Canakinumab in the Treatment of Erosive Hand Osteoarthritis: A Case Series

Erosive hand Osteoarthritis (EOA) is a subtype of osteoarthritis (OA) which manifests as pain, swelling, redness, and warmth and is associated with radiographic changes such as central collapsing erosions and gull wing deformity. EOA eventually leads to joint deformity and ankylosis. Despite greater analgesic use, patients with EOA have worse functional outcome and more pain than those with controlled inflammatory arthritis such as Rheumatoid Arthritis or Psoriatic Arthritis [1]. Pain scores remained significantly higher in patients with erosive OA after Compared to OA of the hands, EOA “is an important cause of disability, usually compared to the handicap caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis” [2]. The proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 beta (IL1β) and to a lesser extent tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) play a key role in the destruction of the cartilage matrix in OA [3].