B-Zell-Depletion mit Rituximab als neuer therapeutischer Ansatz bei Kollagenosen und Vaskulitiden

Abstract

The anti-CD20 antibody rituximab is a B-cell depleting agent commonly used since the late 1990s to treat selected non-Hodgkin lymphomas and, more recently, rheumatoid arthritis refractory to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and anti-TNF-alpha therapy. Furthermore, during the past few years rituximab has been increasingly used for the treatment of connective tissue diseases and vasculitides, i. e., autoimmune diseases with a still elusive pathogenetic link to B cells. This review provides a complete summary of the published studies and case reports of rituximab in the treatment of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, primary Sjogren’s syndrome, vasculitides including Wegener’s granulomatosis, microscopic polyarteriitis, and Churg-Strauss syndrome, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and systemic sclerosis. Given that most of these patients had severe, treatment-refractory disease, the good responses to rituximab seen in the majority of patients appear particularly promising.