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Severe bronchospasm associated with rituximab for refractory Churg–Strauss syndrome
  1. M-A Bouldouyre,
  2. P Cohen,
  3. L Guillevin
  1. Department of Internal Medicine, French Vasculitis Study Group, Hôpital Cochin, Université Paris 5–René Descartes, Paris, France
  1. Dr M-A Bouldouyre, Department of Internal Medicine, French Vasculitis Study Group, Hôpital Cochin, Université Paris 5–René Descartes, Paris, France; marie-anne.bouldouyre{at}cch.aphp.fr

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Rituximab is now used to control antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides, eg, Wegener’s granulomatosis.1 2 In Churg–Strauss syndrome (CSS), a small-vessel systemic vasculitis with asthma and eosinophilia, 39% of patients have ANCA.3 4 Rituximab could be effective in ANCA-associated vasculitides, even if ANCA are not present at the time of prescription, because B lymphocytes also play a role as antigen-presenting cells and can modulate the immune response in another way than targeting antibody production. Therapy-refractory CSS5 was successfully treated with rituximab in three patients.68 We would like to draw attention to the potential risk of rituximab-associated bronchospasm, by reporting …

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  • Competing interests: None.