Key result
Tocilizumab treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis may suppress the early inflammatory symptoms of severe pneumonia, leading to minimal clinical symptoms and modest CRP elevations.
Why the study?
Does tocilizumab mask early symptoms of pneumonia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
Case Report (n=2)
Does tocilizumab mask early symptoms of pneumonia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
Tocilizumab might suppress the early inflammatory symptoms of pneumonia, highlighting the need for vigilance regarding infections in treated patients.
May mask early pneumonia signs in RA patients on tocilizumab; leaves open need for prospective infection monitoring studies.
Although reports of serious infections in clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with tocilizumab, anti-interleukin6 (IL-6) receptor antibody, have been relatively few, there is still some concern about infections. We report here two cases of patients who developed severe pneumonia during tocilizumab treatment for RA. Both patients initially presented with only minimal clinical symptoms and modest elevations in serum C-reactive protein. Tocilizumab might suppress the early inflammatory symptoms of pneumonia.
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Fujiwara et al. (2008) conducted a case report in Rheumatoid arthritis (n=2). Tocilizumab was evaluated on Development of severe pneumonia with masked early symptoms. Tocilizumab treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis may suppress the early inflammatory symptoms of severe pneumonia, leading to minimal clinical symptoms and modest CRP elevations.
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