia, 3 dias). Diferentes imunossupressores foram utilizados como poupadores de corticosteroide, dependendo da tolerância, efeitos colaterais e/ou refratariedade da doença. Embora a recidiva da doença (clínica e/ou laboratorial) tenha ocorrido em 87,5% dos casos, 12 dos 16 pacientes (75%) estavam com a remissão da doença no desfecho do presente estudo. CONCLUSÃO: A maioria dos pacientes eram mulheres brancas e com alta taxa de recidiva da doença.

OBJECTIVE: Given a lack of population-based studies, we report an epidemiological-clinic study of anti-Jo-1 antisynthetase syndrome (ASS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: To study a retrospective cohort of a single-center from 1980 to 2010. Clinical-laboratory and demographic data were obtained from medical files. All patients fulfilled the Bohan and Peter criteria (1975) and presented anti-Jo-1, articular, muscle and lung involvement. Eighteen patients with anti-Jo-1 ASS were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age at disease onset was 39.9 ± 15.7 years and average disease duration was 9.7 ± 7.0 years. All subjects were white, and 94.4% were female. Constitutional symptoms occurred in 50 % of cases. There was cutaneous and gastrointestinal tract involvement in 66.6% and 55.6% of cases, respectively. No cases manifested neurologic or cardiac involvement. Half of the patients showed incipient pneumopathy, ground-glass opacities and basal pulmonary fibrosis. There was one case of tuberculosis, three of herpes zoster and one of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. One death occurred due to sepsis shock (hospital bronchopneumonia). All patients received prednisone (1mg/kg/day) and 12 (66.7%) participants received methyl prednisolone pulse therapy (1g/day, 3 days). Various immunosuppressants were used as corticosteroid tapers, depending on tolerance, side effects and/or refractoriness. Although disease relapse (clinical and/or laboratory) occurred in 87.5% of cases, 12 out of 16 patients (75%) were in disease remission at study endpoint. CONCLUSION: In the present study, almost all patients were white females and the disease relapse rate was high.