Cryoglobulinemia refers to the presence of circulating cryoglobulins in the serum which may lead to organ damage and systemic response characterized by fatigue, arthralgias, purpura, glomerulonephritis and neuropathy. The disease mainly affects small and medium-sized blood vessels and causes vasculitis due to cryoglobulin-containing immune complexes. Mixed cryoglobulinemia (type I and II) are most often associated with infections, especially hepatitis C virus (HCV), but may occur as part of lymphoproliferative and autoimmune diseases. We present a 75-year-old male patient with acrocyanosis and digital necrosis of the left hand and purpura of the lower extremities. Since 2001 the patient was treated for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the stomach (MALT) and since 2002 for Sjogren's syndrome. Extensive diagnostic procedures revealed cryoglobulinemia type II, but without evidence of HCV infection or relapse of lymphoproliferative disorder. Furthermore, poorly differentiated prostate adenocarcinoma was diagnosed and antiandrogen treatment was initiated. One year after the onset of symptoms acrocyanosis and digital necrosis, gastric adenocarcinoma was diagnosed, without metastatic disease, and surgical treatment was performed. However, postoperatively recurrence of new digital necrosis of the hands occurred along with clinical deterioration and multiple organ failure leading to lethal outcome. Association of cryoglobulinemia and solid tumors is rarely described in the literature, so it is very important to perform comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and detect potential underlying disease as soon as possible.

Spondyloarthritis or spondyloarthropathy (SpA) is a multifactorial disease in which a disturbed interplay occurs between the immune system and environmental factors on a predisposing genetic background, which leads to inflammation and structural damage of target tissue. Many recent researches on development of SpA showed important role of innate and adaptive immunity as well as of prominent bone tissue remodeling which leads to osteoproliferation and ankylosis. It is believed that possible sites of inflammation in SpA are entheses, sinovium and gut. Current knowledge on inflammation and tissue destruction leads to conclusion that SpA is disease characterized by disorders on different levels. Disorder on the first level is disturbed pathogen recognition and immune response activation, on second level disturbed inflammatory cells migration and on third level disturbed immune response regulation. As follows, disease progress depends on range of disturbances: disease course can be short, as in reactive arthritis, or long-lasting with substantial structural damage, as in ankylosing spondylitis. Unfortunately, there are still no confident markers of disease progression, so at the mere beginning disease is often described as undifferentiated.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between disability status and duration of morning stiffness in hands with regard to age, level of education, and gender in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Also, the authors wanted to investigate this relationship with regard to the presence of rheumatoid factor, i.e., the serological status. A retrospective study was conducted in 250 patients with the classic form of RA (186 females, s64 males, mean age Xb = 49.96 y ears, range 25-60 years, disease duration 1-27 years, Xb = 6.41) previously diagnosed with RA according to the ACR (American College of Rheumatology 1987 criteria). All patients were in Steinbrocker functional classes II and III. The probability level was expressed by p < 0.01 and p < 0.05. The relationship between the variables was measured by point-biserial correlation. The correlation between duration of morning stiffness and functional class was positive but low [(r = 0.10, y = 0.00x + 2.37, p > 0.05) seronegative, (r = 0.12, y = 0.00x + 2.30, p > 0.05) seropositive]. High positive values were obtained for the linear correlation coefficient between duration of the disease and functional class (p < 0.01). Also, high values were obtained regarding the coefficient of correlation between age and functional class [(r = 0.29, p < 0.01) seronegative, (r = 0.47, p < 0.01) seropositive]. Uneducated patients were significantly more represented in functional class III [ 23 (50%) seronegative, 19 (42.2%) seropositive] than in functional class II [16 (20.3%) seronegative, 22 (27.5%) seropositive]. In conclusion, in this study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, increased duration of morning stiffness was associated with functional disability. Functional disability increased with the duration of the disease, depended on age and educational level, and was more pronounced in older age, regardless of RA serological status. With regard to serological status and sex, the differences were non-significant.

Vasculitides are rare rheumatic diseases of unknown etiology whose main characteristic is a necrotizing inflammation of blood vessels. We are presenting two patients with Takayasu arteritis (TA) as entity forms of rare rheumatic diseases. One patient had TA type IIa and the other type IV. In the first patient we found severe symptoms of obstructive lesions of aortic branches, particularly severe coronary artery stenosis and complete occlusion of the left subclavian artery, and thoracic artery stenosis below the isthmus. The disease was diagnosed in the acute phase, treated extensively with medicaments (glucocorticoids, cytostatics, methotrexate) and a complex cardiac surgical procedure, and due to relapse the biological (Rituximab) therapy was used. The second patient was detected following symptomatic arterial hypertension, with absent pulses of lower limbs, whose cause was found in severe narrowing of the aorta from diaphragm to femoral arteries bifurcation (mid-aortic syndrome). The disease was not active when diagnosis was made. The patient was treated with a particular cardiac surgical procedure and with multiple medicaments due to a relapse. Both patients have reached adolescent age and are successfully treated with a satisfying quality of life. Type IIa with an additional occlusion of coronary arteries is not described in the available literature. Forementioned vasculitides emphasize the importance of pediatric cardiologists and rheumatologists teamwork.