title: [Systemic and neurological uses of immunosuppressive agents].
abstract: Involvement of the central or peripheral nervous system, frequently present in systemic inflammatory immune disorders, has to be considered a severe threat and requires aggressive immunosuppressive treatment to achieve rapid remission. This is usually obtained with high-dose systemic corticosteroids combined with cyclophosphamide. Once remission is obtained, immunosuppressive agents with a more favorable safety profile are needed to exert a corticosteroid-sparing effect and minimize adverse events. New therapeutic approaches are currently developed to treat autoimmune diseases, mostly linked to the definition of new indications for biological agents such as TNF-alpha antagonists and rituximab.
authors.affiliation: Faculté de médecine, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne. caroline.schnider@unil.ch
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schnider
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Seebach
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ribi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Spertini
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha