Infliximab therapy for sarcoidosis (lupus pernio).
Sarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous disease of unknown aetiology in which the primary cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha appears to play a major role. Older immune-modulating drugs including corticosteroids, antimalarials and thalidomide, as well as cytotoxic drugs with immune modulatory effects, have been used to control disease. We present a patient with severe mutilating cutaneous sarcoidosis (lupus pernio) who had showed only partial response to courses of a wide spectrum of immune modulators and cytotoxic therapies, and who had developed significant side-effects due to prolonged high-dose corticosteroids. However, the patient's cutaneous disease responded rapidly to the TNF-alpha inhibitor infliximab.
Haley
H
H
Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, U.S.A.
Cantrell
W
W
Smith
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005148:Facial Dermatoses / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D000069285:Infliximab; D008297:Male; D012074:Remission Induction; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000069285:Infliximab