Frontiers in Medicine (Jan 2022)

Effectiveness of Baricitinib in Refractory Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis and Uveitis: A Case Report

  • Yutaka Kaneko,
  • Takanori Murakami,
  • Koichi Nishitsuka,
  • Yuya Takakubo,
  • Michiaki Takagi,
  • Hidetoshi Yamashita,
  • Hidetoshi Yamashita

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.764067
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

Read online

Baricitinib is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor used to treat refractory rheumatoid arthritis and blocks the subtypes JAK1 and JAK2. A 35-year-old man with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis complicated by bilateral severe non-granulomatous panuveitis was resistant to steroid treatment, multiple conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (methotrexate and salazosulfapyridine), and TNF-α inhibitors (adalimumab and infliximab). Therefore, the TNF-α inhibitors were switched to baricitinib to decrease the activity of systemic arthritis. Along with the amelioration of inflammatory activity in seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, the inflammatory activity of uveitis was decreased. Vitreous opacity, serous retinal detachment, and anterior chamber cells showed improvement. Baricitinib was effective not only in refractory systemic arthritis but also in uveitis, which may provide a new treatment option for patients with refractory uveitis.

Keywords