Abstract
Recent developments in understanding immunogenetic mechanisms of diseases enable more targeted selection of immune response modulators and open new effective treatment prospects for severe chronic or recurrent inflammatory diseases. Interleukin (IL)-1 has a key role in the development of disorders associated with innate immune response deregulation.
Its blockade using anakinra is used in the treatment of a few rheumatic and mainly autoinflammatory conditions in children and adults. Still's disease and monogenic periodic syndromes of cryopyrinopathy type are among its main therapeutic indications.
Efficacy of IL-1 blockade has proven effective in a multiplicity of other conditions including variety of autoinflammatory diseases - e.g. hyper-IgD syndrome, familial Mediterranean fever, TNF receptor associated periodic syndrome or idiopathic recurrent pericarditis. Anakinra may be a life-saving agent in severe complications like macrophage activation syndrome or secondary amyloidosis.
Anakinra is well tolerated and has a favourable safety profile probably due to its short biologic half-life.