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B-Lymphocyte Depletion in Patients With ME/cfs: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial (2019) Fluge et al

Discussion in 'ME/CFS research' started by Milo, Apr 1, 2019.

  1. Jonathan Edwards

    Jonathan Edwards Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Presumably Dr van Elszakker is not familiar with the reason why we use rituximab in autoimmunity. It is to remove clones making the autoantibodies that cause symptoms. If a subset of people with ME had hidden autoantibodies - and that was quite plausible - then rituximab makes as much sense as it does in the dozen or so illnesses where it works beautifully. He is probably not very familiar with clinical immunology.
     
    merylg, TrixieStix, Mithriel and 3 others like this.
  2. Jonathan Edwards

    Jonathan Edwards Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Location:
    London, UK
    I am not sure that 'comorbid autoimmunity ' or mast cell activation makes much sense though!

    I agree with Dr v E that feeling bad is often part of the immune response - which is precisely why getting rid of immune cells, i.e. B cells, works when it does. I think he is assuming that immune responses are always good, which clearly in autoimmunity they are not.
     
    merylg, TrixieStix, andypants and 2 others like this.
  3. Rain

    Rain Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    @Jonathan Edwards thank you! Very helpful.

    (I was not the one discussing with him on Twitter, should have made that clear.)
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2019
    andypants likes this.

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