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ABSTRACT: Background and objectives
B cell significance in ANCA disease pathogenesis is underscored by the finding that ANCA alone can cause disease in mouse models and by the effectiveness of rituximab as therapy in ANCA-small vessel vasculitis (ANCA-SVV). To avoid infections and adverse events from therapy, clinicians require improved markers of disease activity and impending relapse to guide immunosuppression strategies after rituximab treatment.Design, setting, participants, & measurements
The B cell phenotype was investigated in patients with active ANCA-SVV and in remission. From 2003 to 2009, 54 patients were followed longitudinally for 4-99 months and compared with 68 healthy controls. In a subset of 19 patients, the B cell immunophenotype was examined in samples after rituximab therapy.Results
Patients with active ANCA-SVV had lower %CD5(+) B cells, whereas %CD5(+) B cells from patients in remission were indistinguishable from healthy controls. After rituximab, median time to relapse was 31 months in patients maintaining normalized %CD5(+) B cells, with or without maintenance immunosuppression. Among patients whose B cells repopulated with low %CD5(+) B cells or had a sharply declining %CD5(+) B cells, those who were on low or no maintenance immunosuppression relapsed sooner (median 17 months) than patients who were maintained on high levels of oral maintenance immunosuppression (29 months; P=0.002).Conclusions
The %CD5(+) B cells, as a component of the human B regulatory cell phenotype, is a useful indicator of disease activity, remission, and future relapse, and thus may guide remission maintenance therapy after rituximab treatment.
SUBMITTER: Bunch DO
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3586963 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Bunch Donna O'Dell DO McGregor JulieAnne G JG Khandoobhai Nirmal B NB Aybar Lydia T LT Burkart Madelyn E ME Hu Yichun Y Hogan Susan L SL Poulton Caroline J CJ Berg Elisabeth A EA Falk Ronald J RJ Nachman Patrick H PH
Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 20130104 3
<h4>Background and objectives</h4>B cell significance in ANCA disease pathogenesis is underscored by the finding that ANCA alone can cause disease in mouse models and by the effectiveness of rituximab as therapy in ANCA-small vessel vasculitis (ANCA-SVV). To avoid infections and adverse events from therapy, clinicians require improved markers of disease activity and impending relapse to guide immunosuppression strategies after rituximab treatment.<h4>Design, setting, participants, & measurements ...[more]