- 作者：Alexandre Wagner Silva de Souza ; alexandre_wagner@uol.com.br" class="auth_mail" title="E-mail the corresponding author ; Renan de Almeida Agustinelli ; Hemerli de Cinque Almeida ; Patrí ; cia Bermudes Oliveira ; Frederico Augusto Gurgel Pinheiro ; Ana Cecilia Diniz Oliveira ; Emilia Inoue Sato
- 关键词：Systemic vasculitis ; Takayasu arteritis ; Leflunomide ; Therapy
- 刊名：Revista Brasileira de Reumatologia (English Edition)
- 出版年：2016
- 出版时间：July-August 2016
- 年：2016
- 卷：56
- 期：4
- 页码：371-375
- 全文大小：393 K
Methods
An open-label long-term longitudinal study was performed in TA patients who fulfilled the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria for TA and had participated in a previous study that evaluated short-term efficacy of leflunomide in TA. Complete follow-up information could be retrieved from 12 out of 15 patients enrolled in the original study. Disease activity was evaluated by Kerr's criteria and by the Indian Takayasu Activity Score 2010 (ITAS2010).
Results
The mean follow up time was 43.0 ± 7.6 months and 5 (41.6%) TA patients remained on leflunomide therapy while 7 (58.3%) TA patients had to change to another therapy due to failure to prevent relapses in 6 patients and toxicity in one patient. No significant differences were found between patients who remained on leflunomide therapy and those who changed to another agent regarding age at study entry, time since diagnosis, prednisone daily dose at study entry, baseline ITAS2010, mean or maximum ESR and CRP, and cumulative prednisone dose at study end. Among TA patients who had changed leflunomide to another agent, two had an additional clinical relapse and needed to change therapy.
Conclusion
Leflunomide led to sustained remission in approximately half of patients at a mean time of 12 months and was well tolerated by TA patients.