Jevtic, Djordje

Fungal pericarditis is a rare disease but its incidence has risen in parallel with the global increase in invasive fungal infections. This systematic review analyzes data from previously reported cases of fungal pericarditis to provide an improved understanding of the etiology, clinical presentation, management, and outcomes of this rare disease. We reviewed Medline and Scopus databases from 1 January 1990 to 29 January 2024 for case reports that documented the isolation of a fungal pathogen from pericardial fluid or tissue. Of the 2330 articles screened, 101 cases met the inclusion criteria. Patients with fungal pericarditis and the involvement of at least one other organ—usually the lungs, brain, or kidney—had worse outcomes than patients with isolated pericardial disease. Immunosuppression was reported in 50% of cases and was associated with worse outcomes in adults. Patients who presented with chest pain, received adequate empiric antifungal therapy, and underwent pericardiocentesis and pericardiectomy had improved survival. The most common isolated pathogens were Candida spp., followed by Aspergillus spp. and Mucor spp., with the latter two linked to worse outcomes. Only 35% of patients received empiric antifungal medications before the causative pathogen was identified, and mortality was associated with a delay in appropriate therapy. Immunosuppression, disseminated disease, and presence of shock/multiorgan failure were additional risk factors associated with death. Fungal pericarditis carries a mortality rate of up to 50%, with nearly half of patients being immunocompromised. Clinicians frequently do not consider fungal pericarditis in the differential diagnoses, which leads to delays in treatment and poorer outcomes. Further prospective multicenter studies are urgently needed to better understand the epidemiology, improve diagnostic testing and management, and decrease unacceptably high mortality in patients with fungal pericarditis.

Background and Objectives: Angioedema is a non-pitting edema of the submucosal layer which can be acquired or inherited and usually presents with hives. Intestinal angioedema is rare and can mimic other acute gastrointestinal disorders. It is typically associated with a lack or dysfunction of C1-inhibitor, with a small number of cases having normal C1-inhibitor function. We present a rare case of chronic recurrent intestinal angioedema in a patient with normal C1-inhibitor function who did not respond to icatibant therapy. Case presentation: A 56-year-old woman presented with 3 days of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. She denied a history of allergies and reported a 30-year history of similar episodes requiring hospitalization. Initial evaluation demonstrated normal C4 and C1 esterase inhibitor function with negative gastrointestinal bacterial and viral panel. A CT of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated acute diffuse bowel thickening and prominent mesenteric lymph nodes. MRI demonstrated inflammation of the small and large bowel. EGD and colonoscopy findings were normal. She was diagnosed with intestinal angioedema and started on icatibant without significant improvement. Her symptoms resolved after 3 days of supportive therapy and resolution of inflammation was noted on imaging. She was discharged home with allergy and immunology follow-up. Conclusions: Intestinal angioedema is under-recognized and presentation can overlap with other pathologies of the GI tract. Extensive work up is needed during the first episode of an attack and complement levels should be checked in all patients. Appropriate classification is important as it dictates therapy. However, ambiguous cases like ours sometimes cannot be classified into any specific category.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) secondary to tick-borne infections is a rare but potentially life-threatening syndrome. We performed a scoping review according to PRISMA guidelines to systematically analyze the existing literature on the topic. A total of 98 patients were included, with a mean age of 43.7 years, of which 64% were men. Most cases, 31%, were reported from the USA. Immunosuppression was present in 21.4%, with the most common cause being previous solid organ transplantation. Constitutional symptoms were the most common, observed in 83.7% of the patients, while fever was reported in 70.4% of cases. Sepsis was present in 27.6%. The most common laboratory abnormalities in this cohort were thrombocytopenia in 81.6% of patients, while anemia, leukopenia, and leukocytosis were observed in 75.5%, 55.1%, and 10.2%, respectively. Liver enzyme elevation was noted in 63.3% of cases. The H-score was analyzed in 64 patients, with the mean value being 209, and bone marrow analysis was performed in 61.2% of patients. Ehrlichia spp. was the main isolated agent associated with HLH in 45.9%, followed by Rickettsia spp. in 14.3% and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in 12.2%. Notably, no patient with Powassan virus infection or Lyme borreliosis developed HLH. The most common complications were acute kidney injury (AKI) in 35.7% of patients, shock with multiple organ dysfunction in 22.5%, encephalopathy/seizure in 20.4%, respiratory failure in 16.3%, and cardiac complications in 7.1% of patients. Treatment included antibiotic therapy alone in 43.9%, while 5.1% of patients were treated with immunosuppressants alone. Treatment with both antibiotics and immunosuppressants was used in 51% of patients. Appropriate empiric antibiotics were used in 62.2%. In 43.9% of cases of HLH due to tick-borne disease, patients received only antimicrobial therapy, and 88.4% of those recovered completely without the need for immunosuppressive therapy. The mortality rate in our review was 16.3%, and patients who received inappropriate or delayed empiric therapy had a worse outcome. Hence, we suggest empiric antibiotic treatment in patients who are suspected of having HLH due to tick-borne disease or in whom diagnostic uncertainty persists due to diagnostic delay in order to minimize mortality.

(1) Background: Cardiomyopathy in celiac disease or celiac cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a serious and potentially life-threatening disease that can occur in both adults and children. However, data supporting the causal relationship between celiac disease (CD) and cardiomyopathy (CMP) are still inconsistent. The aim of this study was to review and synthesize data from the literature on this topic and potentially reveal a more evidence-based causal relationship. (2) Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used to search Medline, Embase, and Scopus databases from database inception until September 2023. A total of 1187 original articles were identified. (3) Results: We identified 28 CCM patients (19 adult and 9 pediatric) with a mean age of 27.4 ± 18.01 years. Adult patients with CCM were predominantly male (84.2%) while pediatric patients were predominantly female (75%). The most common comorbidities associated with CCM were anemia (75%) and pulmonary hemosiderosis (20%). In 35% of patients, CCM occurred before the diagnosis of CD, while in 48% of patients, CCM and CD were diagnosed at the same time. Diagnosis of CD preceded diagnosis of CCM in only 18% of patients. Diagnosis of CCM is often delayed with an average, from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis, of 16 months. All patients were treated with a gluten-free diet in addition to guideline-directed medical therapy. At 11-month follow-up, cardiovascular improvement was seen in 60.7% of patients. Pediatric mortality was 33.3%, while adult mortality was 5.3%. (4) Conclusions: Clinicians should be aware of the possible association between CD and CMP, and we recommend CD work-up in all patients with CMP who have concomitant anemia. While we identified only 28 cases in the literature, many cases might go unreported due to a lack of awareness regarding CCM. A high degree of clinical suspicion and a prompt diagnosis of CCM are essential to minimizing the risks of morbidity and mortality, as the combination of a gluten-free diet and guideline-directed medical therapy can improve clinical outcomes.

Suppurative portal vein thrombosis (pylephlebitis) is an uncommon condition usually associated with an intra-abdominal infection or inflammatory process. In this study, we aimed to synthesize data on previously published cases according to the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 103 patients were included. Patients were more commonly male (71.8%) and had a mean age of 49 years. The most common infection associated with pylephlebitis was diverticulitis (n = 29, 28.2%), and Escherichia coli was the most isolated pathogen (n = 21, 20.4%). Blood cultures were positive in 64 cases (62.1%). The most common site of thrombosis was the main portal vein (PV) in 59 patients (57.3%), followed by the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) in 40 patients (38.8%) and the right branch of the PV in 30 patients (29.1%). Sepsis developed in 60 patients (58.3%). The mortality rate in our review was 8.7%, and independent risk factors for mortality were the presence of pertinent comorbidities (OR 5.5, p = 0.02), positive blood cultures (OR 2.2, p = 0.02), and sepsis (OR 17.2, p = 0.049).

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an emerging, Gram-negative, obligate intracellular pathogen that is transmitted by a tick vector. Human infection ranges from asymptomatic to severe disease that can present with pancytopenia, multiorgan failure, and death. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze case reports and case series reported over the last two decades in peer-reviewed journals indexed in the Medline/PubMed database according to the PRISMA guidelines. We found 110 unique patients from 88 case reports and series. The most common mode of transmission was tick bite (60.9%), followed by blood transfusion (8.2%). Infection was acquired by blood transfusion in nearly half (42%) of the immunocompromised patients. Most patients reported fever (90%), followed by constitutional (59%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (56%). Rash was present in 17% of patients, much higher than in previous studies. Thrombocytopenia was the most common laboratory abnormality (76%) followed by elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (46%). The diagnosis was most commonly established using whole-blood polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 76% of patients. Coinfection rate was 9.1% and Borrelia burgdorferi was most commonly isolated in seven patients (6.4%). Doxycycline was used to treat 70% of patients but was only used as an empiric treatment in one-third of patients (33.6%). The overall mortality rate was 5.7%, and one patient died from trauma unrelated to HGA. The mortality rates among immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients were 4.2% (n = 4/95) and 18.2% (n = 2/11), respectively. Four of the six patients who died (66.6%) received appropriate antibiotic therapy. Among these, doxycycline was delayed by more than 48 h in two patients.

Myopericarditis is a rare complication of influenza infection. The presentation may range from mild and frequently unrecognized, to fulminant and potentially complicated by cardiogenic and/or obstructive shock (tamponade), which is associated with high mortality. We performed a review of literature on all influenza pericarditis and myopericarditis cases according to PRISMA guidelines using the PubMed search engine of the Medline database. Seventy-five cases of influenza myopericarditis and isolated pericarditis were identified from 1951 to 2021. Influenza A was reported twice as often as influenza B; however, influenza type did not correlate with outcome. Men and elderly patients were more likely to have isolated pericarditis, while women and younger patients were more likely to have myopericarditis. All included patients had pericardial effusion, while 36% had tamponade. Tamponade was more common in those with isolated pericarditis (41.2%) than myopericarditis (13.8%). Cardiogenic shock was more common in patients with myopericarditis (64%), with an overall mortality rate of 14.7%. Nearly 88% of the recovered patients remained without long-term complications reported. Conclusion: Influenza A appears a more common cause of pericarditis and myopericarditis. Isolated pericarditis was more commonly associated with tamponade but without reported deaths, whereas myopericarditis was more commonly associated with cardiogenic shock and death (19%).

Extraintestinal manifestations of celiac disease (CD) should be considered, even in patients without typical intestinal symptoms. The aim of our study is to examine the literature regarding the occurrence of thrombotic events in CD, and to synthesize the data from case reports and case series. A systematic review of the literature was conducted by searching the Pub-Med/MEDLINE database, from the date of database inception to January 2022, to identify published cases and case series on this topic, in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. A total of 55 cases were included in the study. The majority of patients were previously healthy individuals, with no comorbidities. In less than one-third of the cases (30.91%), the diagnosis of CD was established before the onset of thrombosis, while in the remaining cases (34.54%), thrombosis preceded the diagnosis or was diagnosed concomitantly with CD. The most common sites for thrombosis occurrence were hepatic veins (30.91%), while thrombosis of cerebral blood vessels, deep venous thrombosis of lower extremities, and pulmonary thromboembolism were less frequent. Thrombosis was most commonly isolated to one site only (78.18%). In 69.09% of cases (n = 38), some form of anticoagulation, along with a gluten-free diet, was initiated.

In the expanding era of antibiotic resistance, new strains of Staphylococcus aureus have emerged which possess resistance to traditionally used antibiotics (MRSA). Our review aimed to systematically synthesize information on previously described MRSA pericarditis cases. The only criterion for inclusion was the isolation of MRSA from the pericardial space. Our review included 30 adult and 9 pediatric patients (aged: 7 months to 78 years). Comorbid conditions were seen in most adult patients, whereas no comorbidities were noted amongst the pediatric patients. Pericardial effusion was found in 94.9% of cases, with evidence of tamponade in 83.8%. All cases isolated MRSA from pericardial fluid and 25 cases (64.1%) had positive blood cultures for MRSA. Pericardiocentesis and antibiotics were used in all patients. The mortality rate amongst adults was 20.5%, with a mean survival of 21.8 days, and attributed to multi-organ failure associated with septic shock. No mortality was observed in the pediatric population. In adult patients, there was no statistical difference in symptom duration, antibiotic duration, presence of tamponade, age, and sex in relation to survival. Conclusion: MRSA pericarditis often presents with sepsis and is associated with significant mortality. As such, a high clinical suspicion is needed to proceed with proper tests such as echocardiography and pericardiocentesis. In more than one third of the cases, MRSA pericarditis occurs even in the absence of documented bacteremia.

Introduction: Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections present a growing problem in medicine due to a significant increase in the number of implanted devices and the age of the recipient population. Enterococcus spp. are Gram-positive, facultative anaerobic, lactic acid bacteria; they are relatively common pathogens in humans, but uncommon as the cause of CIED lead infections. Only eight cases of Enterococcus durans endocarditis have been reported in the literature thus far; however, there are no reported cases of Enterococcus durans CIED lead infection. Case presentation: A 58-year-old gentleman with a previously implanted St. Jude Medical single-chamber implantable cardioverter–defibrillator (ICD) due to tachy/brady arrhythmias presented with nonspecific constitutional symptoms (i.e., low-grade fevers, chills, fatigue), and was found to have innumerable bilateral pulmonary nodules via computed tomography angiography of the chest. Many of these pulmonary nodules were cavitated and highly concerning for septic pulmonary emboli and infarcts. Within 24 h from presentation, blood cultures in all four culture bottles grew ampicillin- and vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus durans. Transthoracic echocardiogram confirmed vegetations on the ICD lead in the right ventricle. The patient underwent laser extraction of the ICD lead with generator removal and recovered completely after a 6-week intravenous antibiotic course. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of CIED lead infection caused by Enterococcus durans. In this case, management with antibiotics along with ICD lead extraction led to complete recovery. Clinicians should be aware of this rare but potentially devastating infection in patients with native and artificial valves, but also in those with CIEDs.