title: Rituximab in the treatment of severe lupus myelopathy.
abstract: Lupus myelopathy (LM) is a rare but critical condition, and the prognosis is grim for patients with severe initial motor deficits despite aggressive conventional immunosuppressive therapy. In this report, six recent-onset severe LM patients with lower extremity muscle strength less than or equal to grade 3 were treated with rituximab combined with pulse methylprednisolone. Four patients showed complete myelopathy response at 12 months. The safety profile of rituximab was tolerable, with urinary tract infection as the most frequent adverse event. Preliminary data indicated that rituximab could be beneficial in preventing permanent neurological damage in severe LM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 145 Shandong C Rd, Shanghai 200001, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Yueying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Xiaoqing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ye
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength; D009187:Myelitis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069283:Rituximab; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000139:chemically induced; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D000069283:Rituximab; D011241:Prednisone; D008775:Methylprednisolone