Rituximab in treatment of a patient with granulomatosis with polyangitis - a case report

Abstract

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a necrotizing vasculitis with few or no immune deposits that can affect predominantly small vessels. It can affect vessels in every organ and tissue of the body; the clinical manifestations of the disease are extremely variable. B-cells are of major importance in the disease pathogenesis as precursors of ANCA-producing plasma cells and, possibly, also as antigen-presenting and cytokineproducing cells. Therefore, rituximab, a monoclonal antibody drug causing partial B-cell depletion, has emerged as a powerful option in the treatment of AAV such as granulomatosis with polyangiitis. We present the case of a 25-year-old female diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis and treated with rituximab and high-dose corticosteroids.