Abstract
B-cells play an important role not only in cellular but also in humoral immunity through differentiation into plasma cells and antibody production. B-cell depletion may, theoretically, change the course of systemic rheumatic diseases (SRD) in which self-reactive antibodies are part of the pathogenic pathway In Rheumatology, anti-B-cell antibody Rituximab is currently licensed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, however there is growing evidence of its potential use in other SRD. The authors present a case series of eight patients in which Rituximab was used off-label including overlap syndrome Rhupus, systemic lupus erythematosus and Wegener's granulomatosis. In the end, a brief literature review about this subject is performed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 290-294 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Acta reumatologica portuguesa |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 4 |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2013 |
Keywords
- Rhupus
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Wegener’s granulomatosis
- Rituximab
- Off-label