Made by DATEXIS (Data Science and Text-based Information Systems) at Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin
Deep Learning Technology: Sebastian Arnold, Betty van Aken, Paul Grundmann, Felix A. Gers and Alexander Löser. Learning Contextualized Document Representations for Healthcare Answer Retrieval. The Web Conference 2020 (WWW'20)
Funded by The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; Grant: 01MD19013D, Smart-MD Project, Digital Technologies
In terms of diagnosis for this condition, the following methods/tests are available:
- Endoscopic
- CT scan
- Serum endocrine autoantibody screen
- Histologic test
Immunosuppressive therapy may be used in "type I" of this condition, ketoconazole can be used for "autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I" under certain conditions The component diseases are managed as usual, the challenge is to detect the possibility of any of the syndromes, and to anticipate other manifestations. For example, in a person with known Type 2 autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome but no features of Addison's disease, regular screening for antibodies against 21-hydroxylase may prompt early intervention and hydrocortisone replacement to prevent characteristic crises
In terms of genetic testing, while it is done for "type 1" of this condition, "type 2" will only render (or identify) those genes which place the individual at higher risk. Other methods/exam to ascertain if an individual has autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 2 are:
- CT scan
- MRI
- Ultrasound
Management of autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 2 consists of the following:
Diagnosis for "type 1" of this condition for example, sees that the following methods/tests are available:
- Endoscopic
- CT scan
- Histologic test
Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 treatment is based on the symptoms that are presented by the affected individual, additionally there is:
- Hormone replacement
- Systemic antifungal treatment
- Immunosuppressive treatment
Autoimmune polyendocrine syndromes (APS) occur when more than one autoimmune disease occurs in endocrine glands. These syndromes are also called Polyendocrine Autoimmune Disorders. In Type 3, autoimmune thyroiditis and another endocrine autoimmune disease are present, but the adrenal cortex is not involved.
Antiphospholipid syndrome is tested for in the laboratory using both liquid phase coagulation assays (lupus anticoagulant) and solid phase ELISA assays (anti-cardiolipin antibodies).
Genetic thrombophilia is part of the differential diagnosis of APS and can coexist in some APS patients. Presence of genetic thrombophilia may determine the need for anticoagulation therapy. Thus genetic thrombophilia screening can consist of:
- Further studies for factor V Leiden variant and the prothrombin G20210A mutation, factor VIII levels, MTHFR mutation.
- Levels of protein C, free and total protein S, factor VIII, antithrombin, plasminogen, tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)
The testing of antibodies to the possible individual targets of aPL such as β glycoprotein 1 and antiphosphatidyl serine is currently under debate as testing for anticardiolipin appears to be currently sensitive and specific for diagnosis of APS even though cardiolipin is not considered an in vivo target for antiphospholipid antibodies.
Classification with APS requires evidence of both one or more specific, documented clinical events (either a vascular thrombosis and/or adverse obstetric event) and the confirmed presence of a repeated aPL. The Sapporo APS classification criteria (1998, published in 1999) were replaced by the Sydney criteria in 2006. Based on the most recent criteria, classification with APS requires one clinical and one laboratory manifestation:
- Clinical:
- A documented episode of arterial, venous, or small vessel thrombosis — other than superficial venous thrombosis — in any tissue or organ by objective validated criteria with no significant evidence of inflammation in the vessel wall, and/or
- 1 or more unexplained deaths of a morphologically normal fetus (documented by ultrasound or direct examination of the fetus) at or beyond the 10th week of gestation and/or 3 or more unexplained consecutive spontaneous abortions before the 10th week of gestation, with maternal anatomic or hormonal abnormalities and paternal and maternal chromosomal causes excluded or at least 1 premature birth of a morphologically normal neonate before the 34th week of gestation due to eclampsia or severe pre-eclampsia according to standard definitions, or recognized features of placental insufficiency "plus"
- Laboratory:
- Anti-cardiolipin IgG and/or IgM measured by standardized, non-cofactor dependent ELISA on 2 or more occasions, not less than 12 weeks apart; medium or high titre (i.e., > 40 GPL or MPL, or > the 99th percentile) and/or
- Anti-β2 glycoprotein I IgG and/or IgM measured by standardized ELISA on 2 or more occasions, not less than 12 weeks apart; medium or high titre (> the 99th percentile) and/or
- Lupus anticoagulant detected on 2 occasions not less than 12 weeks apart according to the guidelines of the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis.
There are 3 distinct APS disease entities: primary (the absence of any comorbidity), secondary (when there is a pre-existing autoimmune condition, most frequently systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE), and catastrophic (when there is simultaneous multi-organ failure with small vessel occlusion).
According to a 2006 consensus statement, it is advisable to classify APS into one of the following categories for research purposes:
- I: more than one laboratory criterion present in any combination;
- IIa: lupus anticoagulant present alone
- IIb: anti-cardiolipin IgG and/or IgM present alone in medium or high titers
- IIc: anti-β2 glycoprotein I IgG and/or IgM present alone in a titer greater than 99th percentile
The International Consensus Statement is commonly used for Catastrophic APS diagnosis. Based on this statement, Definite CAPS diagnosis requires:
- a) Vascular thrombosis in three or more organs or tissues and
- b) Development of manifestations simultaneously or in less than a week and
- c) Evidence of small vessel thrombosis in at least one organ or tissue and
- d) Laboratory confirmation of the presence of aPL.
VDRL, which detects antibodies against syphilis, may have a false positive result in aPL-positive patients (aPL bind to the lipids in the test and make it come out positive), although the more specific test for syphilis, FTA-Abs, that use recombinant antigens will not have a false-positive result.
In suspected cases of Addison's disease, demonstration of low adrenal hormone levels even after appropriate stimulation (called the ACTH stimulation test or synacthen test) with synthetic pituitary ACTH hormone tetracosactide is needed for the diagnosis. Two tests are performed, the short and the long test. It should be noted that dexamethasone does not cross-react with the assay and can be administered concomitantly during testing.
The short test compares blood cortisol levels before and after 250 micrograms of tetracosactide (intramuscular or intravenous) is given. If, one hour later, plasma cortisol exceeds 170 nmol/l and has risen by at least 330 nmol/l to at least 690 nmol/l, adrenal failure is excluded. If the short test is abnormal, the long test is used to differentiate between primary adrenal insufficiency and secondary adrenocortical insufficiency.
The long test uses 1 mg tetracosactide (intramuscular). Blood is taken 1, 4, 8, and 24 hr later. Normal plasma cortisol level should reach 1000 nmol/l by 4 hr. In primary Addison's disease, the cortisol level is reduced at all stages, whereas in secondary corticoadrenal insufficiency, a delayed but normal response is seen.
Other tests may be performed to distinguish between various causes of hypoadrenalism, including renin and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels, as well as medical imaging - usually in the form of ultrasound, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.
Adrenoleukodystrophy, and the milder form, adrenomyeloneuropathy, cause adrenal insufficiency combined with neurological symptoms. These diseases are estimated to be the cause of adrenal insufficiency in about 35% of male patients with idiopathic Addison’s disease, and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any male with adrenal insufficiency. Diagnosis is made by a blood test to detect very long chain fatty acids.
Routine laboratory investigations may show:
- Hypercalcemia
- Hypoglycemia, low blood sugar (worse in children due to loss of glucocorticoid's glucogenic effects)
- Hyponatremia (low blood sodium levels), due to loss of production of the hormone aldosterone, to the kidney's inability to excrete free water in the absence of sufficient cortisol, and also the effect of corticotropin-releasing hormone to stimulate secretion of ADH.
- Hyperkalemia (raised blood potassium levels), due to loss of production of the hormone aldosterone.
- Eosinophilia and lymphocytosis (increased number of eosinophils or lymphocytes, two types of white blood cells)
- Metabolic acidosis (increased blood acidity), also is due to loss of the hormone aldosterone because sodium reabsorption in the distal tubule is linked with acid/hydrogen ion (H) secretion. Absent or insufficient levels of aldosterone stimulation of the renal distal tubule leads to sodium wasting in the urine and H retention in the serum.
The best diagnostic tool to confirm adrenal insufficiency is the ACTH stimulation test; however, if a patient is suspected to be suffering from an acute adrenal crisis, immediate treatment with IV corticosteroids is imperative and should not be delayed for any testing, as the patient's health can deteriorate rapidly and result in death without replacing the corticosteroids.
Dexamethasone should be used as the corticosteroid if the plan is to do the ACTH stimulation test at a later time as it is the only corticosteroid that will not affect the test results.
If not performed during crisis, then labs to be run should include: random cortisol, serum ACTH, aldosterone, renin, potassium and sodium. A CT of the adrenal glands can be used to check for structural abnormalities of the adrenal glands. An MRI of the pituitary can be used to check for structural abnormalities of the pituitary. However, in order to check the functionality of the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) Axis the entire axis must be tested by way of ACTH stimulation test, CRH stimulation test and perhaps an Insulin Tolerance Test (ITT). In order to check for Addison’s Disease, the auto-immune type of primary adrenal insufficiency, labs should be drawn to check 21-hydroxylase autoantibodies.
Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS), also known as Asherson's syndrome, is an acute and complex biological process that leads to occlusion of small vessels of various organs. It was first described by Ronald Asherson in 1992. The syndrome exhibits thrombotic microangiopathy, multiple organ thrombosis, and in some cases tissue necrosis and is considered an extreme or catastrophic variant of the antiphospholipid syndrome.
CAPS has a mortality rate of about 50%. With the establishment of a CAPS-Registry more has been learned about this syndrome, but its cause remains unknown. Infection, trauma, medication, and/or surgery can be identified in about half the cases as a "trigger". It is thought that cytokines are activated leading to a cytokine storm with the potentially fatal consequences of organ failure. A low platelet count is a common finding. Individuals with CAPS often exhibit a positive test to antilipid antibodies, typically IgG, and may or may not have a history of lupus or another connective tissue disease. Association with another disease such as lupus is called a secondary APS unless it includes the defining criteria for CAPS.
Clinically, the syndrome affects at least three organs and may affect many organs systems. Peripheral thrombosis may be encountered affecting veins and arteries. Intraabdominal thrombosis may lead to pain. Cardiovascular, nervous, kidney, and lung system complications are common. The affected individual may exhibit skin purpura and necrosis. Cerebral manifestations may lead to encephalopathy and seizures. Myocardial infarctions may occur. Strokes may occur due to the arterial clotting involvement. Death may result from multiple organ failure.
Treatments may involve the following steps:
- Prevention includes the use of antibiotics for infection and parenteral anticoagulation for susceptible patients.
- Specific therapy includes the use of intravenous heparin and corticosteroids, and possibly plasma exchanges, intravenous immunoglobulin.
- Additional steps may have to be taken to manage circulatory problems, kidney failure, and respiratory distress.
- When maintaining survival of the disease treatments also include high doses of Rituxan (Rituximab) to maintain stability.
All causes in this category are genetic, and generally very rare. These include mutations to the "SF1" transcription factor, congenital adrenal hypoplasia due to "DAX-1" gene mutations and mutations to the ACTH receptor gene (or related genes, such as in the Triple A or Allgrove syndrome). "DAX-1" mutations may cluster in a syndrome with glycerol kinase deficiency with a number of other symptoms when "DAX-1" is deleted together with a number of other genes.
Re-entry ventricular arrhythmia is a type of paroxysmal tachycardia occurring in the ventricle where the cause of the arrhythmia is due to the electric signal not completing the normal circuit, but rather an alternative circuit looping back upon itself. There develops a self-perpetuating rapid and abnormal activation. ("Circus Movement" is another term for this.) Conditions necessary for re-entry include a combination of unidirectional block and slowed conduction. Circus movement may also occur on a smaller scale within the AV node (dual AV nodal physiology), a large bypass tract is not necessary.
Re-entry is divided into two major types: [Anatomically Defined] re-entry and [Functionally Defined] re-entry. The circus movement can occur around an anatomical or functional core. Either type may occur alone, or together.
"Anatomically" defined re-entry has a fixed anatomic pathway. Anomalous conduction via accessory pathways (APs) create the re-entry circuit (which are also called bypass tracts), that exist between the atria and ventricles. Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome (WPW) is an example of anatomically defined re-entry. WPW syndrome is an atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardia (AVRT), secondary to an accessory pathway that connects the epicardial surfaces of the atrium and ventricle along the AV groove. The majority of time symptomatic WPW fits the definition of AVRT (Supraventricular tachycardia) however AVNRT (dual AV nodal physiology) exist in ~10% of patients with WPW syndrome creating the possibility of spontaneous atrial fibrillation degenerating into ventricular fibrillation (VF). The fact that WPW patients are young and do not have structural heart disease, lead to using catheter ablation of the APs with the elimination of the atrial fibrillation as well as the episodes of re-entrant ventricular tachycardia. This elimination of the atrial fibrillation with ablation implies APs have some pathophysiologic role in the development of a-fib in the WPW patient.
"Functionally" defined re-entry does not require the alternative anatomically defined circuit accessory pathways and it may not reside in just one location. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) following ventricular tachycardia (VT) may be described as a functionally defined re-entry problem caused by multiple mini re-entrant circuits spontaneously created within the ventricular myocardium. The original re-entrant circuit breaks down into multiple mini reentrant circuits. (VF becoming the grand finale of a single prolonged VT larger circus movement, propagating change in the "functional core" of the ventricular myocardium, dissipating mini reentrant circuits, exhibited as ventricular fibrillation.) Ischemia, electrolyte, pH abnormalities, or bradycardia are potential causes of functionally defined re-entry due to changes in the properties of the cardiac tissue's functional core. (No accessory pathway required)
Treatment for perfectionism can be approached from many therapeutic directions. Some examples of psychotherapy include: cognitive-behavioral therapy (the challenging of irrational thoughts and formation of alternative ways of coping and thinking), psychoanalytic therapy (an analysis of underlying motives and issues), group therapy (where two or more clients work with one or more therapists about a specific issue, this is beneficial for those who feel as if they are the only one experiencing a certain problem), humanistic therapy (person-centered therapy where the positive aspects are highlighted), and self-therapy (personal time for the person where journaling, self-discipline, self-monitoring, and honesty with self are essential). Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been shown to successfully help perfectionists in reducing social anxiety, public self-consciousness, and perfectionism. By using this approach, a person can begin to recognize his or her irrational thinking and find an alternative way to approach situations. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is intended to help the person understand that it is okay to make mistakes sometimes and that those mistakes can become lessons learned.
Perfectionism, in psychology, is a personality trait characterized by a person's striving for flawlessness and setting high performance standards, accompanied by critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others' evaluations. It is best conceptualized as a multidimensional characteristic, as psychologists agree that there are many positive and negative aspects. In its maladaptive form, perfectionism drives people to attempt to achieve an unattainable ideal, while their adaptive perfectionism can sometimes motivate them to reach their goals. In the end, they derive pleasure from doing so. When perfectionists do not reach their goals, they often fall into depression.