Anti-interleukin 6 receptor tocilizumab in refractory uveitis associated with Behçet's disease: multicentre retrospective study.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ) in refractory uveitis of Behçet's disease (BD). Methods: Multicentre study of patients with BD-associated uveitis. Patients were refractory to conventional and biologic immunosuppressive drugs. The main outcome measures were intraocular inflammation, macular thickness, visual acuity and corticosteroid-sparing effects. Results: We studied 11 patients (7 men) (20 affected eyes); median age 35 years. Uveitis was bilateral in nine patients. The patterns of ocular involvement were panuveitis (n = 8, with retinal vasculitis in 4), anterior uveitis (n = 2) and posterior uveitis (n = 1). Cystoid macular oedema was present in seven patients. The clinical course was recurrent (n = 7) or chronic (n = 4). Before TCZ, patients had received systemic corticosteroids, conventional immunosuppressants and the following biologic agents: adalimumab (n = 8), infliximab (n = 4), canakimumab (n = 1), golimumab (n = 3), etanercept (n = 1). TCZ was used as monotherapy or combined with conventional immunosuppressants at 8 mg/kg/i.v./4 weeks (n = 10) or 162 mg/s.c./week (n = 1). At TCZ onset the following extraocular manifestations were present: oral and/or genital ulcers (n = 7), arthritis (n = 4), folliculitis/pseudofolliculitis (n = 4), erythema nodosum (n = 2), livedo reticularis (n = 1) and neurological involvement (n = 2). TCZ yielded rapid and maintained improvement in all ocular parameters of the patients, with complete remission in eight of them. However, this was not the case for the extraocular manifestations, since TCZ was only effective in three of them. After a mean (s.d.) follow-up of 9.5 (8.05) months, TCZ was withdrawn in two cases, due to a severe infusion reaction and arthritis impairment, respectively. Conclusion: TCZ could be a therapeutic option in patients with BD and refractory uveitis.

Efficacy of Anti-IL6-Receptor Tocilizumab in Refractory Cystoid Macular Edema of Birdshot Retinochoroidopathy Report of Two Cases and Literature Review.

PURPOSE: To evaluate tocilizumab (TCZ) efficacy in severe and refractory birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR). METHODS: Assessment of BSCR patients refractory to conventional immunosuppressive and anti-TNF-α drugs who underwent TCZ therapy. RESULTS: Two HLA-A29 positive patients (man/37 years and woman/38 years; four affected eyes) with BSCR were studied. They had a chronic bilateral posterior uveitis. Patient 1 had been treated with intraocular and oral corticosteroids, cyclosporine A, and infliximab whereas Patient 2 received intravenous methylprednisolone pulses, cyclosporine A, azathioprine, and adalimumab. At TCZ onset they had macular edema (four eyes); visual acuity (VA) impairment (four eyes); vitritis (one eye); and diffuse angiographic signs of vasculitis (periphlebitis) (two eyes). Improvement of VA and OCT was observed following TCZ therapy in both patients. After a follow-up of 18 months (Patient 1) and 10 months (Patient 2), respectively, a corticosteroid sparing effect without any adverse effects was achieved in both cases. CONCLUSIONS: TCZ was effective in two patients with BSCR refractory to anti-TNF-α agents.

Relapses in patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura: Analysis of 417 patients from a single center.

To further investigate into the relapses of Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP), we analyzed the frequency, clinical features, and predictors of relapses in series of 417 unselected patients from a single center. After a median follow-up of 12 (interquartile range [IQR]: 2-38) years, almost one-third of the 417 patients (n = 133; 32%; 85 men/48 women) had experienced at least 1 relapse. At the time of disease diagnosis, patients who later experienced relapses had less commonly infections than those who never suffered flares (30.8% vs 41.9%; P = 0.03). In contrast, patients who experienced relapses had a longer duration of the first episode of palpable purpura than those without relapses (palpable purpura lasting >7 days; 80.0% vs 68.1%; P = 0.04). Abdominal pain (72.3% vs 62.3%; P = 0.03) and joint manifestations (27.8% vs 15.5%; P = 0.005) were also more common in patients who later developed relapses. In contrast, patients who never suffered relapses had a slightly higher frequency of fever at the time of disease diagnosis (9.3% vs 3.8%; P = 0.06). At the time of disease diagnosis, corticosteroids were more frequently given to patients who later had relapses of the disease (44% vs 32% in nonrelapsing patients; P = 0.03). Relapses generally occurred soon after the first episode of vasculitis. The median time from the diagnosis of HSP to the first relapse was 1 (IQR: 1-2) month. The median number of relapses was 1 (IQR 1-3). The main clinical features at the time of the relapse were cutaneous (88.7%), gastrointestinal (27.1%), renal (24.8%), and joint (16.5%) manifestations. After a mean ±â€Šstandard deviation follow-up of 18.9 ±â€Š9.8 years, complete recovery was observed in 110 (82.7%) of the 133 patients who had relapses. Renal sequelae (persistent renal involvement) was found in 11 (8.3%) of the patients with relapses. The best predictive factors for relapse were joint and gastrointestinal manifestations at HSP diagnosis (odds ratio [OR]: 2.22; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34-3.69, and OR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.01-2.53, respectively). In contrast, a history of previous infection was a protective factor for relapses (OR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.38-0.94). In conclusion, joint and gastrointestinal manifestations at the time of diagnosis of HSP are predictors of relapses.

The effect of biologic therapy different from infliximab or adalimumab in patients with refractory uveitis due to Behçet's disease: results of a multicentre open-label study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of other biologic therapies, different from infliximab (IFX) and adalimumab (ADA), in patients with Behçet's disease uveitis (BU). METHODS: Multicenter study of 124 patients with BU refractory to at least one standard immunosuppressive agent that required IFX or ADA therapy. Patients who had to be switched to another biologic agent due to inefficacy or intolerance to IFX or ADA or patient's decision were assessed. The main outcome measures were the degree of anterior and posterior chamber inflammation and macular thickness. RESULTS: Seven (5.6%) of 124 cases (4 women/3 men; mean age, 43 (range 28- 67) years; 12 affected eyes) were studied. Five of them had been initially treated with ADA and 2 with IFX. The other biologic agents used were golimumab (n=4), tocilizumab (n=2) and rituximab (n=1). The ocular pattern was panuveitis (n=4) or posterior uveitis (n=3). Uveitis was bilateral in 5 patients (71.4%). At baseline, anterior chamber and vitreous inflammation were present in 6 (50%) and 7 (58.3%) of the eyes. All the patients (12 eyes) had macular thickening (OCT>250µm) and 4 of them (7 eyes), cystoid macular edema (OCT>300 µm). Besides reduction anterior chamber and vitreous inflammation, we observed a reduction of OCT values, from 330.4±58.5 µm at the onset of the biological agent to 273±50 µm at month 12 (p=0.06). Six patients achieved a complete remission of uveitis. CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of patients with BU refractory to standard immunosuppressive drugs are successfully controlled with ADA and/or IFX. Other biologic agents appear to be also useful.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine but not osteoprotegerin correlates with disease severity in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis undergoing anti-tumor necrosis factor-α therapy.

Patients with psoriasis, in particular those with severe disease, have an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events compared with the general population. The aim of the present study is to determine whether correlation between asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), two biomarkers associated with CV disease, and disease severity may exist in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. We also aimed to establish if baseline serum levels of these two biomarkers could correlate with the degree of change in the clinical parameters of disease severity following the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α therapy in these patients. This was a prospective study on a series of consecutive non-diabetic patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis who completed 6 months of therapy with anti-TNF-α-adalimumab. Patients with kidney disease, hypertension or body mass index of 35 kg/m(2) or more were excluded. Metabolic and clinical evaluation was performed immediately prior to the onset of treatment and at month 6. Twenty-nine patients were assessed. Unlike OPG, a significant positive correlation between ADMA and resistin serum levels was found at the onset of adalimumab and also after 6 months of biologic therapy. We also observed a positive correlation between the percent of body surface area affected (BSA) and ADMA levels obtained before the onset of adalimumab and a negative correlation between baseline ADMA levels and a 6-month BSA change compared with baseline results. In patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, ADMA levels correlate with clinical markers of disease severity.

Drug-associated cutaneous vasculitis: study of 239 patients from a single referral center.

OBJECTIVE: The 2012 International Chapel Hill Consensus Conference on the Nomenclature of Vasculitides defined drug-associated immune complex vasculitis as a distinct entity included within the category of vasculitis associated with probable etiology. In the present study we assessed the clinical spectrum of patients with drug-associated cutaneous vasculitis (DACV). METHODS: Case records were reviewed of patients with DACV treated at a tertiary referral hospital over a 36-year period. A diagnosis of DACV was considered if the drug was taken within a week before the onset of the disease. RESULTS: From a series of 773 unselected cutaneous vasculitis cases, 239 patients (30.9%; 133 men and 106 women; mean age 36 yrs) were diagnosed with DACV. Antibiotics (n=149; 62.3%), mainly ß-lactams and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID; n=24; 10%) were the most common drugs. Besides skin lesions (100%), the most common clinical features were joint (51%) and gastrointestinal (38.1%) manifestations, nephropathy (34.7%), and fever (23.8%). The most remarkable laboratory data were increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (40.2%), presence of serum cryoglobulins (26%), leukocytosis (24.7%), positive antinuclear antibodies (21.1%), anemia (18.8%), and positive rheumatoid factor (17.5%). Despite drug discontinuation and bed rest, 108 patients (45.2%) required medical treatment, mainly corticosteroids (n=71) or immunosuppressive drugs (n=7). After a median followup of 5 months, relapses occurred in 18.4% of patients, and persistent microhematuria or renal insufficiency in 3.3% and 5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: DACV is generally associated with antibiotics and NSAID. In most cases it has a favorable prognosis, although a small percentage of patients may develop residual renal damage.

The spectrum of paraneoplastic cutaneous vasculitis in a defined population: incidence and clinical features.

Cutaneous vasculitis may be associated with malignancies, and may behave as a paraneoplastic syndrome. This association has been reported in a variable proportion of patients depending on population selection. We conducted the current study to assess the frequency, clinical features, treatment, and outcome of paraneoplastic vasculitis in a large unselected series of 766 patients with cutaneous vasculitis diagnosed at a single university hospital. Sixteen patients (10 men and 6 women; mean age ± standard deviation, 67.94 ± 14.20 yr; range, 40-85 yr) presenting with cutaneous vasculitis were ultimately diagnosed as having an underlying malignancy. They constituted 3.80% of the 421 adult patients. There were 9 hematologic and 7 solid underlying malignancies. Skin lesions were the initial clinical presentation in all of them, and the median interval from the onset of cutaneous vasculitis to the diagnosis of the malignancy was 17 days (range, 8-50 d). The most frequent skin lesions were palpable purpura (15 patients). Other clinical manifestations included constitutional syndrome (10 patients) and arthralgia and/or arthritis (4 cases). Hematologic cytopenias (11 cases) as well as immature peripheral blood cells (6 cases) were frequently observed in the full blood cell count, especially in those with vasculitis associated with hematologic malignancies. Specific treatment for vasculitis was prescribed in 10 patients; nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (4 patients), corticosteroids (3 patients), chloroquine (1 patient), antihistamines (1 patient), and cyclophosphamide (1 patient). Ten patients died due to the malignancy and 6 patients recovered following malignancy therapy. Patients with paraneoplastic vasculitis were older, more frequently had constitutional syndrome, and less frequently had organ damage due to the vasculitis than the remaining patients with cutaneous vasculitis. In summary, cutaneous paraneoplastic vasculitis is an entity not uncommonly encountered by clinicians. The most common underlying malignancy is generally hematologic. In these cases the presence of cytopenias and immature cells may be red flags for the diagnosis of cancer. In patients with paraneoplastic cutaneous vasculitis, the prognosis depends on the underlying neoplasia.