Kamisawa Terumi
Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center Komagome Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
JMA J. 2022 Jan 17;5(1):23-35. doi: 10.31662/jmaj.2021-0113. Epub 2021 Dec 15.
Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a fibro-inflammatory disease characterized by organ enlargement and elevated serum IgG4 levels. In 2003, IgG4-RD was proposed as a distinct form of IgG4-related systemic disease based on a histopathological study involving patients with autoimmune pancreatitis. IgG4-RD occurs mainly in older men and can affect almost any organ simultaneously or metachronously. Pathophysiologically, IgG4-RD occurs when an autoantigen triggers an immune response characterized by Th2 predominance with increased production of cytokines, such as interleukin 4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, and tumor growth factor-β (TGF-β), in the affected organ. IL-10 and TGF-β produced by the increased number of regulatory T cells induce a switch from B cells to IgG4-producing plasma cells and fibrosis, respectively. The characteristic histological features consist of dense infiltration of lymphocytes and IgG4-positive plasma cells, storiform fibrosis, and obliterative phlebitis. IgG4-RD is diagnosed based on a combination of clinical, serological, radiological, and histopathological findings. Differentiating IgG4-RD from malignant tumors or similar inflammatory diseases in the affected organs is important. The 2019 America College of Rheumatology/European League against Rheumatism classification criteria for IgG4-RD have high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. IgG4-RD generally responds well to treatment with steroids, and a swift response is reassuring and provides further diagnostic confirmation. However, relapses are common during tapering or after cessation of steroids. In Japan, low-dose steroid maintenance therapy is usually given to prevent a relapse. B-cell depletion with rituximab is effective in patients resistant to or dependent on steroids. Most patients with IgG4-RD who receive steroid therapy show good short-term clinical, morphological, and functional outcomes. However, long-term outcomes, such as relapse, fibrosis development, and associated malignancies, have not been clearly defined. Therefore, novel treatment strategies, including rituximab, need to be tested in international randomized controlled clinical trials.
免疫球蛋白G4相关性疾病(IgG4-RD)是一种纤维炎症性疾病,其特征为器官肿大和血清IgG4水平升高。2003年,基于一项涉及自身免疫性胰腺炎患者的组织病理学研究,IgG4-RD被提出作为一种独特的IgG4相关性全身性疾病。IgG4-RD主要发生于老年男性,可同时或异时累及几乎任何器官。在病理生理学上,当自身抗原触发以Th2为主导的免疫反应,导致受累器官中细胞因子如白细胞介素4(IL-4)、IL-5、IL-10、IL-13和肿瘤生长因子-β(TGF-β)产生增加时,就会发生IgG4-RD。调节性T细胞数量增加所产生的IL-10和TGF-β分别诱导B细胞向产生IgG4的浆细胞转化以及纤维化。其特征性组织学表现包括淋巴细胞和IgG4阳性浆细胞的密集浸润、席纹状纤维化和闭塞性静脉炎。IgG4-RD的诊断基于临床、血清学、影像学和组织病理学检查结果的综合判断。将IgG4-RD与受累器官中的恶性肿瘤或类似炎症性疾病相鉴别很重要。2019年美国风湿病学会/欧洲抗风湿病联盟IgG4-RD分类标准具有较高的诊断敏感性和特异性。IgG4-RD通常对类固醇治疗反应良好,迅速的反应令人安心,并能进一步提供诊断依据。然而,在类固醇减量或停用后复发很常见。在日本,通常给予低剂量类固醇维持治疗以预防复发。利妥昔单抗进行B细胞清除对类固醇耐药或依赖的患者有效。大多数接受类固醇治疗的IgG4-RD患者在短期临床、形态学和功能方面显示出良好的结果。然而,复发、纤维化进展和相关恶性肿瘤等长期结果尚未明确界定。因此,包括利妥昔单抗在内的新型治疗策略需要在国际随机对照临床试验中进行测试。