Efficacy and Safety of Biologics in Pediatric Noninfectious Retinal Vasculitis.
AI interpretation is pending for this paper.
Open original publication →What the AI sees
Not AI summarized yet.
Research significance
Pending deeper interpretation.
Source abstract
PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy and safety of adalimumab (ADA) injections (group 1), infliximab infusions (IFX) (group 2), and tocilizumab infusions (TCZ) (group 3) in pediatric retinal vasculitis (RV). DESIGN: Retrospective interventional case series. METHODS: Pediatric patients who were diagnosed with RV and treated with biologics (ADA, IFX, TCZ) for ≥6 months were included. A chart review of 11 patients (18 eyes), 17 patients (30 eyes), and 7 patients (11 eyes) in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively, was performed to assess clinical characteristics, central subfield thickness (CST), and fluorescein angiography (FA) score using the Angiographic Scoring for the Uveitis Working Group (ASUWOG) system. RESULTS: Mean age was 13.5 ± 4.3 years in group 1, 11.8 ± 2.5 years in group 2, and 13.9 ± 4.1 years in group 3 (P = .332). Eight patients (72.7%, 13 eyes) in group 1 and 14 patients (82.4%, 24 eyes) in group 2 were biologic naive, whereas in group 3 all patients were treated with ADA and/or IFX prior to TCZ. Mean FA scores were significantly reduced from 6.8 ± 2.6, 13.4 ± 4.8, and 12.8 ± 4.0 at baseline to 0.9 ± 2.3, 3.6 ± 4.6, and 4.4 ± 3.9 at final visit in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (P < .05). Complete resolution of RV was observed in 12 (66.7%), 13 (43.3%), and 1 (9.1%) eyes; mean time to complete resolution was 11.0 ± 5.0, 13.3 ± 5.8, and 23 months in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. No significant adverse events were observed in any group, except hair loss in 1 patient, which led to discontinuation of IFX infusions after 20 cycles of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: ADA, IFZ, and TCZ are effective and safe treatment options for pediatric RV, as objectively shown by FA scoring. TCZ appears to be an effective therapy for patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated RV or those who have failed tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors.