Severe headache in primary Sjögren's syndrome treated with intrathecal rituximab

Severe Headache in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Responded to Rituximab

Introduction

Primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) is an immune systemic disease, that may affect the central nervous system. A severe headache unresponsive to treatment is the headache which is persistently nonresponsive to narcotic analgesics.

Case presentation

A 48-year-old woman with a 10-year history of pSS was seen in January 2021, complaining of a headache one week previously. The headache was characterised by a dull persistent pressing intensity and was not responding to paracetamol, NSAIDs or codeine. She had no previous history, nor family history. Physical examination revealed bilateral parotid glands enlargement. Laboratory tests showed anaemia, and elevated levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), with positive anti-La and anti-Ro antibodies. She was given topical treatment and different doses of Predlone, in addition to methotrexate10 mg/week. She had received three pulses of methylprednisolone and was started on azathioprine with a mild response to the headaches, so she received two initial IV doses of rituximab 375 mg/m2, then every 2 weeks, with a clinical and laboratory response. Two years later, she had no headache.

Discussion

Headache that may presented in pSS are tension headaches, migraines and cluster headaches. The therapy is disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, hydroxychloroquine, glucocorticoids and biotherapeutics. Rituximab is used in the treatment of some patients with pSS, especially where it can affect systemic symptoms.

Conclusion

Rituximab treatment may be an option for severe headache in patients with pSS. The mechanism is unknown but may be due to depletion of brain auto-reactive B cells. Further research is needed.

LEARNING POINTS

An unresponsive headache in a patient with primary Sjögren's syndrome treated with tryptophan, opioids and NSAIDs responded successfully to B-cell depletion with rituximab.We hypothesise that brain-autoreactive B cells were involved in the pathogenesis of the headache.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations in primary Sjogren syndrome

INTRODUCTION

Neurologic manifestations in primary Sjogren´s Syndrome (pSS) are characterized by a heterogeneity of clinical manifestations. In clinical practice, physicians are challenged with the absence of diagnostic criteria and the lack of clinical trials to support treatment. In this article, we will review epidemiology, clinical and immunological characterization, diagnosis and treatment of neurologic events in pSS.

AREAS COVERED

This narrative review provides an overview of neurologic manifestations described in pSS, complementary investigations and treatment reported. Articles were selected from Pubmed searches conducted between December 2021 and February 2022.

EXPERT OPINION

Epidemiology and clinical features of neurologic manifestations are derived from different cohort studies. Our understanding of pathophysiology of neurologic manifestations in pSS has significantly increased in the past few years, especially regarding PNS. However, there are still many knowledge gaps on therapeutics. The few available data on therapy rely upon small case series, from experiences with other autoimmune disease, such as systemic lupus erythematosus or expert opinion. There is an urgent need for well-designed clinical trials.