Tocilizumab, a Humanized Anti-interleukin-6 Receptor Antibody, Induces Hepatic Iron Overload in a Susceptible Patient.

Masaru Harada, Yuichi Honma, Eisuke Shiba, Naohisa Tomosugi, Riko Harada

Abstract readCase Reports

In one paragraph

Article in Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Masaru HaradaThird Department of Internal Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan.

Yuichi HonmaThird Department of Internal Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan.

Eisuke ShibaDepartment of Pathology and Oncology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan.

Naohisa TomosugiDivision of Systems Bioscience for Drug Discovery, Project Research Center Institute, Kanazawa Medical University, Japan.

Riko HaradaTochiku Hospital, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A 75-year-old woman visited to our hospital with liver dysfunction. The patient's liver function was normal. She had been treated with tocilizumab for rheumatoid arthritis for two years. One year after initiation of tocilizumab treatment, liver dysfunction was observed. Serum ceruloplasmin concentration was low. We diagnosed hepatic iron overload because of a high ferritin concentration and a liver biopsy. The cessation of tocilizumab and phlebotomy improved the liver function. We believe that tocilizumab induced iron accumulation. We should be aware of the possibility that tocilizumab induces iron overload in susceptible patients and monitor iron status in patients treated with tocilizumab.

Indexed as

Antibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedIron OverloadReceptors, Interleukin-6AgedArthritis, RheumatoidFemaleFerritinsHumansLiverAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedFerritinsReceptors, Interleukin-6tocilizumabceruloplasminhemochromatosishepcidin-25ironrheumatoid arthritistocilizumab

Identifiers

PMID39401912

DOI10.2169/internalmedicine.4329-24

PMCPMC12120206

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.