Efficacy and safety of rituximab alone or combined with glucocorticoid in the treatment of Graves′ ophthalmopathy / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of glucocorticoids (GCs), rituximab (RTX), and GCs combined with RTX in the treatment of active moderate-to-severe Graves′ ophthalmopathy (GO).Methods:A total of 42 patients with GO who were hospitalized in the Endocrinology Department of Jiangsu Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital from August 2017 to July 2019 were included and divided into GCs group (18 cases), RTX group (7 cases), GCs combined with RTX group (17 cases). Patients in the GCs group were received 500 mg intravenous methylprednisolone once a week for 6 weeks, followed by 250 mg intravenous methylprednisolone once a week for 6 weeks. In RTX group, patients were given intravenous RTX 100 mg every 2 weeks for 2 times. GCs combined with RTX group, i. e. RTX combined with methylprednisolone pulse therapy. At 12 and 24 weeks after treatment, CAS and NOSPECS classes were evaluated in each group. The altered course of thyroid stimulating receptor antibody were compared among the three groups. All adverse events were recorded.Results:The proportion of CAS decreased≥2 or total scores<3 points in the GCs, RTX and combined groups were 88.9%, 85.7% and 100%, with no statistical difference among the three groups ( P=0.321). At 24 weeks, CAS and NOSPECS classes decreased significantly in all three groups compared with those before treatment ( P<0.05). The reduction of CAS in the combined group was greater than in the GCs group (-3.12±1.02 vs -2.39±1.02, P=0.036) and RTX group (-3.12±1.02 vs -2.14±0.90, P=0.034). One patient in the combined group developed optic neuropathy at 24 weeks after treatment, all other patients had no severe adverse events. Conclusion:Low-dose RTX alone is not inferior to intravenous GCs in the treatment of active moderate to severe GO. GCs combined with RTX is more effective in improving patients′ CAS than either drugs alone.