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Infliximab therapy for sarcoidosis (lupus pernio)
Author(s) -
Haley H.,
Cantrell W.,
Smith K.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2004.05769.x
Subject(s) - medicine , sarcoidosis , infliximab , immunology , immune system , cutaneous sarcoidosis , thalidomide , dermatology , tumor necrosis factor alpha , psoriasis , disease , systemic disease , etiology , immunopathology , pathology , multiple myeloma
Summary Sarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous disease of unknown aetiology in which the primary cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α appears to play a major role. Older immune‐modulating drugs including corticosteroids, antimalarials and thalidomide, as well as cytotoxic drugs with immune modulatory effects, have been used to control disease. We present a patient with severe mutilating cutaneous sarcoidosis (lupus pernio) who had showed only partial response to courses of a wide spectrum of immune modulators and cytotoxic therapies, and who had developed significant side‐effects due to prolonged high‐dose corticosteroids. However, the patient's cutaneous disease responded rapidly to the TNF‐α inhibitor infliximab.