Keywords
Rheumatoid arthritis
Review
Blood
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Abstract
Objective: To evaluate whether the concentration of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) can be used to monitor the response to treatment with Tocilizumab (TCZ) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: This is an integrative review supported by a guiding question. Only studies in humans treated with TCZ and showing the concentration of IL-6 were included. The databases used were PubMed, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and Virtual Health Library (BVS). Results: 257 articles were found, however, after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, only 7 articles were considered a result of the search. The analysis of the articles indicates that there is an increase in the concentration of IL-6 after the beginning of therapy, followed by a plateau and, later, a decrease with the time of treatment, which was accompanied by clinical improvement. Final considerations: This fact suggests the measurement of IL-6 as an important parameter for monitoring therapeutic response. For this, the ideal would be to measure IL-6 before, during and after the suspension of treatment in patients with disease remission. Only through research will it be possible to standardize IL-6 dosage in these patients.