Internal medicine
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Neutropenia, a rare immune-related adverse event, affects patients receiving treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We herein report a case of pembrolizumab-induced agranulocytosis. An 83-year-old man was diagnosed with advanced-stage lung carcinoma concomitant with splenomegaly complicated by hypersplenism, causing pancytopenia. ⋯ However, the patient developed agranulocytosis despite the resolution of pancytopenia through splenectomy performed after the fourth pembrolizumab cycle. Neutrophil counts improved after steroid treatment but not after granulocyte colony-stimulating factor treatment. This case demonstrated that neutropenia can sometimes develop abruptly after several ICI therapy cycles.
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Objective This study explored the predictors of hydroxychloroquine intolerance and propose appropriate methods to initiate hydroxychloroquine in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Methods This retrospective study registered consecutive patients who were diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus and started treatment with hydroxychloroquine between 2015 and 2021. Any adverse events that required dose reduction or cessation of hydroxychloroquine, indicating intolerance to the drug, were recorded for up to 26 weeks after initiation of hydroxychloroquine. ⋯ Multivariable analyses revealed that the hydroxychloroquine dose per ideal body weight and higher levels of C4 predicted hydroxychloroquine intolerance. In particular, C4 levels were positively correlated with cutaneous reactions, whereas the dose of prednisolone was negatively correlated with gastrointestinal reactions. Conclusion Low-dose hydroxychloroquine may be optimal for induction in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who have high C4 levels or are taking low doses of steroids.
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A 34-year-old pregnant woman in the 34th week of gestation with uncontrolled asthma was admitted because of asthma exacerbation. Although she received bronchodilators and systemic corticosteroids, respiratory failure rapidly progressed. Chest computed tomography revealed a mass occluding approximately 80% of the tracheal lumen. ⋯ The pathological findings of the resected tumor were compatible with tracheal glomus tumor. Tracheal tumors are often misdiagnosed as asthma, but its complication with asthma is rare. Even if the diagnosis of asthma is definitive, clinicians should consider coexisting diseases, including tracheal tumors, when asthma control is poor.