Alphabetical list:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Q Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
News: November 29, 2009
Rituximab May Offer Hope To Severe Graves' Eye Disease Patients
November 29, 2009There may be hope for patients with severe Graves' eye disease in the form of treatment with the drug rituximab.
This news comes from U-M Kellogg Eye Center who's oculoplastics specialist Raymond S. Douglas, M.D., Ph.D. reports on the potential of the drug in the online October issue of Ophthalmology.
Graves' eye disease is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and fatty deposits in the eye muscles and connective tissue surrounding the eye.
Douglas reports on the progress of six patients (four women, two men) who had not responded to treatment using systemic corticosteroids. The patients were then treated with rituximab. All patients responded within 2 months with the clinical activity score (CAS) improving from5.5±0.8 to 1.3±0.5. The eye disease remained quiescent in all with the positive results being sustained at 4-6 months after treatment.
Vision improved bilaterally in all 4 patients with dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON). Proptosis remained stable (Hertel measurement, 24±3.7 mm before therapy and 23.6±3.7 mm after therapy; P = 0.17).
"These patients had already received the maximum level of steroid treatment," says Douglas. "Treatment with rituximab calmed inflammation, stopped progression of the disease, and saved the patients from having to undergo surgery."
Graves' disease (also known as thyroid eye disease) is an autoimmune condition in which white blood cells attack the thyroid gland which responds by secreting an excess amount of thyroid hormone. The hypermetabolic state is characterized by fast pulse/heartbeat, palpitations, profuse sweating, high blood pressure, irritability, fatigue, weight loss, heat intolerance, and loss of hair and alterations in hair quality.
Rituximab has been used to treat patients with other autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and in non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma. The drug works by depleting B cells - the body's normal antibody-producing cells - that appear to go awry in autoimmune diseases.
"Treatment of the inflammatory component of Graves' eye disease has not advanced appreciably over several decades," says Douglas. High-dose steroids, sometimes in combination with orbital radiation, are still the first line treatment. But, says Douglas, "These are imperfect options because inflammation often recurs when the treatment ends." He is hopeful that rituximab can offer sustained improvement. Douglas observes that the results from a small case series must be viewed with some caution. But given the substantial benefits for patients treated with rituximab, he sees good reason to proceed with a large-scale clinical trial to test this promising new drug.
Source
Rituximab Treatment of Patients with Severe, Corticosteroid-Resistant Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy; Ophthalmology, 2009; Chong et al.; DOI: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2009.05.029
University of Michigan Health System Newsroom
Archive issues: (50)
Archive list: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
December 20, 2009 | Wii, Xbox 360 and Other Video Games Offer Some BenefitsWii, Xbox 360, PlayStation, and other video games are hot on holiday gift lists, but some parents wonder whether these games offer any benefits or are detrimental to kids. The results of a new study may put ...
December 18, 2009 | Should You Be Shoveling Snow?Yes, the weather outside is frightful, and soon you will have to think about shoveling snow. But should you be the one doing the work? Who should and should not shovel snow, and how can you do it safely? Every winter, approximately 1,200 ...
December 17, 2009 | Athletes who take NSAID's to prevent pain may be doing more harm than goodAccording to Stuart Warden, a researcher who studies musculoskeletal health and sports medicine, athletes who ritualistically take NSAID's to prevent post event and workout soreness and inflammation may be depriving the body of healing, in addition to risking other long term health problems. Taking anti inflammatory medications before running or other athletic ...
Related articles:
Independence and invulnerability - masculine gender role stress
Some men feel stressed by societal pressure to act masculine. These men feel that they have to prevail in situations that require physical strength and fitness. To appear weak, emotional, or sexually inefficient is a major threat to their self-esteem. To be content, these men must ...Section: Mens health risks
Risk-taking
Men, significantly more so than women, tend to drink and drive, not to wear a seat belt, to be aggressive and fight, to drive fast and dangerously. Men are also more likely to be involved in a homicide, to be involved in a motor vehicle accident and other accidents. Men are in fact three times more likely to die of accidents than females. Men make up 93% of ...Section: Mens health risks
About interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome
Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (commonly abbreviated to "IC/PBS"), is a urinary bladder disease of unknown cause characterised by pain associated with urination (dysuria), urinary frequency (as often as every 10 minutes), urgency, and pressure in the bladder and/or pelvis. Pain that worsened with a certain food or drink and/or worsened with bladder filling and/or improved ...Section: Interstitial cystitis