Experience of using adalimumab in treating sight-threatening paediatric or adolescent Behcet’s disease-related uveitis

• Published in: Journal of ophthalmic inflammation and infection Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 14 - 7
• Main Authors: Ho, Mary, Chen, Li Jia, Sin, Helena P. Y., Iu, Lawrence P. L., Brelen, Marten, Ho, Assunta C. H., Lai, Timothy Y. Y., Young, Alvin L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 31-07-2019; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Adalimumab; Arthritis; Behcet’s disease; Brief Report; Epidemiology; Immunotherapy; Infections; Inflammation; Intraocular inflammation; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Monoclonal antibodies; Ophthalmology; Patients; Retinal vasculitis; Rheumatology; Teenagers; TNF inhibitors; Uveitis; Vein & artery diseases; Adalimumab; Retinal vasculitis; Intraocular inflammation; Uveitis; Behcet’s disease
• ISSN: 1869-5760; 1869-5760
• DOI: 10.1186/s12348-019-0181-z

Purpose
To report the clinical outcomes of adalimumab in treating refractory Behcet’s disease (BD)-related uveitis in paediatric or adolescent patients.
Methods
Retrospective review of five paediatric or adolescent patients with BD-related uveitis with a minimum follow-up of 24 months.
Results
Disease quiescence was observed in 9 (90%) of 10 eyes at 12 months. The mean number of relapses per year per patient was 5 (range, 3–7) before initiation of adalimumab treatment. This was reduced to 0.2 relapse per patient per year among the five patients during the first 24 months after starting adalimumab treatment. At baseline, 5 eyes had active retinal vasculitis. Retinal vasculitis resolved in all cases (100%) after starting adalimumab. The mean time to complete resolution of inflammation was 3.4 weeks. The mean ± standard deviation logMAR best-corrected visual acuity was 0.711 ± 0.63 at baseline and improved to 0.172 ± 1.04 at 12 months (
P
< 0.001). None of the patients developed any adverse events associated with adalimumab treatment.
Conclusion
Adalimumab was effective in preventing irreversible sight-threatening BD-related uveitis in paediatric or adolescent patients. Adalimumab appears to be a promising treatment option for young patients with recalcitrant BD-related uveitis and has a favourable safety profile.