Pompe disease is a storage disorder characterized by deficient or absent activity of the enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase. As a result of ineffective metabolism, glycogen accumulates in muscle tissues. Patients with a classic infantile-onset form present by the first few months of life with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and muscle weakness. If left untreated, these patients rapidly die of cardiorespiratory failure. A cross-reactive immunological material (CRIM)-negative status is predictive of high anti-alglucosidase alpha antibody titers. However, CRIM-positive patients also sometimes develop robust antibody titers. High antibody titers complicate therapeutic management, and those patients have a worse clinical outcome of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT).Four years ago, we successfully used an immune modulation therapy (IMT) protocol in a CRIM-positive infantile-onset patient with Pompe disease in whom ERT had to be discontinued because of severe infusion-associated reactions. She was found to be positive for anti-alglucosidase alpha antibodies. IMT (rituximab, methotrexate, and intravenous gammaglobulin) was started, and ERT was safely reintroduced during the IMT induction phase without any complications. Antibodies disappeared; IMT was tapered and discontinued; and cardiomyopathy steadily improved. During more than 3 years of follow-up, she remained ventilator dependent, and no gains in motor skills were noticed. The antibodies are still undetectable, and no adverse reactions associated with IMT had occurred. The cardiomyopathy is gradually increasing, but there is still ~ 50 % reduction as compared with the highest value measured. Although the reversal of clinical decline in our CRIM-positive and antibody-positive infant cannot be solely attributed to IMT, this protocol proved itself efficient and safe.
Pompe disease is characterized by deficiency or absence of activity of the lysosomal enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase. As a result of ineffective metabolism, glycogen progressively accumulates in muscle tissues. Patients with an aggressive classic infantile-onset form generally rapidly die of cardiorespiratory failure. A cross-reactive immunological material (CRIM)-negative status is predictive of high anti-alglucosidase alfa antibody titers and usually a poor clinical outcome of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). CRIM-positive patients can also develop robust antibody titers complicating therapeutic management.We successfully used an immune modulation therapy (IMT) protocol in a CRIM-positive infantile-onset patient with Pompe disease in whom infusions had to be temporarily discontinued because of safety concerns despite administration of pre-infusion medication. Prior to discontinuation, she had shown signs of clinical deterioration and continuous ventilation support through a tracheostomy was required. She was found to be positive for anti-alglucosidase alfa antibodies (1:6,400). IMT (rituximab, methotrexate and intravenous gamma globulin) was started, ERT was safely reintroduced during the IMT induction phase and, subsequently, the enzyme dose was increased, all without any complications. Antibodies disappeared, IMT was tapered and discontinued, and cadiomyopathy steadily improved. During 1 year of follow-up, she remained ventilator dependent and no gains in motor skills were noticed; motor functions will be closely monitored during sustained ERT.Although the reversal of clinical decline in our CRIM-positive and antibody-positive infant with Pompe disease cannot be solely attributed to IMT, our experiences with this protocol may be helpful to other physicians encountering comparable therapeutic dilemmas.
Biological agents are widely used in the treatment of autoimmune rheumatic disorders. We report on serious adverse events during treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor antibody in two of our patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. One patient was treated with a biological agent due to juvenile idiopathic arthritis complicated by uveitis, developing miliary tuberculosis during treatment. After treatment with antituberculotics, she recovered completely. Her underlying disease is currently in remission. Another patient was treated for juvenile spondyloarthritis and developed an inflammatory process of the central nervous system with serious neurological deficits. He was treated with high-dose corticosteroids, followed by slowly tapering doses of corticosteroids. His neurological deficits improved, but are still present. Similar cases have been described previously, but there are no recommendations how to treat arthritis afterwards in such patients. We would like to emphasize the need of developing guidelines for further treatment of arthritis after the occurrence of serious adverse effects during treatment with biological agents.
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