Autologous stem-cell transplantation in refractory autoimmune diseases after in vivo immunoablation and ex vivo depletion of mononuclear cells

Table 1 Clinical outcome and treatment-related morbidity of patients with polychondritis or SLE in complete remission

Patient^*	Follow up (months)	ANA^†	Anti-double-stranded DNA^† ELISA^‡ (U/ml) CL-IF	Cardiolipin^†§ (U/ml) IgG/IgM	Other parameters^†	Complement^† (md/dl) C3/C4	Steroid dosage (mg/day)^†¶	Karnofsky score (%)^†	ECLAM score^†	Side effects during immunoablation
1 PC/female/41 years/1985	21	No relevance	No relevance	No relevance	Tracheal involvement, costosternal pain, arthralgias	No relevance	62.5	60	No relevance	SIRS^**: WHO grade IV Local infection Interstitial pneumonia and capillary leakage DIC Reactivation of gastrointestinal ulcer
					↓		↓	↓
					Complete resolution		3	100
2 SLE/female/27 years/1987	19	1:5120	518 / 1:64	38 / 54	∅	82 / 10	35	40	6.5	SIRS^**: WHO grade IV Septicaemia and pneumonia in aplasia: WHO grade I Flares of disease (abdominal vasculitis, arthralgias, serositis)
		↓	↓ ↓	↓ ↓		↓ ↓	↓	↓	↓
		Negligible	∅	<31 <31		140 22	5	100	2
3 SLE/female/48 years/1993	16	1:5120	5040 / 1:128	88 / 379	α -Ro⁺	122 / 14	20	60	6	SIRS^: WHO grade IV Septicaemia Local infection Liver haematoma: WHO grade II SIRS^: WHO grade IV
		↓	↓ ↓	↓ ↓	↓	↓ ↓	↓	↓	↓
		1:80	∅	<31 <31	∅	164 27	4	100	2
4 SLE/male/37 years/1989	10	1:2560	976 / 1:128	33 / 56	α-Ro/ Proteinuria α-La⁺ 8.8 g/day	<44 / <5	100	70	10
		↓	↓ ↓	↓ ↓	↓ ↓	↓ ↓	↓	↓	↓
		1:160	∅	<31 <31	∅ 0.8 g/day	120 22	5	100	2

^*Characteristics: number/disease/sex/age/year of diagnosis. ^†Values above the arrow represent the admission values and those below the arrow represent the present status. ^‡ELISA cut-off was 118 iU/ml. ^§The cut-offs for IgG and IgM anticardiolipin were 48 and 44 U/ml, respectively. ^¶Doses corresponding to prednisolone equivalents. ^**SIRS due to application of cyclophosphamide and ATG. CL-IF, Crithidia luciliae immunofluorescence; PC, relapsing polychondritis; DIC, disseminated intravascular coagulation; ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; SIRS, systemic inflammatory response syndrome; WHO, World Health Organization.

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