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- Title
Chronic Q fever associated with systemic sclerosis.
- Authors
Jansen, Anne F. M.; Raijmakers, Ruud P. H.; Deuren, Marcel; Vonk, Madelon C.; Bleeker‐Rovers, Chantal P.
- Abstract
Background: After the Q fever outbreak in the Netherlands between 2007 and 2010, more than 300 patients with chronic Q fever have been identified. Some patients were also diagnosed with systemic sclerosis, a rare immune‐mediated disease. We aimed to increase awareness of concomitant chronic Q fever infection and systemic sclerosis and to give insight into the course of systemic sclerosis during persistent Q fever infection. Materials and methods: Chronic Q fever patients were identified after the Dutch Q fever outbreak in 2007‐2010. Systemic sclerosis was diagnosed by a scleroderma expert and patients fulfilled the 2013 Classification Criteria for Systemic Sclerosis. Results: Four cases presented with chronic Q fever, persistent Coxiella burnetii infection, shortly preceded or followed by the diagnosis of limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis. The three male patients of 60 years or older developed a relatively mild systemic sclerosis, which did not require immunosuppressive therapy during adequate treatment of the chronic Q fever infection. The 58‐year‐old female patient used immunosuppressives for her newly diagnosed systemic sclerosis at the time she likely developed a chronic Q fever infection. Conclusions: In this case series, chronic Q fever preceding systemic sclerosis was associated with a mild course of systemic sclerosis without the necessity of immunosuppressive drugs, while chronic Q fever development due to immunocompromised state was associated with a more deteriorating course of systemic sclerosis.
- Subjects
NETHERLANDS; Q fever; SYSTEMIC scleroderma; COXIELLA burnetii; THERAPEUTICS; IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE agents; WOMEN patients
- Publication
European Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2019, Vol 49, Issue 7, pN.PAG
- ISSN
0014-2972
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/eci.13123