title: Successful treatment with rituximab in a patient with mental nerve neuropathy in primary Sjögren's syndrome.
abstract: We present the case of a 79-year-old female patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on home oxygen therapy who was diagnosed as having Sjögren's syndrome with arthralgias and painful sensory neuropathy. She subsequently developed bilateral numb chin syndrome. Because of refractory and disabling symptoms under high corticosteroids and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, we decided to treat her with rituximab rather than immunosuppressants. This resulted in significant subjective improvement in sicca syndrome while arthalgias, distal and chin paresthesias resolved completely. To our knowledge this is the first description of such a case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hôtel-Dieu, 1 place de l'Hôpital, Lyon, France. pascal.seve@chu-lyon.fr
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sève
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gachon
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Petiot
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stankovic
authors.forename: Annick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Charhon
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Broussolle
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D000069283:Rituximab; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab