Inflammation possible of being attacked in Graves’ Eye Disease
A popular drug, Rituximab, holds the potential of providing significant relief to patients suffering from Graves‘ eye disease. The relief can be in the form of rapid improvement of their symptoms and improved vision along with significant reduction in the level of inflammation around the eyes.
This drug is also useful to patients who are unresponsive to steroids, a common treatment for Graves‘ eye disease.
From Sciencedaily.com:
In the current study, Douglas observed improvement among the patients, four of whom were women, as early as four weeks following the first infusion of rituximab. Researchers also observed that the positive results were sustained 4 to 6 months after treatment.
“Treatment of the inflammatory component of Graves’ eye disease has not advanced appreciably over several decades,” says Douglas. High-dose steroids, sometimes in combination with orbital radiation, are still the first line treatment. But, says Douglas, “These are imperfect options because inflammation often recurs when the treatment ends.” He is hopeful that rituximab can offer sustained improvement. Douglas observes that the results from a small case series must be viewed with some caution. But given the substantial benefits for patients treated with rituximab, he sees good reason to proceed with a large-scale clinical trial to test this promising new drug.
Raymond S. Douglas, M.D., Ph.D., an oculoplastics specialist who recently joined the faculty of the U-M Kellogg Eye Center, reported on the drug potential in the online October issue of Ophthalmology.
