Sustained remission after long-term biological therapy in patients with large vessel vasculitis: an analysis of ten cases / Remisión sostenida tras terapia biológica en pacientes con vasculitis de grandes vasos: análisis de 10 casos

Objectives. To describe the results obtained in clinical practice with the use of biological therapy (BT) in patients diagnosed with Takayasu arteritis (TA) and giant cell arteritis (GCA). Methods. Retrospective single center study of TA/GCA patients who received BT (infliximab [IFX], etanercept [ETN] and tocilizumab [TCZ]). In TA, active disease was defined according to a previous National Institutes of Health study. In GCA, active disease was defined with a modified criteria and clinical manifestations secondary to temporal artery involvement or polymyalgia rheumatica symptoms. Clinical data and outcomes are reported using descriptive statistics. Results. Five patients with TA and 5 with GCA were included. The main reason for starting BT was lack of response to prior therapy and/or ≥2 relapses during GC tapering. Five patients started IFX, four TCZ and 1 ETN. Remission was observed before 6 months in all cases. Only one patient had a relapse during long-term follow-up and the overall GC daily dose was reduced by 70%. Two AEs were considered attributable to IFX and one to TCZ. Conclusion. A favorable and sustained response to BT was observed in our patients with TA and GCA. Thus, BT might be considered as an alternative in patients with large vessel arteritis refractory to conventional treatment or with GC related comorbidities (AU)

Objetivos. Describir los resultados obtenidos en la práctica clínica diaria con el uso de la terapia biológica (TB) en pacientes con diagnóstico de arteritis de Takayasu (AT) y arteritis de células gigantes (ACG). Métodos. Estudio retrospectivo monocéntrico de pacientes con AT/ACG que recibieron TB (infliximab, etanercept y tocilizumab). En AT, la enfermedad activa se definió de acuerdo a un estudio previo del National Institutes of Health. En ACG, la enfermedad activa se definió con dichos criterios modificados y manifestaciones clínicas secundarias a afectación de la arteria temporal o síntomas de polimialgia reumática. Los datos y los desenlaces clínicos se muestran mediante estadística descriptiva. Resultados. Se incluyeron 5 pacientes con AT y 5 con ACG. La razón principal para el inicio de la TB fue la falta de respuesta al tratamiento previo y/o ≥2 recaídas durante la terapia con corticoides. Cinco pacientes comenzaron infliximab, 4 tocilizumab y uno etanercept. La remisión se observó antes de los 6 meses en todos los casos. Solo un paciente tuvo una recaída durante el seguimiento a largo plazo. La dosis diaria de corticoides se redujo globalmente en un 70%. Dos acontecimientos adversos se consideraron atribuibles a infliximab y uno a tocilizumab. Conclusión. Se observó una respuesta favorable y sostenida a la TB en nuestros pacientes con AT y ACG. Por lo tanto, la TB puede ser considerada una alternativa en pacientes refractarios al tratamiento convencional o con comorbilidades asociadas a los corticoides (AU)

Sustained remission after long-term biological therapy in patients with large vessel vasculitis: an analysis of ten cases.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the results obtained in clinical practice with the use of biological therapy (BT) in patients diagnosed with Takayasu arteritis (TA) and giant cell arteritis (GCA). METHODS: Retrospective single center study of TA/GCA patients who received BT (infliximab [IFX], etanercept [ETN] and tocilizumab [TCZ]). In TA, active disease was defined according to a previous National Institutes of Health study. In GCA, active disease was defined with a modified criteria and clinical manifestations secondary to temporal artery involvement or polymyalgia rheumatica symptoms. Clinical data and outcomes are reported using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Five patients with TA and 5 with GCA were included. The main reason for starting BT was lack of response to prior therapy and/or ≥2 relapses during GC tapering. Five patients started IFX, four TCZ and 1 ETN. Remission was observed before 6 months in all cases. Only one patient had a relapse during long-term follow-up and the overall GC daily dose was reduced by 70%. Two AEs were considered attributable to IFX and one to TCZ. CONCLUSION: A favorable and sustained response to BT was observed in our patients with TA and GCA. Thus, BT might be considered as an alternative in patients with large vessel arteritis refractory to conventional treatment or with GC related comorbidities.