Interleukin-1 blockade in refractory giant cell arteritis.

Abstract

Giant cell arteritis is a primary large-vessel vasculitis characterized by an arterial wall inflammation associated with intimal hyperplasia leading to arterial occlusion. Glucocorticoids remain the mainstay of giant cell arteritis treatment. However, relapses and glucocorticoid-related complications are frequent and therapeutic options for refractory giant cell arteritis are quite limited. Like tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6, interleukin-1β is also highly expressed in inflamed arterial walls of patients with giant cell arteritis and may contribute in the pathogenesis of this disease. We report treatment of three cases of refractory giant cell arteritis successfully treated with anakinra, an interleukin-1 blockade therapy. Anakinra was effective for all patients, yielding improvement in their inflammation biomarkers and/or in their symptoms, as well as a disappearance of arterial inflammation in PET/CT for two of them.

• Authors: Kim-Heang Ly, Jérôme Stirnemann, Eric Liozon, Marc Michel, Olivier Fain, Anne-Laure Fauchais
• Journal: Joint bone spine (Joint Bone Spine) Vol. 81 Issue 1 Pg. 76-8 (Jan 2014) ISSN: 1778-7254 [Electronic] France
• PMID: 23890680 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier SAS.

Chemical References

• Antirheumatic Agents
• Glucocorticoids
• Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein
• Interleukin-1

Topics

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Antirheumatic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Female
• Giant Cell Arteritis (diagnostic imaging, drug therapy)
• Glucocorticoids (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein (therapeutic use)
• Interleukin-1 (antagonists & inhibitors)
• Male
• Positron-Emission Tomography