A20 haploinsufficiency (HA20): clinical phenotypes and disease course of patients with a newly recognised NF-kB-mediated autoinflammatory disease

OBJECTIVES

The association between mutations in TNFAIP3, encoding the NF-kB regulatory protein A20, and a new autoinflammatory disease has recently been recognised. This study aims at describing the clinical phenotypes and disease course of patients with A20 haploinsufficiency (HA20).

METHODS

Data for all cases from the initial publication, and additional cases identified through collaborations since, were collected using standardised data collection forms.

RESULTS

A total of 16 patients (13 female) from seven families with a genetic diagnosis of HA20 were included. The disease commonly manifested in early childhood (range: first week of life to 29 years of age). The main clinical symptoms were recurrent oral, genital and/or gastrointestinal ulcers (16/16), musculoskeletal (9/16) and gastrointestinal complaints (9/16), cutaneous lesions (8/16), episodic fever (7/16), and recurrent infections (7/16). Clinical phenotypes varied considerably, even within families. Relapsing-remitting disease course was most common, and one patient died. Laboratory abnormalities included elevated acute-phase reactants and fluctuating presence of various autoantibodies such as antinuclear antibodies (4/10 patients tested) and anti-dsDNA (2/5). Tissue biopsy of different sites revealed non-specific chronic inflammation (6/12 patients tested), findings consistent with class V lupus nephritis in one patient, and pustules and normal results in two patients each. All patients were treated: 4/16 received colchicine and 12/16 various immunosuppressive agents. Cytokine inhibitors effectively suppressed systemic inflammation in 7/9 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Early-onset recurrent oral, genital and/or gastrointestinal ulcers are the hallmark feature of HA20. Frequency and intensity of other clinical manifestations varied highly. Treatment regimens should be based on disease severity, and cytokine inhibitors are often required to control relapses.

JAK inhibitors are effective in a subset of patients with juvenile dermatomyositis: a monocentric retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors (JAKi) in juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM).

METHODS

We conducted a single-center retrospective study of patients with JDM treated by JAKi with a follow-up of at least 6 months. Proportion of clinically inactive disease (CID) within six months of JAKi initiation was evaluated using PRINTO criteria and skin Disease Activity Score. Serum IFN-α concentration was measured by SIMOA assay.

RESULTS

Nine refractory and one new-onset patients with JDM treated with ruxolitinib (n = 7) or baricitinib (n = 3) were included. The main indications for treatment were refractory muscle involvement (n = 8) and ulcerative skin disease (n = 2). CID was achieved in 5/10 patients (2/2 anti-MDA5, 3/4 anti-NXP2, 0/3 anti-TIF1γ positive patients) within six months of JAKi introduction. All responders could withdraw plasmatic exchange, immunoadsorption and other immunosuppressive drugs. The mean daily steroid dose decreased from 1.1 mg/Kg (range 0.35-2 mg/Kg/d) to 0.1 (range, 0-0.3, p= 0.008) in patients achieving CID, and was stopped in two. Serum IFN-α concentrations were elevated in all patients at the time of treatment initiation and normalized in both responder and non-responder. A muscle biopsy repeated in one patient 26 months after the initiation of JAKi, showed a complete restoration of muscle endomysial microvascular bed. Herpes zoster and skin abscesses developed in three and two patients, respectively.

CONCLUSION

JAKis resulted in a CID in a subset of new-onset or refractory patients with JDM and may dramatically reverse severe muscle vasculopathy. Overall tolerance was good except for a high rate of herpes zoster infection.

Childhood Takayasu arteritis: disease course and response to therapy

Background

Takayasu arteritis (TAK) is a large vessel vasculitis that rarely affects children. Data on childhood TAK are scarce. The aim of this study was to analyze the presenting features, course and outcome of children with TAK, compare efficacy of treatment regimens and identify high-risk factors for adverse outcome.

Methods

A single-center cohort study of consecutive children fulfilling the EULAR/PRINTO/PReS criteria for childhood TAK between 1986 and 2015 was performed. Clinical phenotypes, laboratory markers, imaging features, disease course and treatment were documented. Disease activity was assessed using the Pediatric Vasculitis Disease Activity Score at each visit. Outcome: disease flare defined as new symptoms and/or increased inflammatory markers necessitating therapy escalation and/or new angiographic lesions, or death. Analysis: logistic regression tested relevant variables for flare. Kaplan-Meier analyses compared treatment regimens.

Results

Twenty-seven children were included; 74% were female, median age at diagnosis was 12.4 years. Twenty-two (81%) children presented with active disease at diagnosis. Treatment regimens included corticosteroids alone (15%), corticosteroids plus methotrexate (37%), cyclophosphamide (19%), or a biologic agent (11%). Adverse outcomes were documented in 14/27 (52%) children: two (7%) died within 6 months of diagnosis, and 13 (48%) experienced disease flares. The 2-year flare-free survival was 80% with biologic treatments compared to 43% in non-biologic therapies (p = 0.03); at last follow-up, biologic therapies resulted in significantly higher rates of inactive disease (p = 0.02). No additional outcome predictor was identified.

Conclusions

Childhood TAK carries a high disease burden; half of the children experienced flares and 7% died. Biologic therapies were associated with better control of disease activity.

Myocardial involvement in children with post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance based multicenter international study-the CARDOVID registry

BACKGROUND

Recent evidence shows an association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and a severe inflammatory syndrome in children. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) data about myocardial injury in children are limited to small cohorts. The aim of this multicenter, international registry is to describe clinical and cardiac characteristics of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 using CMR so as to better understand the real extent of myocardial damage in this vulnerable cohort.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Hundred-eleven patients meeting the World Health Organization criteria for MIS-C associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), having clinical cardiac involvement and having received CMR imaging scan were included from 17 centers. Median age at disease onset was 10.0 years (IQR 7.0-13.8). The majority of children had COVID-19 serology positive (98%) with 27% of children still having both, positive serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). CMR was performed at a median of 28 days (19-47) after onset of symptoms. Twenty out of 111 (18%) patients had CMR criteria for acute myocarditis (as defined by the Lake Louise Criteria) with 18/20 showing subepicardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). CMR myocarditis was significantly associated with New York Heart Association class IV (p = 0.005, OR 6.56 (95%-CI 1.87-23.00)) and the need for mechanical support (p = 0.039, OR 4.98 (95%-CI 1.18-21.02)). At discharge, 11/111 (10%) patients still had left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

CONCLUSION

No CMR evidence of myocardial damage was found in most of our MIS-C cohort. Nevertheless, acute myocarditis is a possible manifestation of MIS-C associated with SARS-CoV-2 with CMR evidence of myocardial necrosis in 18% of our cohort. CMR may be an important diagnostic tool to identify a subset of patients at risk for cardiac sequelae and more prone to myocardial damage.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier NCT04455347, registered on 01/07/2020, retrospectively registered.

Patterns of joint involvement in juvenile idiopathic arthritis and prediction of disease course: A prospective study with multilayer non-negative matrix factorization

BACKGROUND

Joint inflammation is the common feature underlying juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Clinicians recognize patterns of joint involvement currently not part of the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) classification. Using unsupervised machine learning, we sought to uncover data-driven joint patterns that predict clinical phenotype and disease trajectories.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We analyzed prospectively collected clinical data, including joint involvement using a standard 71-joint homunculus, for 640 discovery patients with newly diagnosed JIA enrolled in a Canada-wide study who were followed serially for five years, treatment-naïve except for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and diagnosed within one year of symptom onset. Twenty-one patients had systemic arthritis, 300 oligoarthritis, 125 rheumatoid factor (RF)-negative polyarthritis, 16 RF-positive polyarthritis, 37 psoriatic arthritis, 78 enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA), and 63 undifferentiated arthritis. At diagnosis, we observed global hierarchical groups of co-involved joints. To characterize these patterns, we developed sparse multilayer non-negative matrix factorization (NMF). Model selection by internal bi-cross-validation identified seven joint patterns at presentation, to which all 640 discovery patients were assigned: pelvic girdle (57 patients), fingers (25), wrists (114), toes (48), ankles (106), knees (283), and indistinct (7). Patterns were distinct from clinical subtypes (P < 0.001 by χ2 test) and reproducible through external data set validation on a 119-patient, prospectively collected independent validation cohort (reconstruction accuracy Q2 = 0.55 for patterns; 0.35 for groups). Some patients matched multiple patterns. To determine whether their disease outcomes differed, we further subdivided the 640 discovery patients into three subgroups by degree of localization-the percentage of their active joints aligning with their assigned pattern: localized (≥90%; 359 patients), partially localized (60%-90%; 124), or extended (<60%; 157). Localized patients more often maintained their baseline patterns (P < 0.05 for five groups by permutation test) than nonlocalized patients (P < 0.05 for three groups by permutation test) over a five-year follow-up period. We modelled time to zero joints in the discovery cohort using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model considering joint pattern, degree of localization, and ILAR subtype. Despite receiving more intense treatment, 50% of nonlocalized patients had zero joints at one year compared to six months for localized patients. Overall, localized patients required less time to reach zero joints (partial: P = 0.0018 versus localized by log-rank test; extended: P = 0.0057). Potential limitations include the requirement for patients to be treatment naïve (except NSAIDs), which may skew the patient cohorts towards milder disease, and the validation cohort size precluded multivariate analyses of disease trajectories.

CONCLUSIONS

Multilayer NMF identified patterns of joint involvement that predicted disease trajectory in children with arthritis. Our hierarchical unsupervised approach identified a new clinical feature, degree of localization, which predicted outcomes in both cohorts. Detailed assessment of every joint is already part of every musculoskeletal exam for children with arthritis. Our study supports both the continued collection of detailed joint involvement and the inclusion of patterns and degrees of localization to stratify patients and inform treatment decisions. This will advance pediatric rheumatology from counting joints to realizing the potential of using data available from uncovering patterns of joint involvement.

Curation and expansion of Human Phenotype Ontology for defined groups of inborn errors of immunity

BACKGROUND

Accurate, detailed, and standardized phenotypic descriptions are essential to support diagnostic interpretation of genetic variants and to discover new diseases. The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO), extensively used in rare disease research, provides a rich collection of vocabulary with standardized phenotypic descriptions in a hierarchical structure. However, to date, the use of HPO has not yet been widely implemented in the field of inborn errors of immunity (IEIs), mainly due to a lack of comprehensive IEI-related terms.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to systematically review available terms in HPO for the depiction of IEIs, to expand HPO, yielding more comprehensive sets of terms, and to reannotate IEIs with HPO terms to provide accurate, standardized phenotypic descriptions.

METHODS

We initiated a collaboration involving expert clinicians, geneticists, researchers working on IEIs, and bioinformaticians. Multiple branches of the HPO tree were restructured and extended on the basis of expert review. Our ontology-guided machine learning coupled with a 2-tier expert review was applied to reannotate defined subgroups of IEIs.

RESULTS

We revised and expanded 4 main branches of the HPO tree. Here, we reannotated 73 diseases from 4 International Union of Immunological Societies-defined IEI disease subgroups with HPO terms. We achieved a 4.7-fold increase in the number of phenotypic terms per disease. Given the new HPO annotations, we demonstrated improved ability to computationally match selected IEI cases to their known diagnosis, and improved phenotype-driven disease classification.

CONCLUSIONS

Our targeted expansion and reannotation presents enhanced precision of disease annotation, will enable superior HPO-based IEI characterization, and hence benefit both IEI diagnostic and research activities.

Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection among children and young people with pre-existing rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases

Objectives

Some adults with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are at increased risk of COVID-19-related death. Excluding post-COVID-19 multisystem inflammatory syndrome of children, children and young people (CYP) are overall less prone to severe COVID-19 and most experience a mild or asymptomatic course. However, it is unknown if CYP with RMDs are more likely to have more severe COVID-19. This analysis aims to describe outcomes among CYP with underlying RMDs with COVID-19.

Methods

Using the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology COVID-19 Registry, the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Registry, and the CARRA-sponsored COVID-19 Global Paediatric Rheumatology Database, we obtained data on CYP with RMDs who reported SARS-CoV-2 infection (presumptive or confirmed). Patient characteristics and illness severity were described, and factors associated with COVID-19 hospitalisation were investigated.

Results

607 CYP with RMDs <19 years old from 25 different countries with SARS-CoV-2 infection were included, the majority with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA; n=378; 62%). Forty-three (7%) patients were hospitalised; three of these patients died. Compared with JIA, diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus, mixed connective tissue disease, vasculitis, or other RMD (OR 4.3; 95% CI 1.7 to 11) or autoinflammatory syndrome (OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.1 to 8.6) was associated with hospitalisation, as was obesity (OR 4.0; 95% CI 1.3 to 12).

Conclusions

This is the most significant investigation to date of COVID-19 in CYP with RMDs. It is important to note that the majority of CYP were not hospitalised, although those with severe systemic RMDs and obesity were more likely to be hospitalised.

Clinical course and therapeutic approach to varicella zoster virus infection in children with rheumatic autoimmune diseases under immunosuppression

BACKGROUND

To analyze the clinical presentation and complications of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection in children with rheumatic diseases treated with immunosuppressive medication such as biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and/or conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (cDMARDs), and to analyze the therapeutic approach to VZV infections with respect to the concomitant immunosuppressive treatment.

METHODS

Retrospective multicenter study using the Swiss Pediatric Rheumatology registry. Children with rheumatic diseases followed in a Swiss center for pediatric rheumatology and treated with cDMARD and/or bDMARD with a clinical diagnosis of varicella or herpes zoster between January 2004 and December 2013 were included.

RESULTS

Twenty-two patients were identified, of whom 20 were treated for juvenile idiopathic arthritis, 1 for a polyglandular autoimmune syndrome type III, and 1 for uveitis. Of these 22 patients, 16 had varicella and 6 had herpes zoster. Median age at VZV disease was 7.6 years (range 2 to 17 years), with 6.3 years (range 2 to 17 years) for those with varicella and 11.6 years (range 5 to 16 years) for those with herpes zoster. The median interval between start of immunosuppression and VZV disease was 14.1 months (range 1 to 63 months). Two patients had received varicella vaccine (1 dose each) prior to start of immunosuppression. Concomitant immunosuppressive therapy was methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy (n = 9) or bDMARD monotherapy (n = 2), or a combination of bDMARD with prednisone, MTX or Leflunomide (n = 11). Four patients experienced VZV related complications: cellulitis in 1 patient treated with MTX, and cellulitis, sepsis and cerebellitis in 3 patients treated with biological agents and MTX combination therapy. Six children were admitted to hospital (range of duration: 4 to 9 days) and 12 were treated with valaciclovir or aciclovir.

CONCLUSION

The clinical course of varicella and herpes zoster in children under immunosuppression is variable, with 4 (18 %) of 22 children showing a complicated course. Thorough assessment of VZV disease and vaccination history and correct VZV vaccination according to national guidelines at diagnosis of a rheumatic autoimmune disease is essential to minimize VZV complications during a later immunosuppressive treatment.

Risk of Serious Infections Associated with Biologic Agents in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether treatment with biologic response modifying agents during clinical trial study periods increases the risk of serious infections in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

STUDY DESIGN

A systematic literature review using Medline, Embase, Cochrane library, and the clinical trial registry was performed up to July 2017. Random effects meta-analyses were used to compare rates of serious infections in children with JIA given biologic agents compared with controls, and the pooled relative risk calculated. Subanalyses were performed for different biologic agent classes.

RESULTS

In total, 19 trials accounting for 21 individual studies were included (11 for tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors [n = 814 patients], 3 for interleukin-6 inhibitors [n = 318], 6 for interleukin-1 inhibitors [n = 353], and 1 for selective T-lymphocyte costimulation modulators [n = 122]). Patients (68% female) had a mean age of 10.8 years. Seventeen serious infections were reported among 810 children receiving biologic agents and 15 among 797 controls. The most frequent infections were bronchopulmonary and varicella. No statistically significant difference in risk of serious infections was found between children receiving biologic agents compared with control groups (pooled relative risk = 1.13; 95% CI [0.63, 2.03]) during the trial study periods. The risk remained nonsignificant when evaluating the different classes of biologic agents separately. However, the analyses were underpowered to detect differences in the risk of serious infections overall or differences between classes of biologic agents.

CONCLUSIONS

In this systematic review and meta-analyses, serious infections were uncommon and not significantly increased among patients with JIA receiving biologic agents compared with controls. However, the analyses were underpowered and study periods were relatively short. Ongoing careful monitoring for serious infections remains necessary for all patients with JIA, and particularly those receiving biologic agents.

Infliximab in Pediatric Rheumatology Patients: A Retrospective Analysis of Infusion Reactions and Severe Adverse Events During 2246 Infusions over 12 Years

Objective.

To describe infusion reactions (IR) and severe adverse events (SAE) associated with infliximab (IFX) in pediatric patients with rheumatologic and ocular inflammatory diseases in a real-world setting.

Methods.

This is a retrospective chart review of all patients treated with IFX at the pediatric rheumatology division of a university hospital between October 2000 and December 2012.

Results.

A total of 2446 IFX infusions were given to 82 patients (72% female). IR occurred in 46 infusions (2%) of 14 patients (17%) after a mean IFX treatment time of 340 days (range 41–780); 9/14 patients (64%) experienced repeated IR. IR were classified as mild (26%), moderate (74%), or severe (0%). Indications for IFX were arthritis (60%), uveitis (20%), arthritis and uveitis (13%), and other inflammatory diseases (5%). The most common clinical symptoms were respiratory signs (72%), cutaneous manifestations (69%), and malaise (61%). In 6/14 patients (43%) with IR, IFX was discontinued: 4 patients because of repeated IR and 2 patients wished to stop treatment immediately following a mild IR. The other 8/14 patients (57%) received premedication with high-dose antihistamine (100%), corticosteroids (75%), and IFX dose increase (75%) and continued IFX treatment for a mean followup period of 146 weeks (range 26–537) after the first IR. We observed severe infections in 5/82 patients (6%); other SAE were rare.

Conclusion.

Mild and moderate IR occurred in 17% of our patients. Treatment with antihistamines and methylprednisolone, and increasing the IFX dose, allowed continued treatment despite IR in > 50% of patients. Other SAE were infrequent.

Childhood-onset Takayasu Arteritis

Childhood-onset Takayasu Arteritis (cTAK) is a rare, large-vessel type of vasculitis seen in children, mainly affecting the aorta and its major branches. Clinical manifestations are often severe and arise as a result of systemic and local inflammation, along with end-organ ischemia. Disease flares are common and the disease burden is high, with a significant rate of morbidity and mortality. Recent advances in understanding the underlying disease pathobiology resulted in the use of pathway-targeting agents, such as TNF- or IL-6 inhibitors with improved disease control. Nonetheless, the prognosis often remains guarded and the accrued damage is significant. This review aims at summarizing the recent evidence and observations regarding this condition, with a focus on pediatric publications.

Arterial dissection in childhood Takayasu Arteritis: not as rare as thought

BACKGROUND

Arterial vessel wall dissection is a rare, life-threatening and rarely described complication in childhood Takayasu Arteritis (cTA). Prevalence and risk factors for arterial dissection in cTA are unknown. We sought to study the prevalence and analyse risk factors for arterial dissection in cTA.

FINDINGS

A single center retrospective review of all children with cTA was performed. Patients with arterial dissection at cTA diagnosis were reported in detail and compared to the remaining single center retrospective cohort of children without dissection. Disease activity was assessed by the Pediatric Vasculitis Disease Activity Score (PVAS). A total of 27 cTA patients (74 % girls) were included. Three children (11 %) presented with dissection at diagnosis of cTA. They had higher PVAS (median 21 versus 10, p = 0.26), increased neutrophils (p < 0.0001) and lower albumin levels (p = 0.05). Arterial hypertension was common in both groups: in 67 % of children with dissection and 54 % of those without.

CONCLUSIONS

Arterial dissection was more frequent in our cTA cohort than previously reported. Careful vascular imaging assessment is crucial to document this complication. High disease activity and markers of inflammation especially in combination with arterial hypertension, may be associated with the risk for vessel wall dissection in children with cTA.

An Update on Childhood-Onset Takayasu Arteritis

Takayasu Arteritis (TAK) is a rare large vessel vasculitis affecting the aorta and its major branches. The heterogeneous and often severe clinical manifestations result from systemic and local inflammation as well as end-organ ischemia. Disease flares are common and contribute to accrued damage over time with significant morbidity and mortality. Newer understanding of the pathogenesis in TAK has paved the way for the use of pathway targeting agents such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α- or interleuking (IL)-6-inhibitors with improved disease control. Nevertheless, long-term data are lacking, particularly in children; prognosis often remains guarded and the disease burden high. This article aims at providing a comprehensive review of childhood-onset TAK with a focus on recent publications.

Prevalence of Anti-infliximab Antibodies and Their Associated Co-factors in Children with Refractory Arthritis and/or Uveitis: A Retrospective Longitudinal Cohort Study

Objective.

Infliximab (IFX) is a monoclonal tumor necrosis factor-α–inhibiting antibody used in children with refractory arthritis and uveitis. Immunogenicity is associated with a lack of clinical response and infusion reactions in adults; data on immunogenicity in children treated with IFX for rheumatic diseases are scarce. We aimed to describe the prevalence of anti-IFX antibodies and determine co-factors associated with anti-IFX antibodies in children with inflammatory rheumatic and ocular diseases.

Methods.

Consecutive children treated between August 2009 and August 2012 with IFX at our department were included. Blood samples were collected every 6 months before IFX infusion and tested for anti-IFX antibodies by radioimmunoassay. Patients’ charts were retrospectively reviewed for clinical features and analyzed for associations with anti-IFX antibodies.

Results.

Anti-IFX antibodies occurred in 14/62 children (23%) and 32/253 blood samples (12.6%) after a mean treatment time of 1084 days (range 73–3498). Infusion reactions occurred in 10/62 (16%) children during the treatment period. With continuation of IFX, anti-IFX antibodies disappeared in 7/14 children. In the bivariate analysis, the occurrence of anti-IFX antibodies was associated with younger age at IFX treatment start (mean age 7.01 vs 9.88 yrs, p = 0.003) and infusion reactions (OR 15.0), while uveitis as treatment indication was protective against development of anti-IFX antibodies (OR 0.17), likely because of higher IFX doses. In the multivariate logistic regression, all 3 covariates remained highly significant.

Conclusion.

Anti-IFX antibodies occurred commonly at any time during IFX treatment. Anti-IFX antibodies were associated with younger age at IFX start, infusion reactions, and arthritis as treatment indication.

A Toddler Presenting with Pulmonary Renal Syndrome

Pulmonary renal syndrome refers to an association of pulmonary and glomerular disease and includes disorders, such as the ANCA-associated vasculitides, anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and IgA vasculitis (Henoch-Schönlein purpura). We present the medical history of a 26-month-old boy with an extensive purpuric rash, involving the limbs, trunk, and face, who developed clinically significant pulmonary hemorrhage and renal involvement. Rapid recognition of this rare but potentially life-threatening condition is crucial. In this report, we discuss the differential diagnosis, diagnostic studies, and treatment options to consider when facing a young child presenting with a pulmonary renal syndrome.

Overview of imaging in adult- and childhood-onset Takayasu arteritis

Takayasu Arteritis is an idiopathic large vessel vasculitis, that affects young adults and children and can lead to ischemia and end-organ damage. Vascular imaging is crucial for diagnosis, assessment of disease extent and management of the disease. In this article, we critically review evidence for the clinical use of the different imaging modalities conventional angiography, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, Doppler ultrasound and ¹⁸fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. We thereby focus on their clinical applicability, challenges and specific use in children.

A young girl with severe polyarteritis nodosa successfully treated with tocilizumab: a case report

BACKGROUND

Childhood Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a systemic vasculitis with necrotizing inflammation of medium- and small-sized arteries. Disease evolution may be severe and refractory to standard treatment including prednisone, azathioprine and cyclophosphamide.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present the case of a young girl with severe PAN resulting in progressive ischemia and necrosis of fingers and toes. Biological work-up revealed increased acute phase reactants and interleukin-6 levels. She was only partially controlled despite high-dose corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide infusions, and eventually achieved rapid improvement and sustained remission on tocilizumab. Further, we review the current evidence of the interleukin-6-inhibitor tocilizumab for the treatment of PAN.

CONCLUSION

Tocilizumab may be an efficient therapeutic option in a subset of treatment-refractory children with PAN.