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. 2017 Jun;4(2):139-141.
doi: 10.5152/eurjrheum.2017.16066. Epub 2017 Apr 11.

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

Kyriakos Trigkidis  1 , Eleni Geladari  1 , Evangelos Kokkinakis  1 , Natalia Vallianou  1
Affiliations

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

Kyriakos Trigkidis et al. Eur J Rheumatol. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Visceral leishmaniasis; corticosteroids; immunocompromised patients; methotrexate; rheumatoid arthritis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Comment in

  • Visceral Leishmaniasis in the Mediterranean area.
    Reina D, Corominas H. Reina D, et al. Eur J Rheumatol. 2018 Mar;5(1):79-80. doi: 10.5152/eurjrheum.2017.17104. Epub 2017 Nov 2. Eur J Rheumatol. 2018. PMID: 29657881 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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