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Review
. 2023 Mar;43(3):533-536.
doi: 10.1007/s00296-022-05220-2. Epub 2022 Nov 1.

Complete disappearance of pulmonary rheumatoid nodules after long term rituximab treatment: case report

Affiliations
Review

Complete disappearance of pulmonary rheumatoid nodules after long term rituximab treatment: case report

Beatriz Frade-Sosa et al. Rheumatol Int. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

The natural history of pulmonary rheumatoid nodules in rheumatoid arthritis remains uncertain. We present a case of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis with pulmonary rheumatoid nodules diagnosed while receiving etanercept in whom pulmonary nodules resolved completely after 5 years of rituximab treatment. Rituximab has been evaluated in case series of patients with pulmonary rheumatoid nodules, resulting in most cases in no progression or a reduction in the size of the nodules, although the complete resolution is uncommon probably due to the short follow-up period. Complete disappearance of pulmonary rheumatoid nodules may be expected after long-term treatment with rituximab.

Keywords: Case report; Rheumatoid arthritis; Rheumatoid nodule; Rituximab; TNF-inhibitors.

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References

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