Demographic, clinical, and biological data on five patients treated with rituximab for systemic vasculitis
| Case | Disease | Sex/age/duration (y) | Previous IS | Clinical involvement at beginning of rituximab treatment | No of infusions × dose (mg)/No of MP pulses/concomitant IS | Adverse event (Y/N) | Efficacy (Y/N) | Time to response (w)/follow up (m) | Prednisone initial/last | Auto-Ab initial/last | HCV load (intial/M3/M12) (logIU/ml) | Relapse (Y/N)/time to relapse (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| anti-PR3, anti-proteinase 3 antibody; auto-Ab, autoantibody; AZA, azathioprine; CPH, cyclophosphamide; cryo, cryoglobulinaemia; ELISA, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; ENT, ear, nose, throat; F, female; HCV, hepatitis C virus; IFN, interferon; inflix, infliximab; IS, immunosuppressants; ivIg, intravenous immunoglobulin; m, months; M, male; MC, mixed cryoglobulinaemia; MMF, mycophenolate mofetil; MP, methylprednisolone; MTX, methotrexate; N, no; NA, not available; neg, negative; plasmaph, plasmapheresis; pos, positive; RF, rheumatoid factor (IU/ml, determined by nephelometry); ribav, ribavirin; w, weeks; y, years; Y, yes; –, not relevant. | ||||||||||||
| 34 | Type II MC | F/53/2 | IFN+ribav | Renal | 3×375.m−2/3/MP (1000) | Encephalopathy | N | –/9 | 20/7.5 | Cryo: pos/pos | 6.4/7.3/6.3 | – |
| RF: pos/pos | ||||||||||||
| 35 | Type II MC | F/66/18 | IFN+ribav/inflix | Skin, nerve, renal | 4×375.m−2 | Infusion related | Y | 4/20 | 20/5 | Cryo: (mg/l) 1104/neg | 5.7/6.5/5.1 | Y/13 |
| RF: 289/neg | ||||||||||||
| 36 | Rheumatoid vasculitis | F/38/11 | HQ/MTX/CPH/plasmaph/inflix | Nerve, myocardial, intestinal | 3×375.m−2/2/MP (500)/CPH | N | Death | –/1.5 | 60/60 | NA | – | – |
| 37 | Wegener’s syndrome | M/31/1 | CPH/AZA inflix/MTX | ENT, lung | 3×375.m−2/3/MP (200) plasmaph | N | N | –/9 | 15/15 | cANCA: pos/pos | – | – |
| 38 | Wegener’s syndrome | M/60/13 | CPH/ivIg/AZA/MMF/inflix | ENT; pyoderma gangrenosum | 15×375.m−2/MTX+MMF | N | Y | 4/24 | 5/5 | Anti-PR3 (ELISA): 90 IU/neg | – | N |