Behcet's disease is recognized as a multisystemic disease with various organ involvement including skin, mucous membrane, eyes, joints, veins, arteries, gastrointestinal tract, meninges, and brain. In this review, Behcet's disease has been approached from two rheumatologic perspectives--as an intermittent and periodic arthritic syndrome and as a vasculitic syndrome. Association with seronegative spondyloarthropathy and other autoimmune diseases will also be discussed.
Arthritis/etiology* ; Autoimmune Diseases/etiology* ; Behcet's Syndrome/complications* ; Human ; Vasculitis/etiology*

Autoimmune Diseases ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Cholangitis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans

Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases ; etiology ; immunology ; Dendritic Cells ; immunology ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; etiology ; immunology

Adult ; Asymptomatic Diseases/epidemiology* ; Autoimmune Diseases/etiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism/etiology* ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome/epidemiology* ; Middle Aged ; Obesity/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Thyroid Diseases/etiology* ; Young Adult

Autoimmune Diseases ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; adverse effects ; blood ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the etiologies and clinical features for bilateral acute sensorineural hearing loss (bi-ASNHL).

METHODSThe clinical data of 19 cases presenting with bi-ASNHL were retrospectively analyzed, including the clinical features, systemic examinations, laboratory examinations, audiology and radiology results, as well as the prognosis.

RESULTSThere were 15 non-otologic diseases in 19 patients, accounting for 78.9% of the total cases, most of which were disorders with multisystem and multi-organ disorder. The central nervous system diseases including fungal meningitis, tuberculous meningitis, and viral encephalitis in 3 patients. The clinical features of deafness were bilateral, progressive, accompanied with fever, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and change of mental status. There was a decrease in speech recognition score (SRS), and speech recognition threshold (SRT) was obviously inferior to pure tone average (PTA) disproportionally. Diseases of immune system including antineural cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated systemic vasculitis (AASV), relapsing polychondritis (RP), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in 5 patients. They showed the characteristics of bilateral, progressive and simultaneous autoimmune disease. Hematological and endocrine system diseases including diabetes mellitus, leukemia, and thyroid hypofunction in 5 patients. The deafness had the characteristics of symmetry and progressivity. Otologic diseases including large vestibular aqueduct syndrome (LVAS) and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) in 4 patients; Drug-induced sensorineural deafness happened in 2 patients. After the treatment aimed at the causes, 1 case was cured, 3 patients were markedly effective, 7 patients were effective, and 8 patients were ineffective(including dead and refusal cases), with a total effective rate of 57.9%.

CONCLUSIONSThe most of bi-ASNHL cases are often associated with systemic diseases. Clinicians should analyze the history and clinical characteristics in detail, and complete specific laboratory examinations, audiology and imaging examinations in order to reveal the causative diseases. It should be treated aimed at the etiology.

Autoimmune Diseases ; Deafness ; Hearing Loss, Bilateral ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Syndrome ; Vertigo ; Vestibular Aqueduct

Autoimmune Diseases ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Child, Preschool ; Encephalitis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; immunology

Chronic prostatitis is a highly prevalent disease of unclear etiology. Researches show that autoimmune reaction is one cause of the problem. An effective animal model may help a lot to understand the pathogenesis and find proper diagnostic and therapeutic strategies of the disease. Currently used autoimmune prostatitis-related animal models include those of age-dependent spontaneous prostatitis, autoimmune regulator-dependent spontaneous prostatitis, self antigen-induced prostatitis, and steroid-induced prostatitis. Whether an animal model of autoimmune prostatitis is successfully established can be evaluated mainly from the five aspects: histology, morphology, specific antigens, inflammatory factors, and pain intensity.
Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases ; etiology ; pathology ; Chronic Disease ; Disease Models, Animal ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatitis ; etiology ; immunology ; pathology ; Transcription Factors

BACKGROUNDThe pathophysiology of late-onset hemorrhagic cystitis (LOHC) is currently not well understood. The aim of this study was to analyze the alloimmune aetiology in the pathogenesis of LOHC post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

METHODSA retrospective study was performed on the medical records of 11 patients with immune-related LOHC post allogeneic HSCT. The clinical characteristics, therapy, and outcomes of these patients were analyzed.

RESULTSThe median time of onset was 42 days after HSCT (range 16-150 days) and the median duration of HC was 43 days (range 29-47 days). All patients presented with prolonged HC for more than 35 days. Nine patients with evidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation did not respond to anti-viral therapy even with CMV clearance in the urine post-therapy. Eleven patients with refractory HC received a low dose of corticosteroids and all patients went into complete remission.

CONCLUSIONOur data suggest that alloimmune injury is involved in the pathogenesis of HC in at least some patients and that specific therapy might improve the clinical outcome of hemorrhagic cystitis.

Autoimmune Diseases ; etiology ; Cystitis ; etiology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Hemorrhage ; etiology ; Humans ; Leukemia ; therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation, Homologous ; adverse effects

OBJECTIVETo analyze the effect of autoimmune disorders on the outcome of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in infertile women.

METHODSA total of 236 infertile women underwent IVF-ET, including 34 with antiphospholipid antibody (APA) positive, 33 anti-trophoblast antibody (ATA) positive, 35 anti-hCG antibody (hCGAb) positive, 32 anti-endometrium antibody (EmAb) positive, and 102 with antibodies negative that comprised the control group. Those with two or more antibodies positive were excluded in this study. Comparisons were made in the rates of embryo implantation, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage and biochemical pregnancy between the positive groups and the negative controls.

RESULTSThere were no significant differences in the rates of embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy between the positive and negative groups (P > 0.05). The rate of biochemical pregnancy was higher in the APA, ATA and hCGAb positive than in the EmAb positive and the control group (P < 0.05). The miscarriage rate was higher while the ongoing pregnancy rate was lower in the positive groups than in the negative control (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSuch autoantibodies as APA, ATA, HCG-Ab and EmAb may cause miscarriage in infertile women undergoing IVF and consequently reduce the rate of ongoing pregnancy, which necessitates the determination of these antibodies in these patients.

Adult ; Autoantibodies ; analysis ; Autoimmune Diseases ; complications ; immunology ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Infertility, Female ; etiology ; immunology ; therapy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome