On a Swedish pmr-forum, there is a man that mentions he has pred plus cytotoxin. He mentions that he hasn´t had any help from using the cytotoxin and somebody else asks if anybody has tried it. How about you?
Ragnarcytotoxin. Does anyone have any experience of that together with pred. This mandoesn´t feel he has any help from it.
That I dont understand....
The man I mentioned didn´t understand it either and that is the reason why I put the question to you all - have you heard about cytotoxin as a remedy combined with pred? He is prepared to discontinue using it without asking the doctor. A lady mentions that her rheumy has started to talk about cytotoxin too.
Ragnar
I just found this info from a link on this message board - could it be the same drug just misspelled?
Doctors differentiate PMR and SSV in several ways. There is no single test to diagnose PMR. Patients with PMR typically respond rapidly to moderate doses of steroids; suspicions should be aroused when this does not happen, says Dr. Farrington. SSV is not treated with steroids alone but rather a combination of steroids and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), which suppresses the immune system and interferes with the function of the cells that cause the inflammation of the blood vessels. Other tests pointing to SSV include blood and/or protein in the urine, abnormal routine blood tests and evidence of other solid organ involvement.
If you’ve been diagnosed with PMR and have abnormal blood or urine tests, ask if your doctor has already evaluated you for SSV
New research suggests that some people diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) actually may have systemic small-vessel vasculitis (SSV), which is inflammation of the body’s small blood vessels, including capillaries and small veins. If left untreated, SSV can lead to kidney failure, which weakens bones, affects the heart and requires dialysis or a transplant. The misdiagnosis occurs because SSV and PMR share symptoms, including achy and stiff upper arms, neck and thighs.
The new study found 15 percent of people who were diagnosed with PMR actually had SSV. “The main consequence of misdiagnosis is lost time in getting appropriate immunosuppressive therapy [for SSV], which may result in some permanent loss of kidney function in addition, of course, to being unwell longer,” says study author Ken Farrington, MD, a nephrologist at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, England.
Cutaneous vasculitis causes a skin rash (see the picture above) and sometimes pain. Systemic vasculitis commonly causes general symptoms such as feeling unwell, weight loss, night sweats and joint pains. Sometimes it may come on very suddenly and dramatically, but it commonly comes on gradually over days and weeks.
Any organ may be affected by vasculitis. When it affects the kidney, blood and protein may appear in the urine, but this may only be shown by urine testing. Kidney failure does not produce many symptoms until a lot of damage has occurred. Disease in the lungs may cause breathlessness and a cough, and occasionally bleeding causes the patient to cough up blood. Weakness and numbness of the hands and feet may be caused by inflammation of tiny blood vessels supplying nerves. Abdominal pain and bleeding may be caused by vasculitis in the gut, and occasionally this may lead to severe bleeding or to bowel perforation. Vasculitis in the heart may result in symptoms similar to a heart attack, and in the brain it may cause confusion, symptoms of a stroke or fits.
When vasculitis comes on slowly it is almost inevitable that correct diagnosis is delayed, as its early symptoms closely resemble influenza or other infections or illnesses. Routine blood tests are also rarely very abnormal early on. Anaemia is common, and there may be signs that suggest infection or inflammation. In some types of severe vasculitis, ANCA tests (described below) may help, although they do not prove the diagnosis on their own. Examination of a sample from an affected part of the body under the microscope is often required to confirm the diagnosis. Kidney biopsies are particularly helpful if there are signs of kidney involvement. Special x-rays (angiograms) can sometimes diagnose vasculitis affecting large blood vessels.
Severe types of systemic vasculitis often require powerful treatments to suppress the inflammation and the powerful immune response. Treatments may include Steroids, Cyclophosphamide, Azathioprine, Plasma exchange, and other drugs. If vasculitis is due to an infection, treatment for the infection is important.
There are many types of vasculitis - giant cell is one of them....
| Takayasu's disease, (Pulseless disease) |
Large | Mainly young women from the far east are affected, resulting in a long disease, treatment is difficult |
| Kawasaki disease | Large | Children are affected possibly after an infection. Heart arteries are especially affected. Steroid treatment is harmful. Responds to IVIG |
| Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) | Medium | Rare, but quite well known as it was the earliest vasculitis to be recognised. |
| Temporal arteritis (Giant cell arteritis) |
Medium | Common disease of over 60's that causes headache and general illness, sometimes with other symptoms. Responds to steroids alone. |
| Churg-Strauss syndrome | Medium/Small | Disease of over 50's often with late onset asthma. Particularly affects lung, and nerves to arms and legs. ANCA usually present. |
| Microscopic Polyarteritis (MPA) | Small | Affects all ages but more common in elderly. Kidneys, skin and gut affected. ANCA usually present. |
| Wegener's granulomatosis | Small | All ages and similar to MPA, but may also cause a slower longer inflammation also affecting nose, sinuses and lungs. ANCA is useful. |
| Henoch - Schonlein Purpura | Small | Common in children, who usually get a rash, abdominal pain (gut vasculitis) and mild kidney involvement. Often more severe when it occurs in adults. ANCA negative |