Rheumato, Volume 5, Issue 4 (December 2025) – 3 articles

Introduction: In hemoglobinopathies, the amount of globin synthesis in hemoglobin (Hb) or its structure is altered. Clinical features are related to the rate and kind of structural aberrations. The heterozygous form of the Lepore syndrome resembles minor thalassemia both clinically and hematologically. On electrophoresis, abnormal Hb Lepore fractions are found at a rate of 5–15%, with a mildly higher percentage of HbF and lower HbA. In general, Hb Lepore heterozygotes are asymptomatic. Case presentation: A 32-year-old male was admitted to our hospital with complaints of pain and swelling in multiple large joints and high-grade fever for 11 days. His past history was unremarkable; one of his sisters had the β-thalassemia trait. On physical examination, he was moderately anemic, with mild hepatomegaly and normal spleen; both knees and ankles were tender and swollen. Laboratory showed mild microcytic hypochromic anemia with variables similar to the thalassemia trait and signs of inflammation with very high CRP, serum ferritin, and leukocytosis. Blood sugars were increased. Hb electrophoresis showed an abnormal pattern with mild elevation in HbS, normal Hb F, mild reduction in HbA, and high HbA2, compatible with heterozygosity for the Hb Lepore beta chain variant. He was initially diagnosed with diabetes (treated with insulin) and sepsis from unknown origin, but fever and joint pains did not respond to NSAIDs or antibiotics. He had very good response on high-dose methylprednisolone. Undifferentiated arthritis was diagnosed in the patient with Hb Lepore, and he was treated with oral prednisolone and sulfasalazine (SSZ). At follow up, the patient was doing well. He refused further investigations and did not allow testing on his family members. In summary: Hb Lepore is a rare hemoglobinopathy linked to thalassemia, which may manifest with musculoskeletal problems. Our patient with the Hb Lepore trait presented with undifferentiated polyarthritis and fever, but in our case, a causal relationship remains unclear. This is one of the first adult cases of Hb Lepore in Bangladesh and the first with arthritis of unknown origin. The prevalence of Hb Lepore in Bangladesh is unknown. Full article

Background: Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) cell therapy has revolutionized cancer treatment and is now being explored as a novel approach to treat refractory autoimmune diseases by targeting autoreactive immune components, especially B cells. Objective: Our aim was to provide a narrative review of the current evidence, mechanisms, efficacy, safety, and future directions of CAR-T cell therapy in autoimmune diseases. Methods: A structured literature search was conducted in MEDLINE via PubMed using keywords such as “CAR-T”, “chimeric antigen receptor T-cell”, “autoimmune diseases”, “lupus”, “rheumatoid arthritis”, “multiple sclerosis”, and “vasculitis”. Studies on CAR-T mechanisms, efficacy, safety, and clinical outcomes were included. Results: CAR-T cell therapies, especially CD19-directed constructs, demonstrated sustained drug-free remission in all patients across early SLE case series (n = 5–7), with normalization of serological markers and improved renal outcomes. Emerging preclinical and early clinical data in rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, juvenile autoimmune diseases, and idiopathic inflammatory myopathies also report clinical improvement and biomarker normalization. Reported adverse events in autoimmune cohorts were limited to mild cytokine release syndrome in a minority of cases, with no severe neurotoxicity or life-threatening infections, suggesting a more favorable safety profile compared to oncology settings. In parallel, next-generation innovations—including dual-target CARs, CAR-Tregs, and molecular safety switches—are advancing toward clinical translation. Conclusions: CAR-T cell therapy is emerging as a transformative strategy for autoimmune disease management, especially in refractory cases. Although initial outcomes are promising, long-term safety, cost-effectiveness, and broader accessibility remain key challenges. Future research should focus on optimizing cell targets, minimizing off-target effects, and improving affordability. Full article

Background/Objectives: Sjögren’s disease (SjD) flares are incompletely understood. The patient perspective is critical to closing this gap. This retrospective social media listening (SML) study characterized the flare lexicon within the online Reddit SjD community using novel machine learning and natural language processing. Methods: Documents (posts/comments) were analyzed from the subreddit group “r/Sjogrens” (October 2012 to August 2023). Outcomes were as follows: (1) Frequency of documents mentioning flare, and contexts in which flare was mentioned; (2) clinical concepts associated with flare (analyzed using co-occurrence and pointwise mutual information [PMI]); (3) proportion of flare vs. non-flare documents relevant to SYMPTOMS or TESTING (compared using a two-proportion z-test); and (4) primary emotions mentioned in flare documents. Results: Of 59,266 documents with 5025 authors, flare was mentioned 3330 times (4.4% of documents from 19.1% of authors). Flare was discussed as a symptom (1423 instances), disease (13), or with no clinical category (1890). Flare-associated clinical concepts (co-occurrence > 100 and PMI² > 3) included SYMPTOMS (pain, fatigue, dryness of eye, xerostomia, arthralgia, stress) and BODY PARTS (eye, mouth, joints, whole body). More flare vs. non-flare documents mentioned a SYMPTOM, whereas fewer mentioned a TEST (p < 0.001 for both). Within flare documents, 36.5% expressed emotions, primarily fear (40.5% of primary emotions), happiness (17.8%), sadness (15.7%), and anger (15.5%). Conclusions: The SjD community discusses flare frequently and in context with symptoms, specifically pain, eye and mouth dryness, and fatigue. Flare conversations frequently involve negative emotions. Additional research is required to clarify the patient experience of flare, its clinical parameters, and implications. Full article