The efficacy of adalimumab for the treatment of refractory active Takayasu arteritis / 中华风湿病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of adalimumab (ADA) in Chinese Takayasu arteritis (TAK) patients.Methods:This study prospectively included ten refractory active TAK patients. The clinical, laboratory and imaging data of these patients before and after ADA treatment were collected and compared. Statistical analysis was carried out with the statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) program V.24.0. We performed univariate analysis by Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test for numerical data according to normality. The P value <0.05 was interpreted as statistically significant. Results:Ten TAK patients recruited in this study were all female, with a median age of 27.5 [25.0, 36.0] years. Fever or fatigue (6/10, 60%), neck pain (6/10, 60%), and limb claudication (4/10, 40%) were the most common clinical manifestations. The most common pattern of vascular involvement was Numano type V (7/10, 70%). The serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) [22.0(4.5, 37.5) mm/1 h vs 7.0(4.5, 31.0) mm/1 h, Z=-2.04, P=0.042] and IL-6 level [12.3(3.6, 57.7) ng/L vs 2.8(2.0, 24.0) ng/L, Z=-2.19, P=0.028] reduced significantly after ADA treatment. The thickness of the common carotid artery intima decreased from 2.7(2.2, 4.0) mm to 2.3(1.6, 3.4) mm after ADA treatment ( Z=-1.99, P=0.046). The lumen diameter of the common carotid artery increased from 0.31(0.20, 0.42) cm to 0.37(0.29, 0.43) cm ( Z=-2.02, P=0.043). The glucocorticoid dosage was reduced from [11.2(6.9, 15.0) mg to 10.0(5.0, 13.1) mg, Z=-1.89, P=0.059]. In the 10 patients, 6 patients (60%) reached complete response, 2 patients (20%) reached the partial response, and the total effective rate was 80%(8/10). Pneumonia in one TAK patient was recorded. Conclusion:The results of this study suggest, that ADA can be used for refractory active TAK patients, and is safe.