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Clin Rheumatol (2011) 30:8797
DOI 10.1007/s10067-010-1630-0
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
B cell depletion for autoimmune diseases in paediatric patients
Annette F. Jansson & Claudia Sengler & Jasmin Kuemmerle-Deschner & Bernd Gruhn &
A. Birgitta Kranz & Hartwig Lehmann & Daniela Kleinert & Lars Pape &
Hermann J. Girschick & Ivan Foeldvari & Dieter Haffner & Johannes P. Haas &
Dagmar Moebius & Dirk Foell & Joachim Peitz & Veit Grote
Received: 1 February 2010 /Revised: 15 October 2010 /Accepted: 18 November 2010 /Published online: 1 December 2010 # Clinical Rheumatology 2010
Abstract Data on B cell depletion therapy in severe autoimmune diseases in paediatric patients are very limited. We conducted a retrospective cohort study and recruited patients who were treated with rituximab (RTX) and
followed up for at least 6 months through the German societies of paediatric rheumatology and nephrology. The aim was to describe the spectrum of autoimmune disorders for which RTX was used and to describe the applied
A. F. Jansson : V. GroteDr. von Hauner Childrens Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
C. Sengler Universittskinderklinik Charit, Berlin, Germany
J. Kuemmerle-DeschnerUniversittsklinik f. Kinderheilkunde u. Jugendmedizin, Tbingen, Germany
B. GruhnKlinik fr Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Friedrich-Schiller-Universitt,Jena, Germany
A. B. Kranz Universitts-Kinderklinik, Essen, Germany
H. Lehmann Universittskinderklinik, Gieen, Germany
D. Kleinert Kinderklinik, Memmingen, Germany
L. PapeKinderklinik der Medizinischen Hochschule, Hannover, Germany
D. Moebius Carl-Thiem Klinikum, Cottbus, Germany
J. Peitz Unikinderklinik, Kln, Germany
D. Foell Universittskinderklinik, Mnster, Germany
H. J. GirschickVivantes Hospital Friedrichhain, Berlin, Germany
I. FoeldvariZentrum fr Kinder-und Jugendrheumatologie am Klinikum Eilbek,Hamburg, Germany
J. P. HaasDeutsches Zentrum fr Kinder- und Jugendrheumatologie, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
D. HaffnerUniversitts-Kinder- und Jugendklinik, Rostock, Germany
V. Grote (*)
Dr. von Hauner Childrens Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Lindwurmstr. 4,80337 Munich, Germanye-mail: [email protected]
88 Clin Rheumatol (2011) 30:8797
therapeutic regimens, the observed efficacy, as well as potential immunological side effects. The need to develop standard treatment guidelines for future trials should be discussed. Sixty-five patients were included. Nineteen patients suffered from systemic lupus erythematosus, 13 from vasculitic disorders, 12 from hematological autoimmune diseases, 5 from mixed connective tissue disorders, 4 from juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and 9 had other autoimmune diseases. Adverse, infusion-related events were reported in 12/65 (18%) patients. Considering laboratory and clinical parameters, 13 patients (22%) were in complete remission, 31 (52%) were in partial remission, 6...