Visceral Leishmaniasis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing treatment with methotrexate: Case report and review of the literature

There is growing concern regarding the emergence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a disseminated parasitic disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, as an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients. This association has been principally studied in the context of human immunodefic...

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Published inEuropean journal of rheumatology Vol. 4; no. 2; pp. 139 - 141
Main Authors Trigkidis, Kyriakos, Geladari, Eleni, Kokkinakis, Evangelos, Vallianou, Natalia
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Turkey AVES 01.06.2017
Medical Research and Education Association
Subjects
Case Report
Dosage and administration
Drug therapy
Methotrexate
Rheumatoid arthritis
Risk factors
Visceral leishmaniasis
immunocompromised patients
methotrexate
corticosteroids
Visceral leishmaniasis
rheumatoid arthritis
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Summary:There is growing concern regarding the emergence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a disseminated parasitic disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, as an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients. This association has been principally studied in the context of human immunodeficiency virus infection, but VL has also been reported in patients undergoing treatment with immunosuppressive medication for various indications. Here a case of VL in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing treatment with methotrexate and corticosteroid is presented. Despite the rarity of such incidents, physicians should include VL in the differential diagnosis because this infection, if left untreated, is characterized by significant mortality.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:2147-9720
2148-4279
DOI:10.5152/eurjrheum.2017.16066