Mycophenolate mofetil treatment in two children with severe polyarteritis nodosa refractory to immunosuppressant drugs

Rheumatol Int. 2012 Jul;32(7):2215-9. doi: 10.1007/s00296-011-2003-y. Epub 2011 Jul 24.

Abstract

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a necrotizing vasculitis of small- and medium-sized arteries with multiorgan involvement, rarely reported in childhood. Despite aggressive treatment with the combination of corticosteroids and cytotoxic agents, the overall prognosis is poor in most patients. We report on two siblings, now 15- and 14-year-old, affected with childhood onset PAN, refractory to multiple therapies, who showed rapid clinical and laboratory improvement when mycophenolate mofetil was introduced. The relationship between the administration of this immunosuppressant agent and the reduced disease activity is confirmed by the sustained absence of disease flares over 4 years of treatment.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Mycophenolic Acid / analogs & derivatives*
  • Mycophenolic Acid / therapeutic use
  • Polyarteritis Nodosa / drug therapy*
  • Prednisone / therapeutic use
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Immunosuppressive Agents
  • Mycophenolic Acid
  • Prednisone