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CASE REPORT article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1409480

Efgartigimod-Associated Kaposi's Varicelliform Eruption and Herpetic Conjunctivitis in a Patient with seropositive Ocular Myasthenia Gravis: case report and review

Provisionally accepted
Lingzhi Ge Lingzhi Ge *Yanyan Li Yanyan Li *Ying Sun Ying Sun *Wenfang Chen Wenfang Chen Xiaoli Ni Xiaoli Ni *Fangli Wei Fangli Wei *Zhen Mu Zhen Mu *
  • The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, Shandong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Efgartigimod (Efgartigimod alpha fcab, Vyvgart™)is a pioneering neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) antagonist for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases mediated by pathogenic immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies, including myasthenia gravis (MG). It is a well-tolerated drug with minor side effects, such as headache and upper respiratory (lung) and urinary tract infections.Here, we present a case of Kaposi's varicelliform eruption (KVE) and herpetic conjunctivitis related to efgartigimod in a 60-year-old patient with ocular MG (OMG).A 60-year-old Chinese male suffered from acetylcholine receptor antibody positive (AChR Ab+) OMG for 8 years. During this period, he underwent first-line treatment treatment with systemic corticosteroids, cyclosporine, cyclophosphamide and so on, but had poor symptom improvement. On the recommendation of his attending neurologist, he received one cycle of intravenous efgartigimod (10mg/kg, once weekly for 4 weeks). The patient erupted with fever and widespread painful blisters and edema on the face the third day after his last intravenous infusion. And the patient also complained of increased secretions, foreign body sensation in both eyes. Laboratory tests confirmed infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV). A diagnosis of efgartigimod-associated KVE and herpetic conjunctivitis was made. After intravenous administration (5-10mg/kg, 3 times a day, every 8 hours) for 10 days, the patient was cured without residual complications.This case is the first report of the patient with KVE and herpetic conjunctivitis related to efgartigimod in PubMed. That is rare and unusual. Clinicians should be alert to the rare symptoms relate to efgartigimod.

    Keywords: neonatal Fc receptor antagonist, efgartigimod, Herpes Simplex Virus, Kaposi's varicelliform eruption, herpetic conjunctivitis, Myasthenia Gravis

    Received: 30 Mar 2024; Accepted: 11 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ge, Li, Sun, Chen, Ni, Wei and Mu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Lingzhi Ge, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, 271000, Shandong Province, China
    Yanyan Li, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, 271000, Shandong Province, China
    Ying Sun, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, 271000, Shandong Province, China
    Xiaoli Ni, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, 271000, Shandong Province, China
    Fangli Wei, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, 271000, Shandong Province, China
    Zhen Mu, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, 271000, Shandong Province, China

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