RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: TAFRO syndrome is a rare disorder that causes thrombocytopenia, generalized oedema, fever, organ enlargement, and renal impairment. Few reports have suggested an association with vaccines, and few cases have undergone renal biopsy. TAFRO syndrome is often severe and fatal, and its cause is unknown. We report a case of TAFRO syndrome that occurred after vaccination with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. CASE PRESENTATION: An 82-year-old woman received two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine 3 weeks apart. Two weeks later, she was admitted to the hospital with oedema, accompanied with renal failure and thrombocytopenia. After close examination, she was diagnosed with TAFRO syndrome. She was treated with steroids, cyclosporine, and thrombopoietin receptor agonists. The patient was discharged after several months in remission. CONCLUSIONS: Although an incident of TAFRO syndrome after COVID-19 vaccination has been previously reported, this is a rare case in which the patient went into remission and was discharged. A renal biopsy was also performed in this case, which was consistent with previous reports. The favorable treatment course for TAFRO syndrome provides valuable insights.

Asunto(s)

Ciclosporina , Humanos , Femenino , Ciclosporina/uso terapéutico , Ciclosporina/efectos adversos , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Trombocitopenia/inducido químicamente , Vacuna BNT162/efectos adversos , Inmunosupresores/uso terapéutico , Inmunosupresores/efectos adversos , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/efectos adversos , Edema/etiología , Edema/inducido químicamente , COVID-19/complicaciones , COVID-19/prevención & control

RESUMEN

Purpose: Immunotherapy has become an important addition to oncology treatment plans in recent years. As these therapies become more widely employed, many unique side effects have been reported. In ophthalmology the most well-documented side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) include uveitis, macular edema and dry eye syndrome. This manuscript describes a rare case of bilateral choroidal effusions and secondary angle narrowing in the setting of systemic capillary leak syndrome (SCLS) from an HLA-directed vaccine and an ICI, pembrolizumab, for the treatment of stage IV squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung. Observations: A 67-year-old male with a history of stage IV SCC of the lung status-post pneumonectomy presented to the emergency department due to functional decline, anasarca, and dyspnea after receiving an HLA-directed vaccine in combination with pembrolizumab. Extensive workup revealed that his symptoms were secondary to SCLS. Ophthalmology was consulted due bilateral choroidal detachments seen on magnetic resonance imaging. B-scan ultrasound and ultrasound biomicroscopy revealed large, non-appositional choroidal effusions with anterior rotation of the ciliary body. Given minimal response to oral steroid therapy, sub-Tenon's triamcinolone acetonide, atropine, and intraocular pressure-lowering eyedrops were initiated with a good response. Conclusions and Importance: Choroidal effusions and secondary angle closure can be rare complications of SCLS in the setting of ICIs. Clinicians must be aware of the potentials side effects of ICI therapy, as these medications become more commonly used.

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Post-COVID-19 patients may incur myocardial involvement secondary to systemic inflammation. Our aim was to detect possible oedema/diffuse fibrosis using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) mapping and to study myocardial deformation of the left ventricle (LV) using feature tracking (FT). METHODS: Prospective analysis of consecutively recruited post-COVID-19 patients undergoing CMR. T1 and T2 mapping sequences were acquired and FT analysis was performed using 2D steady-state free precession cine sequences. Statistical significance was set to p < 0.05. RESULTS: Included were 57 post-COVID-19 patients and 20 healthy controls, mean age 59 ± 15 years, men 80.7%. The most frequent risk factors were hypertension (33.3%) and dyslipidaemia (36.8%). The contact-to-CMR interval was 81 ± 27 days. LV ejection fraction (LVEF) was 61 ± 10%. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was evident in 26.3% of patients (19.3%, non-ischaemic). T2 mapping values (suggestive of oedema) were higher in the study patients than in the controls (50.9 ± 4.3 ms vs 48 ± 1.9 ms, p < 0.01). No between-group differences were observed for native T1 nor for circumferential strain (CS) or radial strain (RS) values (18.6 ± 3.3% vs 19.2 ± 2.1% (p = 0.52) and 32.3 ± 8.1% vs 33.6 ± 7.1% (p = 0.9), respectively). A sub-group analysis for the contact-to-CMR interval (<8 weeks vs ≥ 8 weeks) showed that FT-CS (15.6 ± 2.2% vs 18.9 ± 2.6%, p < 0.01) and FT-RS (24.9 ± 5.8 vs 33.5 ± 7.2%, p < 0.01) values were lower for the shorter interval. CONCLUSIONS: Post-COVID-19 patients compared to heathy controls had raised T2 values (related to oedema), but similar native T1, FT-CS and FT-RS values. FT-CS and FT-RS values were lower in post-COVID-19 patients undergoing CMR after < 8 weeks compared to ≥ 8 weeks.