Background Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare disease characterized with recurrent swelling of subcutaneous or mucosal tissue that resolves in approximately 3 days. It can be presented with peripheral edema, abdominal and life-threatening laryngeal angioedema. A variety of triggers are known to cause episodes of angioedema including estrogen exposure. There are different reports regarding the effect of pregnancy on HAE attacks, and in some patients, the pregnancy is a recognized triggering factor. Case presentation We present a female Caucasian patient with pre-existing HAE and disease exacerbations during pregnancy, requiring prophylactic use of plasma-derived C1 inhibitor concentrate. She was treated with Cinryze® replacement therapy throughout the pregnancy 1000 IU i.v. 48 times. She gave birth to a healthy male infant, via C-section. After the delivery, the patient was symptom-free for 6 months and required no treatment for HAE. Conclusions In the case presented, the angioedema attacks worsened as the pregnancy progressed. The treatment with Cinryze® replacement therapy was effective and safe during pregnancy, with no adverse effects on the infant.

Nowadays, the importance of healthy and active aging is increasingly recognized due to the growing number of older individuals in the population. Autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases can affect people at any stage of life, significantly impacting both morbidity, mortality and overall quality of life. Rheumatologic conditions that develop later in life have distinct characteristics compared to those that manifest at a younger age. Practitioners need to be familiar with these differences in order to make a timely diagnosis. Often, the first symptoms in elderly patients are nonspecific, constitutional symptoms, which are easily overlooked. Since multiple comorbidities accompany older age, treatment regimens should be individually adjusted, taking into account that these patients are more susceptible to severe infections compared to younger patients. However, the right and effective treatment should be provided to all patients, regardless of age, helping them to have active, dignified, and fulfilling seniority. In this review, common rheumatologic diseases are described with their uniqueness regarding older age and treatment options that appear to be well tolerated, efficacious, and without significant side effects in this age group.

The Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common form of systemic vasculitis in elderly patients. The treatment includes high doses of steroids and interleukin (IL)-6 inhibitor tocilizumab, especially in refractory or relapsing disease or in cases where there is an increased risk of steroid-related adverse events. This report discusses the case of a patient with giant cell arteritis who underwent treatment with tocilizumab for four years. The treatment was successful and resulted in clinical remission. However, four years after starting the therapy, the patient developed spontaneous hematomas on their extremities. After further investigation, it was discovered that the patient had developed thrombocytopenia and hypofibrinogenemia, which required substitution therapy. Malignancy and immune-mediated causes of hypofibrinogenemia and thrombocytopenia were ruled out. The patient experienced an extended period of hypofibrinogenemia that lasted for two months after the last dose of tocilizumab. During this time, the levels of CRP remained very low. This could be because the continued inhibition of IL-6 caused impaired hepatic synthesis of acute phase response proteins, which led to low fibrinogen and CRP levels in serum. The purpose of this case-based review is to emphasize the necessity of regular fibrinogen check-ups in GCA patients treated with tocilizumab.