Stiff-person syndrome treated with rituximab.
Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurological condition consisting of progressive and fluctuating rigidity of the axial muscles combined with painful spasms. The pathophysiology of SPS is not fully understood, but there seems to be an autoimmune component. The use of rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeting CD20 protein in the surface of mature B cells, for the treatment of SPS is a recent therapeutical approach showing promising results. The authors present a case report of a 41-year-old female patient diagnosed with SPS who was treated with rituximab in a public hospital in Brasília, Brazil, showing a good and safe response to the treatment so far. Our data go along with some recent articles published in the literature.
Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Brasilia, Brazil. mlobo.neuro@gmail.com
Marcelo Evangelista
ME
Lobo
Marx Lincoln Barros
ML
Araújo
Carlos Alberto Bezerra
CA
Tomaz
Nasser
N
Allam
D000328:Adult; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069283:Rituximab; D016750:Stiff-Person Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*
D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D000069283:Rituximab