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Takayasu arteritis (TAK) is a form of large vessel vasculitis resulting in thickening and stenosis of the large-sized arteries, particularly the aorta and its main branches. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a major complication of TAK, sharing some genetic background and pathogenesis.1 Serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), are potential biomarkers to reflect disease activity of TAK. Thus, IL-6 or TNF-α inhibitors have been used for treating refractory TAK. A randomised controlled trial suggested clinical efficacy and safety of tocilizumab in patients with refractory TAK, although the trial failed to achieve its primary endpoint.2 We here present a patient in whom tofacitinib (TOF), a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, successfully induced a remission of TAK and UC resistant to both TNF-α and IL-6 inhibitors.
A 32-year-old Japanese female with a medical history of TAK and UC visited our hospital complaining of chest pain, abdominal …
Footnotes
Handling editor Josef S Smolen
Contributors SK provided the figure and wrote the manuscript. ST participated in follow-up, edited the manuscript. SM collected the clinical data of colonoscopy. HN and TH contributed to the discussion and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting or dissemination plans of this research.
Patient consent for publication Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.