title: Successful treatment of Takayasu arteritis with rituximab as a first-line immunosuppressant.
abstract: Takayasu arteritis is a rare large vessel vasculitis which has traditionally been treated with high-dose steroids. There have been a small number of publications where biological agents have been used to manage refractory cases. To the authors knowledge, there are no publications using biological agents in combination with steroids as a first-line treatment in Takayasu arteritis. In this publication, we document the case of Takayasu arteritis, in a 39-year-old woman, where rituximab was used in combination with steroids as a first-line agent in the setting of poorly controlled bipolar affective disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.|Department of Rheumatology, South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Mortimer B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: O'Donovan
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.|Department of Rheumatology, South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Phelan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069283:Rituximab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013625:Takayasu Arteritis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D000069283:Rituximab