ArticleRheumatology and therapy2021
Inflammatory Markers are Quickly Improved by Tocilizumab in Early Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Might Predict Early Response to Interleukin-6 Blockade.
Article in Rheumatology and therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trial
- Current Insights and Future Perspectives for the Use of Serological Biomarkers in Polymyalgia Rheumatica.Journal of inflammation research · 2025Review
- Biomarkers in the era of targeted therapy in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica: is it possible to replace acute-phase reactants?Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Is Tocilizumab Effective and Safe in Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant-Cell Arteritis With Polymyalgia Rheumatica?Cureus · 2022Review
- Steroid-Sparing Effect of Tocilizumab and Methotrexate in Patients with Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionIt is unclear whether polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) should be considered an inflammatory disease or an autoimmune disease.
methodsEighteen untreated early PMR patients and 18 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included. PMR patients received tocilizumab from week 0 to week 12 and glucocorticoids from week 12 to week 24. Leukocytes, neutrophils, platelets, hemoglobin, γ-globulins, IgG, IgA, and IgM were compared between the PMR patients and HCs and before and after tocilizumab treatment in the PMR group.
resultsThe mean age was 68 ± 7 and 66 ± 11 years, and the mean serum C-reactive protein level was 82 ± 16 and 5 ± 2 mg/l for PMR patients and HCs, respectively. At inclusion, leukocytes (p < 0.0001), neutrophils (p < 0.0001), and platelets (p < 0.0001) were increased and hemoglobin (p < 0.0001) decreased in the PMR group compared to the HC group. After tocilizumab therapy, leukocytes, neutrophils, and platelets decreased, and hemoglobin increased. At inclusion, all four parameters were significantly associated with the serum IL-6 level, though it was not associated after tocilizumab therapy. Levels of γ-globulin were increased in the PMR patients compared to HCs (p = 0.0087), and PMR patients with γ-globulins levels over 11 g/l at inclusion responded more quickly to tocilizumab therapy. Autoantibody profiles did not differ between the PMR patients and HCs.
conclusionsThis study suggests that PMR is more an inflammatory disease than an autoimmune disease. Tocilizumab improves all markers of inflammation. Patients with elevated γ-globulins respond more quickly to tocilizumab.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.