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Original Article

A retrospective study of serum KL-6 levels during treatment with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a report from the Ad Hoc Committee for Safety of Biological DMARDs of the Japan College of Rheumatology

, , , , , , , , & show all
Pages 297-303 | Received 16 Jan 2012, Accepted 19 Apr 2012, Published online: 02 Jan 2014
 

Abstract

Objective: We investigated associations between treatment with methotrexate (MTX) or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and elevation of serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) levels in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Using a standardized form, data were collected retrospectively from medical records and analyzed descriptively.

Results: Of a total of 198 RA patients with KL-6 serum levels measured at initiation of treatment (month 0) and two or more times by month 12, 27 (17.9 %) of 151 RA patients treated with biological DMARDs, including infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, and tocilizumab (the biological DMARDs group), and 5 (10.6 %) of 47 patients treated without biological DMARDs but with MTX (MTX group), met criterion B (max. KL-6 ≥500 U/ml and >1.5-fold from baseline) by 12 months. The majority of patients (n = 28) meeting criterion B had no apparent interstitial lung disease or malignancy. Of these 28 patients, 21 had serum KL-6 levels available after reaching their maximum level, and 13 (61.9 %) of the 21 then met criterion R [decrease to less than 500 U/ml or to less than (baseline + 0.5 × (maximum − baseline))] by month 12.

Conclusion: Serum KL-6 levels may increase during treatment with MTX or these biological DMARDs without significant clinical events.

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