Low-dose mepolizumab is effective as an add-on therapy for treating long-lasting peripheral neuropathy in patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis

• Published in: Modern rheumatology Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 387 - 395
• Main Authors: Nakamura, Yuto, Fukutomi, Yuma, Sekiya, Kiyoshi, Kajiwara, Keiichi, Kawasaki, Yuichiro, Fujita, Norihiro, Nagayama, Kisako, Iwata, Maki, Iwamoto, Keisuke, Yano, Koichi, Hamada, Yuto, Watai, Kentaro, Ryu, Kai, Hayashi, Hiroaki, Kamide, Yosuke, Taniguchi, Masami
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 28.02.2022
• Subjects: Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized - therapeutic use; Churg-Strauss Syndrome - drug therapy; Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis - drug therapy; Humans; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - complications; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - drug therapy; prospective observational study; eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis; Eosinophil-derived neurotoxin; peripheral neuropathy; mepolizumab
• ISSN: 1439-7595; 1439-7609
• DOI: 10.1093/mr/roab005

To assess the effectiveness of low-dose mepolizumab as an add-on therapy for treating peripheral neurological symptoms in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). We prospectively studied 13 EGPA patients with conventional treatment-resistant peripheral neuropathy. Their symptoms (pain, numbness, and muscle weakness) were assessed on a visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after 12 months of mepolizumab therapy (100 mg every 4 weeks). Peripheral eosinophil levels and several biomarkers including urinary levels of eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) were measured before and after therapy. VAS scores for pain and numbness significantly improved after 12 months of mepolizumab therapy (from 67.0 to 48.0, P = 0.012, and from 67.0 to 51.0, P = 0.017, respectively). However, the VAS score for muscle weakness did not improve (P = 0.36). There were significant correlations between treatment-related changes in urinary EDN levels from baseline to 6 months later and percent changes in the VAS scores of pain and numbness (r = 0.75, P = 0.020; r = 0.88, P = 0.002). Treatment-resistant peripheral neuropathy in EGPA was significantly improved by low-dose mepolizumab, and effectiveness was correlated with decreased urinary EDN. Because the possibility of a placebo effect cannot be formally excluded, placebo-controlled studies will be required in the future.