Felty's syndrome

The Felty's syndrome is a complication of long-standing, mostly severe chronic polyarthritis. It is rare and only occurs in about 1% of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

  • Chronic Polyarthritis
  • Splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy
  • Leukopenia particularly granulocytopenia

In addition, the rheumatoid factor is high positive

Clinic

About the arthralgia also suffer some of the patients with Felty's syndrome in heaping infections. This is attributed to the lack of immune cells (leukocytes). In addition to pneumonia and inflammation of the skin of the lower legs occur. Besides the lack of immune cells here seems to be responsible in the context of rheumatic underlying disease also cause inflammation of small vessels (vasculitis ).

Cause

The cause of this disease is not yet fully understood. Also why some of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis develop Felty's syndrome and others do not is unclear. There seems to be a malfunction in the field of blood cell formation, so that the - possibly even increased - white blood cells formed are retained in the spleen and absent in peripheral blood. Patients with this constellation have antibodies against components of white blood cells.

Therapy

First, the underlying Rheumatoid arthritis is treated (qv). Patients with severe infections are additionally locally and systemically treated for this ( eg antibiotics). In individual cases, cell growth factors (eg G -CSF = granulocyte colony stimulating factor ) are used. In order to prevent an excessive number of white blood cells are trapped in the spleen, it is removed in severe cases ( splenectomy ). However, all these measures are still in the research stage and the long-term results still unknown.

Swell

  • H. Nagasawa, T. Takeuchi: Felty syndrome In: Nippon Rinsho / Japanese Journal of Clinical Medicine. May 2005; 63 Suppl 5, pages 281-284.
  • G. P. Balint, P. V. Balint: Felty 's syndrome. In: Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology. October 2004; 18 (5). Pages 631-645.
  • LC Hofbauer, J. Diebold and hay fields AE: Rheumatoid arthritis, neutropenia and splenomegaly: The Felty syndrome. In: German medical Wochenschrift December 8, 1995; 120 (49). Pages 1689-1694.
  • Disease in rheumatology
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