scholarly journals Safety and Efficacy of Mepolizumab in Patients with Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravi Ranjan Pradhan ◽  
Gaurav Nepal ◽  
Shobha Mandal

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare form of vasculitis disorder which involves multiple organ systems and is characterized by asthma, pulmonary infiltrates, sinusitis, neuropathy, and peripheral eosinophilia. It also has an effect on the heart, skin, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract. Interlukin-5 (IL-5) is involved in maturation and activation of eosinophil, the production of which is increased in the EGPA. Treatments of EGPA are limited to systemic corticosteroids and immunomodulators. These drugs are associated with significant side effects. Besides this, the response of patients to these drugs may be disappointing. Frequent relapses, the need for long-term medium-to-high-dose glucocorticoid therapy, and failure to achieve remission are not uncommon findings. There is a need for noble agents that could reduce frequent relapses and the dose of systemic glucocorticoids and maintain a sustained remission without significant side effects. Mepolizumab is IL-5 antagonist and may have value in treating patients with EGPA. Therefore, we did a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mepolizumab in patients with EGPA.

2020 ◽  
pp. 4556-4569
Author(s):  
David Jayne

The ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAV) are a grouping of three syndromes of acute and chronic inflammation characterized by their clinical and histological phenotypes, which are associated with circulating antineutrophil cytoplasm autoantibodies (ANCA). They comprise: granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA, formerly Wegener’s granulomatosis); microscopic polyangiitis (MPA); and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA, formerly Churg-Strauss syndrome). The defining histological lesion is a microscopic vasculitis affecting arterioles, capillaries, or venules associated with few or no deposits of immunoglobulin or complement. Granulomata, involving or close by blood vessels, are commonly present in GPA. These diseases involve multiple organ systems with considerable heterogeneity in extent and severity of organ involvement between patients, and overlapping clinical and histological features between syndromes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunsil Koh ◽  
Noeul Kang ◽  
Jin-Young Lee ◽  
Duk-Kyung Kim ◽  
Young Soo Do ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis mainly affecting small-sized arteries. Involvement of medium-sized vessels is very rare in EGPA. Here we present the case of a patient with EGPA who showed multiple hepatic aneurysms and distal gangrene. Case presentation A known EGPA patient visited to the emergency room (ER) with abrupt squeezing abdominal pain. She had suffered from gangrene in the fingertips of both hands for 1 year because of arterial thrombosis associated with hypereosinophilia. However, her absolute eosinophil count in the ER was 1120 cells/µL. An abdomen-pelvis CT demonstrated subcapsular hematoma in the right hepatic lobe. A celiac angiogram demonstrated multiple sized aneurysms in both hepatic lobes and some aneurysms in S7 and S8 were huge, more than 1 cm in size. The shape of the small aneurysms resembled a string of beads, as in polyarteritis nodosa. Given the clinical situation, emergency embolization was performed. Before this patient visited to the ER, she had been treated with a high dose of systemic corticosteroid, azathioprine, and cyclophosphamide. After addition of mepolizumab, the eosinophil count remained stable state with a near zero percentage of total white blood cell count. Conclusions Aneurysm and gangrene resulting from the involvement of medium-sized vessels can occur in EGPA. Destruction of vessels might occur even if eosinophil count is below 1500 cells/µL. If involvement of medium-sized arteries is suspected, thorough investigation to identify the involved organs and prompt management are needed to prevent fatal complications.


2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 929-935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Gendelman ◽  
Andrew Zeft ◽  
Steven J. Spalding

Objective.To date only 38 cases of childhood-onset eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (cEGPA; formerly Churg-Strauss syndrome) have been reported. Additional patients with cEGPA could enhance the understanding of this rare and life-threatening condition. Our objectives were (1) to determine the frequency of specific organ system involvement; (2) to examine initial therapeutic regimen; and (3) to document disease and therapy-related morbidity in a contemporary cohort of patients with cEGPA.Methods.Retrospective review of patients evaluated at the Cleveland Clinic between 2003 and 2011 who met either American College of Rheumatology or Lanham criteria for EGPA and whose age was < 18 years at symptom onset.Results.Nine patients (8 female; 7 white) were identified. Median age at onset of rhinitis/asthma symptom was 13 years and median age at diagnosis of cEGPA was 15 years. All patients demonstrated eosinophilia, upper airway disease (allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, and/or nasal polyps), and pulmonary involvement. Other frequently involved organ systems included musculoskeletal (67%), gastrointestinal (67%), cutaneous (67%), neurologic (56%), and cardiac (44%). Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) serologies were negative in all patients. The medications used most frequently for initial therapy included oral (44%) or intravenous corticosteroids (56%) and azathioprine (67%). Disease or therapeutic complications occurred in half of the cohort and included heart failure, stroke, and sequela from longterm, high-dose steroids.Conclusion.Eosinophilia, in combination with upper airway, pulmonary, musculoskeletal, neurologic, and cardiac manifestations, is frequently observed in cEGPA. ANCA titers are often negative. Steroids are the mainstay of initial therapy but steroid-related side effects occur regularly.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irena Doubelt ◽  
Jason M. Springer ◽  
Tanaz A. Kermani ◽  
Antoine G. Sreih ◽  
Cristina Burroughs ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Patient-based registries can help advance research in rare diseases such as eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a complex, multi-organ form of anti-cytoplasm neutrophil antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis. OBJECTIVE To compare patient-reported vs. physician-reported manifestations, treatments, and outcomes for patients with EGPA. METHODS Comparative analysis of patients ≥18 years with EGPA in Canada or the United States from two separate cohorts: i) The Vasculitis Patient-Powered Research Network (VPPRN), a self-enrolled, secure portal with patient-entered data updated quarterly (2013-2019), vs. ii) The Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium (VCRC) observational studies, a physician-entered database (2003-2019) of patients who fulfilled the 1990 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for EGPA. Studied parameters included demographics, clinical manifestations, ANCA status, treatments, and relapses. RESULTS Data from 195 patients with a validated diagnosis of EGPA in the VPPRN and 354 patients enrolled in the VCRC were analyzed. Compared to the VCRC cohort, the patients in the VPPRN cohort were more commonly female (69.2% vs. 59.0% in the VCRC cohort; P =.02), younger at diagnosis (47.3 vs. 50.0 years; P =.03), reported similar frequencies of asthma (96.2% vs 92.9% in VCRC; P =.13), cardiac manifestations (28.8% vs 21.2%; P =.06), but less frequent lung manifestations other than asthma, and more frequent disease manifestations in all other organ systems. ANCA positivity was 48.9% in the VPPRN patients vs. 38.9% (P=.05) in the VCRC cohort. Relapsing disease after study enrollment was reported in 32.3% patients in the VPPRN compared 35.7% of patients in the VCRC. Most therapies (glucocorticoids, cyclophosphamide, mepolizumab) were used at similar frequencies in both groups, except for rituximab with VPPRN patients reporting more use than VCRC cohort (24.1% vs. 10.5%; P =<.001). CONCLUSIONS Patients with EGPA generally report having more manifestations of disease than physicians report for patients with EGPA. These differences imply the need to reconsider how patient- and physician-reported data are collected for the study of EGPA, and reevaluate disease specific definitions. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov: (1) VCRC Longitudinal Study (LS) NCT00315380 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00315380 and (2) One-Time DNA (OT) study NCT01241305 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01241305


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Uzzo ◽  
Francesca Regola ◽  
Barbara Trezzi ◽  
Paola Toniati ◽  
Franco Franceschini ◽  
...  

Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by medium and small vessels inflammation. Cardiac vasculitic involvement is one of the most severe manifestations with a significant impact on patients' long-term prognosis: anyway, a specific therapeutic approach for heart involvement in EGPA has not been explored yet. Current regimen consists of a long-term therapy with high dose of glucocorticoids, causing the well-known related-adverse events; immunosuppressive drugs are used in patients with severe manifestations, with some limitations. New therapeutic approaches are needed for patients with refractory disease or contraindications to conventional therapies. The quest for the ideal therapy is going toward a more and more personalized approach: on the one hand, efforts are made to use already existing therapies in the most appropriate way; on the other hand, new insights into EGPA pathogenesis allow the discovery of new targets, as demonstrated by mepolizumab and rituximab, targeting eosinophils, and B-cell compartments. This review summarizes the emerging therapies used in EGPA, focusing on the most recent studies on biologics and analyzing their efficacy and safety.


Author(s):  
Yuki Imai ◽  
Yasushi Kondo ◽  
Sho Ishigaki ◽  
Naoshi Nishina ◽  
Yuichiro Ota ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT An 83-year-old woman with a history of asthma complained of left abdominal pain and was admitted to our hospital. She was treated with tocilizumab, an anti-interleukin (IL)-6 receptor antibody, with a prolonged interval for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Laboratory tests revealed a remarkable increase in eosinophil count and inflammatory markers with negative antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies. Echocardiography revealed pericardial fluid retention, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed the thickening of the gastric antrum wall. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy revealed eosinophilic infiltration into the gastric mucosal epithelium. She was diagnosed with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) with pericarditis and eosinophilic gastroenteritis. High-dose glucocorticoids with intermittent intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCY) were initiated, resulting in remission. As IL-6 is involved in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases such as asthma, our case can provide insights into the pathogenic role of IL-6 in EGPA as the development of EGPA in our case may have been triggered by IL-6 signals enhanced with tocilizumab interval prolongation.


Author(s):  
Kana Higashitani ◽  
Ryusuke Yoshimi ◽  
Yuichiro Sato ◽  
Toshiyuki Watanabe ◽  
Atsushi Ihata

ABSTRACT Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), which belongs to the anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides, is characterised by eosinophil-rich granulomatous inflammation and small- to medium-sized vessel vasculitis associated with bronchial asthma and eosinophilia. It sometimes causes severe organ damage, of which myocardial damage is one of the most important for determining the prognosis. A case of EGPA-associated myocarditis that was refractory to glucocorticoid therapy and responded successfully to rituximab (RTX) and mepolizumab (MPZ) combination therapy is presented. A 46-year-old woman was diagnosed with EGPA-associated myocarditis due to pre-existing asthma, eosinophilia, mononeuritis multiplex, and eosinophilic myocarditis by myocardial biopsy. Transthoracic echocardiography showed thickening of the cardiac wall, pericardial effusion, and left ventricular hypokinesis. Although the myocarditis was refractory to methylprednisolone pulse therapy followed by oral high-dose prednisolone, the disease activity reached remission with the successful tapering of glucocorticoid after initiation of the RTX and MPZ combination therapy. Combination therapy with RTX and MPZ can be a good treatment option for EGPA-associated myocarditis for which it is difficult to give intravenous cyclophosphamide due to cardiac dysfunction.


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