Uthman Imad
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Medical Centre, PO Box 113-6044, Hamra 1103 2090, Beirut, Lebanon.
Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2004 Apr;4(2):177-82. doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2003.11.004.
Systemic vasculitis represents a broad range of diseases characterized by the presence of blood vessel inflammation. Immunosuppressive therapy forms the foundation of treatment for almost all forms of systemic vasculitis. Newer agents such as mycophenolate mofetil, rituximab and tumour necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors are finding new indications in the therapy of conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, skin vasculitis, cytoplasmic antineutrophil antibodies-positive vasculitis, sarcoidosis, ocular inflammation, nephritis, inflammatory bowel disease and Takayasu's arteritis. However, older agents such as methotrexate, cyclophosphamide and interferon-alpha are still being explored for newer, more effective and less toxic indications in conditions such as giant cell arteritis and cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa.
系统性血管炎是一类广泛的疾病，其特征为血管炎症。免疫抑制疗法是几乎所有形式的系统性血管炎治疗的基础。新型药物如霉酚酸酯、利妥昔单抗和肿瘤坏死因子-α抑制剂在系统性红斑狼疮、特发性血小板减少性紫癜、皮肤血管炎、胞浆型抗中性粒细胞抗体阳性血管炎、结节病、眼部炎症、肾炎、炎症性肠病和大动脉炎等疾病的治疗中正在发现新的适应证。然而，甲氨蝶呤、环磷酰胺和干扰素-α等较老的药物仍在针对巨细胞动脉炎和皮肤结节性多动脉炎等疾病探索更新、更有效且毒性更小的适应证。
