Successful Use of Tocilizumab in a Patient with Coexisting Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ulcerative Colitis
Tocilizumab is an interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor licensed for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We report a case of Tocilizumab monotherapy for severe active RA in a patient with coexisting ulcerative colitis (UC). The patient was intolerant to multiple disease-modifying drugs, so Toci...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2016-01-01
|
| Series: | Case Reports in Immunology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/7562123 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Tocilizumab is an interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor licensed for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We report a case of Tocilizumab monotherapy for severe active RA in a patient with coexisting ulcerative colitis (UC). The patient was intolerant to multiple disease-modifying drugs, so Tocilizumab monotherapy was commenced. We found clinical improvement in both RA and UC. There was no major adverse event after 2 years. Manufacturer advised caution in using Tocilizumab in patient with gastrointestinal ulceration due to an increased risk of bowel perforation. However, alternative treatments such as glucocorticoid and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may carry a higher bowel perforation risk. The presence of gastrointestinal ulceration therefore should not constitute an absolute contraindication for Tocilizumab therapy. Future studies of registry data will inform clinician of the Tocilizumab-related risk of gastrointestinal toxicity in “real-life” settings. Contrary to previous case report, we found Tocilizumab therapy to have a positive effect on UC. Laboratory studies supported a role for interleukin-6 in the pathophysiology of UC. Further clinical trial to evaluate the therapeutic role of Tocilizumab in UC would be warranted. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2090-6609 2090-6617 |