TY - JOUR
T1 - TNF-α inhibitors in systemic vasculitides and connective tissue diseases
AU - Lamprecht, Peter
N1 - Funding Information:
German Research Society (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/DFG: grant SFB367/A8), Wegener's Granulomatosis Association, Kansas City, USA, and Verein zur Foerderung der Erforschung und Bekaempfung rheumatischer Erkrankungen Bad Bramstedt e.V., Germany (grant No. 02.2).
Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2005/1
Y1 - 2005/1
N2 - The introduction of TNF-α inhibitors in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and several other diseases meant a major progress in the management and to the understanding of these chronic inflammatory diseases. In this article, the evidence of the role of TNF-α and for TNF-α inhibitors in systemic vasculitides and connective tissue diseases is reviewed. TNF-α is expressed in inflammatory lesions. TNF-α acts as a proinflammatory cytokine in most disease processes analyzed so far, but it might have anti-inflammatory properties under certain conditions as well, e.g. with respect to B-cell regulation in systemic lupus erythematosus. It is not clear to what extent such aspects will be important in the treatment of connective tissue diseases and systemic vasculitides with TNF-α inhibitors. So far, most case reports and case series have suggested favourable results with TNF-α inhibitor therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus, dermato- and polymyositis, giant cell arteritis, Churg-Strauss syndrome, Wegener's granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis. Results of randomized, placebo-controlled trials are awaited for several connective tissue diseases and systemic vasculitides. One randomized, placebo-controlled trial has found no efficacy of infliximab treatment in primary Sjögren's syndrome recently.
AB - The introduction of TNF-α inhibitors in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and several other diseases meant a major progress in the management and to the understanding of these chronic inflammatory diseases. In this article, the evidence of the role of TNF-α and for TNF-α inhibitors in systemic vasculitides and connective tissue diseases is reviewed. TNF-α is expressed in inflammatory lesions. TNF-α acts as a proinflammatory cytokine in most disease processes analyzed so far, but it might have anti-inflammatory properties under certain conditions as well, e.g. with respect to B-cell regulation in systemic lupus erythematosus. It is not clear to what extent such aspects will be important in the treatment of connective tissue diseases and systemic vasculitides with TNF-α inhibitors. So far, most case reports and case series have suggested favourable results with TNF-α inhibitor therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus, dermato- and polymyositis, giant cell arteritis, Churg-Strauss syndrome, Wegener's granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis. Results of randomized, placebo-controlled trials are awaited for several connective tissue diseases and systemic vasculitides. One randomized, placebo-controlled trial has found no efficacy of infliximab treatment in primary Sjögren's syndrome recently.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=12344265896&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.autrev.2004.06.001
DO - 10.1016/j.autrev.2004.06.001
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 15652776
AN - SCOPUS:12344265896
SN - 1568-9972
VL - 4
SP - 28
EP - 34
JO - Autoimmunity Reviews
JF - Autoimmunity Reviews
IS - 1
ER -