Severe rebound disease activity after fingolimod withdrawal in a pregnant woman with multiple sclerosis managed with rituximab: A case study

Although pregnancy is potentially protective against relapses of multiple sclerosis, severe rebound of disease activity after withdrawal of fingolimod may occur. We report a woman with multiple sclerosis who discontinued fingolimod in the first month of her pregnancy. She developed severe disease re...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Beatriz Canibaño, Musab Ali, Boulenouar Mesraoua, Gayane Melikyan, Hasan Al Hail, Faiza Ibrahim, Yolande Hanssens, Dirk Deleu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Women's Health
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214911219301432
Description
Summary:Although pregnancy is potentially protective against relapses of multiple sclerosis, severe rebound of disease activity after withdrawal of fingolimod may occur. We report a woman with multiple sclerosis who discontinued fingolimod in the first month of her pregnancy. She developed severe disease rebound which responded poorly to steroids. She was started on rituximab, which was continued during the rest of her pregnancy and beyond. Rituximab appeared safe and well tolerated by both mother and infant, and could be considered in pregnancy for those patients with multiple sclerosis who are at high risk of gestational and postpartum relapse. Keywords: Multiple sclerosis, Pregnancy, Rituximab, Fingolimod, Rebound
ISSN:2214-9112