Is there a paradoxical side effect? Is it a case of inefficiency? Peripheral ulcerative keratitis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis in remission treated with tocilizumab
Yasemin Tombak 1 ,Methiye Kubra Sezer 1 ,Ajda Bal 1 ,Emel Eksioglu 1 ,Deniz Dulgeroglu 1
1 Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, University of Health Sciences, Ankara Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Türkiye
DOI :
10.5606/tftrd.2023.11091
Tocilizumab is a monoclonal antibody to interleukin-6 that has recently been used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. Treatment
with tocilizumab may be associated with paradoxical manifestations that are poorly understood. Patients that developed peripheral
ulcerative keratitis while on tocilizumab treatment were studied in a case series. It was discovered that this could be a paradoxical
side effect or ineffectiveness. Herein, we present a patient with seropositive RA who was followed for 22 years, using tocilizumab for
seven years, and who developed peripheral ulcerative keratitis while in remission. Consequently, even in remission, extra-articular
involvement can occur in RA patients, and medication-related paradoxical side effects can arise.
Keywords :
Peripheral ulcerative keratitis, rheumatoid arthritis, tocilizumab
