Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
2 Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
3 Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
Background: The study aimed to judge the safety and possible side effects of rituximab (RTX) drug in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Methods: This retrospective observational study was performed on 91 patients with MS who had been treated with RTX between 2016 and 2019. Each patient was visited and examined a minimum of once. The side effects of the drug and therefore the drug-related reactions to the injection were asked via phone calls, which were recorded separately as mild, moderate, and severe modes with the necessity for hospitalization.
Results: A total of 91 patients were enrolled within the study: 80 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), 6 patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS), and 5 patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS). The mean age of the patients was 32.18 ± 8.71 years (18 to 60 years). The injection-related side effects occurred in 30.8% of the injections, most of which were mild and one of the mild complications was urinary tract infection (UTI). Two cases of complications with moderate severity were recorded.
Conclusion: The observations from this study demonstrated that RTX did not cause serious complications in patients with MS.
Keywords
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