Case Report: Can early full-course tocilizumab therapy reverse vascular stenosis in Takayasu arteritis?

Takayasu arteritis (TAK) is an idiopathic systemic disease characterized by granulomatous inflammation of the aorta and its branches. TAK can cause multiple vascular injuries throughout the body, mainly arterial stenosis and aneurysms. In severe cases, it can even lead to fatal hemorrhage, infarctio...

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Main Authors: Congqi Hu, Lingjie Liu, Hui Xiao, Hongjun Zhao, Guangxing Chen, Yanli Xie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Immunology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1593770/full
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author Congqi Hu
Lingjie Liu
Hui Xiao
Hongjun Zhao
Guangxing Chen
Yanli Xie
author_facet Congqi Hu
Lingjie Liu
Hui Xiao
Hongjun Zhao
Guangxing Chen
Yanli Xie
author_sort Congqi Hu
collection DOAJ
description Takayasu arteritis (TAK) is an idiopathic systemic disease characterized by granulomatous inflammation of the aorta and its branches. TAK can cause multiple vascular injuries throughout the body, mainly arterial stenosis and aneurysms. In severe cases, it can even lead to fatal hemorrhage, infarction and other serious complications, posing a serious threat to the patient’s life and health. Few studies have shown that drug treatment can improve or reverse its vascular stenosis. This study describes a 19-year-old woman diagnosed with TAK who had multiple vascular stenosis at the time of the disease. In an early and timely manner as well as up to seven years after a full course of tolizumab, her vascular wall thickening improved and previously stenotic vessels were recanalized. We believe that early use of tocilizumab in patients with TAK can improve vascular lesions. To our knowledge, this study is the first case to find complete recanalization of stenotic vessels after the use of tocilizumab, and the pre- and post-test and examination data are complete. In addition, we summarized the cases of improvement of vascular lesions after tocilizumab treatment of TAK, and preliminarily compared the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab and TNFi in TAK. We speculate that early and adequate use of tocilizumab could reverse early inflammatory vessel wall thickening and stenosis, and we found, through further literature review, that its efficacy was comparable to that of TNF inhibitors
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issn 1664-3224
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
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series Frontiers in Immunology
spelling doaj-art-dd27f40e0ad74ea18df7659a18b34dc82025-08-20T03:27:47ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Immunology1664-32242025-06-011610.3389/fimmu.2025.15937701593770Case Report: Can early full-course tocilizumab therapy reverse vascular stenosis in Takayasu arteritis?Congqi Hu0Lingjie Liu1Hui Xiao2Hongjun Zhao3Guangxing Chen4Yanli Xie5Department of Rheumatology Nephrology, Baiyun Hospital The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaFirst Clinical Medical School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Rheumatology Nephrology, Suining County People’s Hospital, Shaoyang, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Rheumatology Nephrology, Baiyun Hospital The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaTakayasu arteritis (TAK) is an idiopathic systemic disease characterized by granulomatous inflammation of the aorta and its branches. TAK can cause multiple vascular injuries throughout the body, mainly arterial stenosis and aneurysms. In severe cases, it can even lead to fatal hemorrhage, infarction and other serious complications, posing a serious threat to the patient’s life and health. Few studies have shown that drug treatment can improve or reverse its vascular stenosis. This study describes a 19-year-old woman diagnosed with TAK who had multiple vascular stenosis at the time of the disease. In an early and timely manner as well as up to seven years after a full course of tolizumab, her vascular wall thickening improved and previously stenotic vessels were recanalized. We believe that early use of tocilizumab in patients with TAK can improve vascular lesions. To our knowledge, this study is the first case to find complete recanalization of stenotic vessels after the use of tocilizumab, and the pre- and post-test and examination data are complete. In addition, we summarized the cases of improvement of vascular lesions after tocilizumab treatment of TAK, and preliminarily compared the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab and TNFi in TAK. We speculate that early and adequate use of tocilizumab could reverse early inflammatory vessel wall thickening and stenosis, and we found, through further literature review, that its efficacy was comparable to that of TNF inhibitorshttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1593770/fullTakayasu arteritistocilizumabTNFivascular stenosis and recanalizationcure
spellingShingle Congqi Hu
Lingjie Liu
Hui Xiao
Hongjun Zhao
Guangxing Chen
Yanli Xie
Case Report: Can early full-course tocilizumab therapy reverse vascular stenosis in Takayasu arteritis?
Frontiers in Immunology
Takayasu arteritis
tocilizumab
TNFi
vascular stenosis and recanalization
cure
title Case Report: Can early full-course tocilizumab therapy reverse vascular stenosis in Takayasu arteritis?
title_full Case Report: Can early full-course tocilizumab therapy reverse vascular stenosis in Takayasu arteritis?
title_fullStr Case Report: Can early full-course tocilizumab therapy reverse vascular stenosis in Takayasu arteritis?
title_full_unstemmed Case Report: Can early full-course tocilizumab therapy reverse vascular stenosis in Takayasu arteritis?
title_short Case Report: Can early full-course tocilizumab therapy reverse vascular stenosis in Takayasu arteritis?
title_sort case report can early full course tocilizumab therapy reverse vascular stenosis in takayasu arteritis
topic Takayasu arteritis
tocilizumab
TNFi
vascular stenosis and recanalization
cure
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1593770/full
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