Vol.21 No.6

Case Report

Efficacy of adalimumab for a refractory case of relapsing polychondritis with reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines

Authors

Hideki Nakamura1 , Takahisa Suzuki1 , Kentaro Nagaoka2 , Satoshi Yamasaki1 , Mami Tamai1 , Tomayoshi Hayashi3 , Atsushi Kawakami1

  • Unit of Translational Medicine, Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8501, Japan
  • Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
  • Department of Pathology, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan
Received:

23 February 2011

Accepted:

23 March 2011

Published online:

21 April 2011

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Abstract

A 68-year-old man with a fever of unknown origin was admitted to our hospital. Bilateral auricularis
and nasal root inflammation, with auricular perichondritis positive for anti-type II collagen (CII) antibody, led to a diagnosis of relapsing polychondritis (RP). Because the patient was refractory for high-dose glucocorticoid therapy, adalimumab was used. After the initiation of 40 mg of adalimumab, a rapid improvement of clinical manifestations, with a reduction in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), together with a titer of anti-CII antibody was observed.

Key words

Relapsing polychondritis - Adalimumab - Cytokine