Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2017;56(11):1435-1438.
doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.56.8235. Epub 2017 Jun 1.

The Successful Treatment of Refractory Polyarteritis Nodosa Using Infliximab

Satoko Matsuo  1 , Keigo Hayashi  1 , Eisaku Morimoto  1 , Ayako Kato  1 , Ken-Ei Sada  1 , Haruki Watanabe  1 , Mariko Takano-Narazaki  1 , Katsue Sunahori-Watanabe  1 , Tomoko Kawabata  1 , Jun Wada  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

The Successful Treatment of Refractory Polyarteritis Nodosa Using Infliximab

Satoko Matsuo et al. Intern Med. 2017.

Abstract

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), characterized by arteritis of medium-sized blood vessels, is usually treated with a combination of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants; however, some cases are refractory to these treatments. We herein report the case of a man with PAN that was refractory to various immunosuppressive treatments, including cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and rituximab. After infliximab (IFX) treatment was initiated, his symptoms improved dramatically and remission was maintained. IFX is considered to be an effective alternative treatment for PAN which proves to be refractory to several immunosuppressive treatments.

Keywords: infliximab; polyarteritis nodosa; rituximab.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Magnetic resonance imaging. A: Axial short-TI inversion recovery (lower legs). B: Coronal T1 (testicles).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Histopathology of the anterior tibial muscle. Hematoxylin and Eosin staining×200. The black arrow indicates fibrinoid necrosis of small arteries with histiocytes and neutrophil infiltration around the blood vessels.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Histopathology of the right testicle. Hematoxylin and Eosin staining×100. The black arrow indicates fibrinoid necrosis of the small arteries with histiocytes and neutrophil infiltration around blood vessels.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Clinical course. PSL: prednisolone, IFX: infliximab, RTX: rituximab, MTX: methotrexate, CY: cyclophosphamide, TAC: tacrolimus
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Jennette J, Falk R, Bacon P, et al. . 2012 revised International Chapel Hill Consensus Conference Nomenclature of Vasculitides. Arthritis Rheum 65: 1-11, 2013. - PubMed
    1. Mukhtyar C, Guillevin L, Cid MC, et al. . EULAR recommendations for the management of primary small and medium vessel vasculitis. Ann Rheum Dis 68: 310-317, 2009. - PubMed
    1. Pego PM, Camara IA, Andrade JP, Costa JM. Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in vasculitic ulcers: a case of polyarteritis nodosa. Auto Immun Highlights 4: 95-99, 2013. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Seri Y, Shoda H, Hanata N, et al. . A case of refractory polyarteritis nodosa successfully treated with rituximab. Mod Rheumatol 1-3, 2015(Epub ahead of print). - PubMed
    1. Campanilho-Marques R, Ramos F, Canhao H, Fonseca JE. Remission induced by infliximab in a childhood polyarteritis nodosa refractory to conventional immunosuppression and rituximab. Joint Bone Spine 81: 277-278, 2014. - PubMed

Publication types