TY - JOUR T1 - Tocilizumab in the treatment of mixed connective tissue disease and overlap syndrome in children JF - RMD Open JO - RMD Open DO - 10.1136/rmdopen-2016-000271 VL - 2 IS - 2 SP - e000271 AU - Natalia Cabrera AU - Agnes Duquesne AU - Marine Desjonquères AU - Jean-Paul Larbre AU - Jean-Christophe Lega AU - Nicole Fabien AU - Alexandre Belot Y1 - 2016/09/01 UR - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/2/2/e000271.abstract N2 - Arthritis is one of the main manifestations of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) and overlap syndrome in children and can be responsible for functional disability. We report on 2 children with arthritis that were dramatically improved by a treatment with interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockers in the context of connective tissue disease. However, in both cases, other systemic autoimmune symptoms were not modified by the treatment and autoantibodies tend to increase, suggesting a differential effect of IL-6 inhibition on articular inflammation and systemic autoimmunity. ER -