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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.

Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders: Autoinflammatory Disorders

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1683920

This article is part of the Research TopicClinical and Immunological Phenotypic Characterization to better understand Pathogenesis and Response to Therapies in Systemic Autoimmune DiseasesView all 10 articles

Cerebral Rheumatoid Vasculitis: An Integrated Analysis of Case Presentation, Literature Review, and Prognostic Stratification

Provisionally accepted
Yinghui ZhangYinghui Zhang1Zhai XuefengZhai Xuefeng1Li NingLi Ning1Juan YangJuan Yang1Yang LiuYang Liu2Li JianLi Jian1Shuhong ChiShuhong Chi1Ma BoyaMa Boya1Liu LuLiu Lu1Zhao LiZhao Li2*Xiao YangXiao Yang1*
  • 1General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
  • 2General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University Department of Neurosurgery, Yinchuan, China

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This study integrates a comprehensive literature review spanning from 1951 to 2025 with a histologically confirmed case of cerebral rheumatoid vasculitis (CRV) in order to improve the management of this rare and severe complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). By analyzing 37 CRV cases, we observed a striking decline in mortality after the 1980s, with an odds ratio (OR) of 33.07. The combination of immunosuppressants and corticosteroids significantly enhanced treatment outcomes, showing 75% efficacy compared to a 70% mortality rate without immunosuppressants. Based on these findings, we developed the CRV diagnostic workflow to aid early detection. Our results emphasize the importance of vigilance for neurological symptoms in RA patients and highlight the need for future research to optimize treatment protocols and reduce long-term disability.

Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, Cerebral vasculitis, Biopsy, Immunosuppression, Mortality

Received: 11 Aug 2025; Accepted: 13 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Xuefeng, Ning, Yang, Liu, Jian, Chi, Boya, Lu, Li and Yang. 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:
Zhao Li, zhaoli105@163.com
Xiao Yang, nxyangxiao@sina.com

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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