High-dose corticosteroids (CS) are the mainstay of treatment for temporal (giant cell) arteritis (TA). A usually required
long-term treatment with CS, ranging from 1 to 5 years or more, frequently leads to serious side effects in about 60% of patients.
There is no conclusive evidence about the role of immunosuppressive agents like methotrexate and azathioprine in the treatment
of TA. There are few reports of treatment of refractory or steroid-dependent TA with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors
including infliximab and etanercept. TA is characterized by infiltration of the vessel wall by macrophages, giant cells, and
T lymphocytes, with production of several cytokines responsible for the acute phase response. TNF-α has been demonstrated
in up to 60% of the cells in all areas of inflamed arteries by immunohistochemical techniques; hence, it could play a pivotal
role in the pathogenesis of TA. We report the first case of resistant TA, which was treated successfully with adalimumab,
a fully human recombinant IgG1, anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody. The efficacy of TNF-α inhibitors in resistant TA should be
studied in larger, controlled studies.
Keywords Adalimumab - Corticosteroids - Giant cell arteritis - Temporal arteritis - TNF-α inhibitors
First two authors contributed equally.