Connective Tissue Diseases Adam Wray, D.O. September 7, 2004
Jan 15, 2016
Connective Tissue Diseases
Adam Wray, D.O.
September 7, 2004
ANA Assay Classic ANA immunofluorescence is still considered first
line screening test for AI-CTD Historically, rodent cells rather than human cells were
used as the substrate Rodent cell nuclei lack some autoantigens present in
human cell nuclei (Ro antigen) 1-2% of SLE patients are ANA (-) using human tumor cell
line base substrate (Hep-2) Hence, “ANA negative SLE” a historical phenomenon Titer of <1:160 using human tumor cell line substrate has
little clinical utility
ANA Immunofluorescence Patterns
Drug Induced ANA/SLE
Procainamide Hydralazine Isoniazid Chlorpromazine Phenytoin Methyldopa Minocycline
Lupus Erythematosus
Chronic Cutaneous LE– DLE– Verrucous LE– Lichen Planus-LE overlap.– Chiblain LE– Lupus Panniculitis (LE profundus)
• With DLE
• With Systemic LE
Discoid LE
Young adults. F:M=2:1 Cat’s Tongue (Langue au chat) = carpet
tacks Lesions heal centrally first with atrophy,
scarring, and dyspigmentation Up to 24% will have mucosal involvement. 95% of cases confined to the skin at the
onset and will remain so.
Discoid LE
Unusual for lesions below neck without lesions above the neck
Spontaneous involution with scarring is common
Progression to SLE is rare and may be identified by abnormal labs.– ANA – elevated– Leukopenia, hematuria, or albuminuria
Histology Thinned epidermis Loss of normal rete ridges Follicular plugging Hydropic changes of basal layer Lymphocytic perivascular infiltrate Increase interstitial mucin depositon Pilosebaceous atrophy discriminates from SCLE DIF is positive more than 75% of cases with Igs
located at DEJ
Treatment
SUNSCREEN!!!! Topical steroid, high potency with occlusion if
needed. Intralesional Injection with Kenalog Antimalarials: safest and most beneficial system
therapy.– Plaquenil for 3 months, if no response switch to Aralen.
– If response is still incomplete, add Quinacrine, since this won’t increase retinal toxicity
Verrucous LE
AKA hypertrophic LE Resembling KA or hypertrophic LP Treatment with TAC or Intralesional Also can be treated with Accutane or
Plaquenil.
Verrucous LE
2% of patients with chronic cutaneous LE
Histo: epidermis is papillomatous, hyperplastic, and surmounted by hyperkeratotic scale
LE-LP Overlap syndrome
Large atrophic hypopigmented bluish-red patches and plaques.
Fine telangiectasia and scale usually present Response to treatment is poor Dapsone or Accutane maybe effective
Chilblain LE
AKA lupus pernio Chronic, unrelenting form of LE with
fingertips, rims of ear, calves and heels in women.
Chilblain lesions are due to cold Usual LE treatment
LE Panniculitis
AKA LE Profundus Deep subcutaneous nodules 1-4cm Head, face, and upper arms Woman age 20-45 Histology shows lymphocytic panniculitis, hyaline
degeneration of the fat, hyaline papillary bodies. Over lying epidermis shows hydropic changes and follicular plugging
Treatment with Antimalarials.
SCLE
Subacute cutaneous LE– Papulosquamous– Annular– Syndromes commonly exhibiting similar
morphology• Neonatal LE
• Complement deficiency syndromes
SCLE
Typically photosensitive
Lesions confined to sun-exposed skin
Regular association with anti-Ro antibody (SS-A)
SCLE
Psoriasiform, polycyclic annular lesions Shawl distribution: V neck, upper outer and
inner arms. ¾ of the patients have arthralgia 20% have leukopenia 80% have positive ANA Associated with HLA-DR3-Positive.
Drugs triggering anti-Ro antibodies and thus lesions of SCLE HCTZ NSAIDS Diltiazem Griseofulvin Terbinafine Lesions may or may
not clear once the medication is discontinued.
Neonatal LE
Annular scaling erythematous macules and plaques
Appear on head and extremities First few months of life in babies born to
mothers with LE, RA, or other connective tissue disease
Resolve spontaneously by 6 month of age HALF of the patients have associated
congenital heart block, usually 3rd degree
Neonatal LE
Lesions histologically identical to SCLE Almost 100% have anti-Ro antibodies Unlike adult SCLE, lesions have
predilection for the face, especially periorbital region
Lesions typically resolve without scarring Other internal findings
– Hepatobiliary disease– Thrombocytopenia
Acute Cutaneous LE Characteristic butterfly facial erythema May last from days to several weeks Bullous lesion occur as single or grouped vesicle
or bullae Subepidermal bulla containing neutrophils. HLA-DR2 positive Minute telangiectasias appear in time on the face
or elsewhere and commonly appear about the nail folds.
Rowell Syndrome: EM-like lesion dominant in LE
Systemic LE
Young to middle age women Skin involvement occur 80% of the case American Rheumatism Association has 11
criteria If 4 or more of the criteria are satisfied, the
patient is said to have SLE
ARA SLE criteria Malar Erythema Discoid Lupus Photosensitivity Oral Ulcers Arthritis Serositis Nephritis Hematologic CNS Changes Immunologic disorder ANA
Systemic Manifestation.
Arthralgia is the earliest abnormality. 95% of SLE patient will have arthralgia. Avascular necrosis of femoral head. Thrombosis in vessels secondaary to
presence of lupus anticoagulant. Renal involvement in nephritic or nephrotic
type. Mycocarditis, cardiomegly, EKG changes.
Systemic Manifestation.
CNS involvement Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Sjogren’s syndrome Mixed with dermatomyositis
Treatment of SLE Treatment depending on the organ system(s) involved. Skin, musculoskeletal, and serositis-type manifestations
generally respond to treatment with hydroxychloroquine and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications.
Porphyria cutaneous tarda may co-exist with LE, in this case, Plaquenil is TOXIC!!!
More serious organ involvement, such as CNS involvement or renal disease, often necessitates immunosuppression with high-dose steroids and cyclophosphamide.
Stop smoking!
Dermatomyositis Poikiloderma Gratton's sign - flat-topped violaceous papules Heliotrope - reddish -purple flush around the eyes Over knuckle streak erythema Shawl pattern Bimodal distribution Calcinosis Cutis may occur in over half of the
children with DM Associated with Malignancy in 10-50% of adults
Dermatomyositis
Symmetrical muscle weakness assoc c malignant neoplasm when over 40 periungual telangiectasia Prednisone 1mg/kg with slow taper Sunscreen, antimalarial Mechanics hand: hyperkeratosis, fissuring,
scaling involvement in the palm of the hand.
Muscle involvement
Symmetrical muscle weakness Unable to raise arms to comb their hair Cardiac involvement with cardiac failure in
terminal phase Amyopathic dermatomyositis or
dermatomyositis sine myositis: DM without muscle changes
Childhood DM
Brunsting type– Slow course
– Progressive weakness
– Calcinosis
– Steroid responsiveness
Banker type– Vasculitis of muscles
and GI tract
– Rapid onset
– Severe weakness
– Steroid unresponsiveness
Scleroderma
characterized by symmetric thickening, tightening, and induration of the skin of the fingers and the skin
These changes may affect the entire extremity, face, neck, and trunk (thorax and abdomen).
Occurs in localized and systemic forms
Localized Morphea
Smooth, hard, somewhat depressed, yellowish white, or ivory-colored lesions.
Common on the trunk Margins surrounded by light violaceous
zone or by telangiectasias. Resemble pigskin (prominent follicular
orifices) Slowly involute over a 3-5 year period.
Generalized Morphea
Widespread hard indurated plaques. No systemic involvement Patient appear young because of the
firmness of the skin. Resolution less likely than the localized
version.
Atrophoderma of Pasani and Pierini
Reduction of thickness of dermal connective tissue
Upperback and lumbar sacral area Benign course, usually resolve after few
months or few years. No effect treatment Variant of morphea.
Linear Scleroderma
Linear lesions extend to length of arms or leg
Begin first decade of life May also occur parasagitally down the
forehead, known as en coup de sabre Parry-Romberg syndrome: progressive
facial hemiatrophy, epilepsy, exophalmos, and alopecia, maybe a form of linear scleroderma.
CREST Syndrome
AKA Thibierge-Weissenbach Syndrome. Systemic sclerosis may be limited to the
hands, and is called acroslerosis. Not as severe as PSS ANA shows anticentromere antibody, and
is highly specific. Most favorable diagnosis
Progressive Systemic Sclerosis
Raynaud’s is the first manifestation of PSS most of the time and is eventually nearly always present
Round fingerpad sign: loose the normal peaked contour and appear round from the side.
Pterygium inversum unguis: distal part of nailbed remains adherent to ventral surface of nail plate. Seen also in LE
Progressive Systemic Sclerosis
75% have dilated nail fold capillary loops Esophageal involvement in 90% of patients Pulmonary fibrosis Cardiac involvement Articular pain, swelling, polyarthritis.
Prognosis
Skin involvement after 1 year of diagnosis: Group I – sclerodactyly alone – 71% 10
year survival rate Group II - Skin stiffness above metacarpal-
phalangeal joints but not involving trunk – 58% survival rate.
Group III – truncal involvement – 21% survival.
LAB Finding
Topoisomerase I (formerly Scl–70) is present in 20-30% of patients with diffuse disease (absent in limited disease) and has an increased association with pulmonary fibrosis
Anticentromere antibodies are present in about 60-90% of patients with limited disease and 10-15% with diffuse disease.
Histology
Increased collagen bundle and thickness of the dermis
Pilosebaceous units are absent. Eccrine glands and ducts are compressed by collagen.
Eccrine glands present at the mid dermis rather than at the junction of dermis/subQ fat.
Treatment
Symptomatic tx Treatment aimed at minimizing
complications Regular massage, warmth, and protection
from trauma No smoking
Eosinophilic Fasciitis
Patient engaging in strenuous muscular effort few days or week before acute onset of weakness. Follow by severe induration of the skin and subQ tissue of forearms and legs.
Coarse peau d’orange appearance. Groove sign: depression follows the course of
underlying vessels when arms are held laterally. Represents line of demarcation between muscle groups
Excellent response to corticosteroid.
Comparison of deep morphea and eosinophilic fasciitis. A Note the ‘pseudo-cellulite’ appearance of the involved skin of the thigh in deep morphea. B In eosinophilic fasciitis, the level of fibrosis is also deep.
Histology
Patchy lymphocytic and plasma cell infilrate in the fascia and subfacial muscle and great thickening, 10-50 times normal of the fascia.
Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
Mixed features of scleroderma, SLE, and dermatomyositis
IgG deposition in speckled (particulate) pattern in epidermal nuclei of normal skin on DIF is a distinctive finding in MCTD
Treatment with daily dose of prednisone 1mg/kg shows good improvement.
Most patients have anti-U1RNP antibodies
Sjogren’s Syndrome
AKA Sicca syndrome Triad of keratoconjunctivitis sicca, xerostomia,
and rheumatoid arthritis. RF is usually positive Elevated C-reactive Protein, IgG, IgA, and IgM 80% has anti-Ro/SSA antibody. >50% have anti-La/SSB antobodies Only symptomatic treatment available. Labial salivary gland biopsy most definitive test
Schirmer test
Assesses lacrimal gland function
Whatman paper wick folded over eyelid for 5 minutes
<5mm tear film migration = lacrimal gland dysfunction
Rheumatoid Nodules
20-30% of RA patients Subcutaneous nodules Found anywhere on the body Histologically shows dense foci of fibrinoid
necrosis surrounded by histiocytes in palisaded arrangement.
Relapsing Polychondritis
Intermittent episodes of inflammation of the articular and nonarticular cartilage eventuating in chondrolysis.
MAGIC syndrome = Behcet’s + Relapsing Polychondritis (Mouth And Genital ulcers with Inflamed Cartilage)
Treatment with Dapsone for few weeks, then maintenance for 4-6 asymptomatic months.