Safety and efficacy of rituximab in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus and other rheumatic diseases.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Rituximab (RTX) has been used to treat many pediatric autoimmune conditions. We investigated the safety and efficacy of RTX in a variety of pediatric autoimmune diseases, especially systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: Retrospective study of children treated with RTX. Effectiveness data was recorded for patients with at least 12 months of followup; safety data was recorded for all subjects. RESULTS: The study included 104 children; 50 had SLE. Improvements in corticosteroid dosage, physician's global assessment of disease activity, and SLE-associated markers of disease activity were seen. The incidence of hospitalized infections was similar to previous studies of patients with childhood-onset SLE. CONCLUSION: RTX can be safely administered to children and appears to contribute to decreased disease activity and steroid burden.