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Effects of treatment with rituximab on microcirculation in patients with long-term systemic sclerosis
oleh: Verônica Silva Vilela, Bruno Rangel Antunes da Silva, Cláudia Henrique da Costa, Agnaldo José Lopes, Roger Abramino Levy, Rogério Rufino
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | BMC 2018-12-01 |
Deskripsi
Abstract Objective To investigate the effect of rituximab on microcirculation in long-term SSc. Results Four patients with diffuse SSc over 3 years of disease received rituximab cycles of two 1-g infusions every 6 months for 2 years. Videocapillaroscopy was performed at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months and semi-quantitative scoring of videocapillaroscopy abnormalities was performed and the microangiopathy evolution score (MES: range 0–9) was calculated. The mean disease duration was 5 years (range 3–15). On videocapillaroscopy, giant capillaries and hemorrhages remained stable from baseline to 24 months. Capillary loss, abnormally-shaped capillaries, and MES stabilized at 12 months and increased by 24.5% and 28% at 24 months. Rituximab improves microcirculation in long-term SSc. Stabilization and reduced progression of microcirculation abnormalities were achieved at 12 and 24 months, respectively.