Successful Treatment With Mepolizumab for Eosinophilic Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis: A Case Report

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 5; p. e38797
• Main Authors: Toscano Peña, Andrés, Ali Munive, Abraham, Arevalo, Yaicith
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 09.05.2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Allergy/Immunology; Asthma; Biomarkers; Case reports; Disease; Dyspnea; Immunosuppressive agents; Immunotherapy; Inflammatory diseases; Laboratories; Medical imaging; Monoclonal antibodies; Patients; Pulmonology; Remission (Medicine); Rheumatology; Sinusitis; Spirometry; Steroids; Vein & artery diseases; severe asthma; eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis; anca- associated vasculitis; mepolizumab; churg strauss syndrome
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.38797

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is an uncommon antineutrophil cytoplasmatic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis involving small and medium size blood vessels. It has a variable clinical presentation depending on the main organ involved, making it difficult to diagnose. Treatment is mainly based on high-dose steroids and other immunosuppressants like cyclophosphamide, which may prevent end-organ damage and induce remission at the expense of having important adverse effects. However, new therapeutic agents had been shown to provide better results with favorable safety profiles. Biologic therapy with monoclonal antibodies such as Rituximab and Mepolizumab has been approved for its use in ANCA vasculitis including eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. These cases describe two patients with EGPA whose initial presentation was severe asthma and who appeared to have extrapulmonary end-organ damage. Mepolizumab was used in both cases with a successful response.