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Recurrent allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis treated with etanercept and tocilizumab

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Modern Rheumatology

Abstract

We report the case of a 68-year-old woman with Stage III and Class II rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that was resistant to prednisolone, methotrexate, and infliximab. After treatment with etanercept or tocilizumab, suspicious allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) repeatedly occurred and then rapidly improved after the withdrawal of each drug. We suspect that administration of etanercept and tocilizumab caused suspicious ABPA in this patient. The relevance to the pathogenesis of ABPA under these biological drugs is also discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Yukihiko Saeki, MD PhD and Dr. Shiro Ohshima, MD PhD, Department of Rheumatology, NHO Osaka-Minami Medical Center, for their helpful discussions.

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None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Allergy and Rheumatic Disease, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Hidehiro Honda, Hiroshi Kida, Mitsuhiro Yoshida, Shoichi Ihara, Sho Goya, Isao Tachibana & Ichiro Kawase

  2. Department of Orthopaedics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Tetsuya Tomita

  3. Department of Orthopaedics, Gratia Hospital, 6-14-1 Aomataninishi, Minoo, Osaka, 562-8567, Japan

    Masakazu Fujii

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  1. Hidehiro Honda
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  2. Hiroshi Kida
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Correspondence to Hiroshi Kida.

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Honda, H., Kida, H., Yoshida, M. et al. Recurrent allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis treated with etanercept and tocilizumab. Mod Rheumatol 21, 660–664 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10165-011-0449-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10165-011-0449-0

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