title: [Efficacy of rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and peritoneal vasculitis refractory to conventional inmunosupressive therapy].
abstract: Peritoneal vasculitis is a rare and severe clinical manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. We report a patient who presented with ascites due to peritoneal vasculitis and cutaneous, articular, hematological and renal inflammatory activity. Treatment with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive drugs was ineffective. In view of the resistance to different therapies, 4 weekly infusions of 375mg/m2 of rituximab (RTX) were started, in association with cyclophosphamide pulses during the first and the third weeks. With this treatment strategy, the patient reached a complete response which was achieved in later flares of inflammatory activity (the second and third flares were multisystemic and with ascites again, and the fourth flare with nephritis).
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Colagenosis e Hipertensión Pulmonar, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospitales Universitarios Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, España.
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garrido Rasco
authors.forename: Francisco José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: García Hernández
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: González León
authors.forename: María Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Castillo Palma
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ocaña Medina
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sánchez Román