Anakinra for tocilizumab-refractory febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome with normal IL-1β levels: a case report
Lijun Zhang, Deyuan Li, Jianjun Wang, Xiao Wang, Wanling Zhao, Guoyan Lu · 2026
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Description
When one immune drug failed a seizing child, a second with a different target succeeded, Lijun Zhang and colleagues recount in a 2026 case report. Six days after catching influenza A, a previously healthy six-year-old boy slid into super-refractory status epilepticus, the pattern called febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome. Standard drugs, steroids, immunoglobulin, ketogenic diet, and cooling all failed to stop the seizures.
His spinal fluid showed high interleukin-6 but normal interleukin-1 beta. The IL-6 blocker tocilizumab helped briefly, then seizures returned. Daily anakinra, which blocks the IL-1 receptor, controlled them within five days despite the normal IL-1 readings. He left hospital with mild cognitive difficulty and returned to school.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Lijun Zhang, Deyuan Li, Jianjun Wang, Xiao Wang, Wanling Zhao, Guoyan Lu |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 20982 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |