Rheumatology Advance Access originally published online on June 23, 2009
Rheumatology 2009 48(9):1166-1168; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kep147
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Efficacy of rituximab in refractory and relapsing myositis with anti-JO1 antibodies: a report of two cases
1Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service de Médecine Interne 1, 2Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Centre de Référence des Pathologies Neuromusculaires Paris Est, Institut de Myologie and 3Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service de Rhumatologie, Paris, France
Correspondence to: Olivier Benveniste, Service de Médecine Interne 1, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47-83 boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75651 Paris Cedex 13, France. E-mail: olivier.benveniste@psl.aphp.fr
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SIR, The anti-Jo1 (histidyl tRNA synthetase) antibodies are often associated with myositis, arthritis, RP, mechanic's hand and interstitial lung disease (ILD), the latter governing the prognosis of this anti-synthetase syndrome. A 49-year-old woman presented marked muscular weakness (psoas and deltoids MRC 3/5, legs held outstretched at 45° supine: 22 s, normal >75 s) with anti-Jo1 antibodies. Creatine kinase (CK) level was 1114 U/l (N < 170 U/l). Muscle biopsy confirmed myositis. CT scan was normal. The patient was treated with prednisone 1 mg/kg/day (60 mg/day) associated with AZA (150 mg/day). Three months later, she improved (psoas