ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

Abstract Number: 0736

Effectiveness of Tocilizumab in strokes in patients with giant cell arteritis. Spanish multicenter study of clinical practice

Ana Serrano-Combarro1, Javier Loricera2, Clara Moriano3, Santos Castañeda4, Javier Narváez5, Vicente Aldasoro Cáceres6, Rafael B. Melero-González7, Isabel De la Morena8, Ivan Ferraz Amaro9 and Ricardo Blanco10, 1Division of Rheumatology, Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, IDIVAL, Inmunopathology group, Santander, Santander, Spain, 2Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, IDIVAL, Immunopathology Group, Santander , Spain, Santander, Spain, 3Hospital León, LEON, Castilla y Leon, Spain, 4Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, IIS-Princesa, Madrid, Madrid, Spain, 5Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain, 6Hospital Universitario de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, 7COMPLEXO HOSPITALARIO UNIVERSITARIO DE OURENSE, O Carballino, Spain, 8HOSPITAL CLINICO UNIVERSITARIO DE VALENCIA, VALENCIA, Spain, 9Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, 10Rheumatology Division, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, IDIVAL, Immunopathology Group, Santander, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, Spain

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2025

Keywords:

Session Information

Date: Sunday, October 26, 2025

Title: (0731–0764) Vasculitis – Non-ANCA-Associated & Related Disorders Poster I

Session Type: Poster Session A

Session Time: 10:30AM-12:30PM

Background/Purpose: Stroke is a feared complication of giant cell arteritis (GCA). Tocilizumab (TCZ) has shown efficacy and safety in large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) including GCA. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of TCZ in the stroke associated with GCA regarding to: i) prevent the appearance of new strokes, and ii) improve stroke if present.

Methods: Observational, multicenter study of 471 patients with GCA treated with TCZ. Patients were diagnosed with GCA accordingly to: a) American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, and/or b) positive biopsy of temporal artery, and/or c) the presence of imaging techniques consistent with LVV. Patients were divided into two groups: i) with, and ii) without stroke.All patients in whom stroke was diagnosed had lesions on computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans that were read by a neuroradiologist and correlated clinically by a neurologist.

Results: 471 (342 females; 72.1±9.1 years) patients with GCA treated with TCZ were included. Stroke at any time (before and after TCZ) were observed in 7 (1.5%) patients. In 5 of them stroke was present at TCZ initiation. One patient had a stroke previously with complete recovery and another patient had a stroke after starting TCZ and died. Main features of GCA with and without stroke are shown in TABLE. Patients with stroke were predominantly male and were or had been smokers. At TCZ initiation 5 patients had a stroke in vertebrobasilar territory.Only one patient suffered lacunar infarctions after TCZ initiation, while the 5 patients who had a stroke at TCZ initiation experienced progressive improvement.

Conclusion: Stroke in GCA is an infrequent manifestation of GCA and occur mainly in the vertebrobasilar territory. TCZ might prevent the appearance of new strokes and appears to aid recovery in existing ones.

Supporting image 1TABLE. Main features of the GCA patients with and without strokes treated with tocilizumab.

Disclosures: A. Serrano-Combarro: None; J. Loricera: AbbVie/Abbott, 5, AstraZeneca, 2, 5, 6, Celgene, 2, 5, 6, Eli Lilly, 5, Janssen, 5, Merck/MSD, 2, 5, 6, Novartis, 2, 5, 6, Pfizer, 5, Roche, 2, 5, 6, UCB, 2, 5, 6; C. Moriano: None; S. Castañeda: None; J. Narváez: None; V. Aldasoro Cáceres: None; R. Melero-González: None; I. De la Morena: None; I. Ferraz Amaro: None; R. Blanco: AbbVie/Abbott, 2, 5, 6, Bristol-Myers Squibb(BMS), 2, 6, Eli Lilly, 2, 6, Janssen, 2, 6, Merck/MSD, 2, 5, 6, Pfizer, 2, 6, Roche, 2, 5, 6.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Serrano-Combarro A, Loricera J, Moriano C, Castañeda S, Narváez J, Aldasoro Cáceres V, Melero-González R, De la Morena I, Ferraz Amaro I, Blanco R. Effectiveness of Tocilizumab in strokes in patients with giant cell arteritis. Spanish multicenter study of clinical practice [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025; 77 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/effectiveness-of-tocilizumab-in-strokes-in-patients-with-giant-cell-arteritis-spanish-multicenter-study-of-clinical-practice/. Accessed .

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/effectiveness-of-tocilizumab-in-strokes-in-patients-with-giant-cell-arteritis-spanish-multicenter-study-of-clinical-practice/