• Keiichiro Kadoba, Daisuke Waki, Keisuke Nishimura, Hiroki Mukoyama, Rintaro Saito, Hiroyuki Murabe, and Toshihiko Yokota.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Oct 16; 99 (42): e22793.

RationaleThrombocytepenia, anasarca, fever, renal insufficiency, and organomegaly (TAFRO) syndrome is a novel disease entity characterized by a constellation of symptoms (thrombocytopenia, anasarca, fever, renal insufficiency, and organomegaly). Here, we describe the development of TAFRO syndrome-like features during the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor.Patient ConcernsIn this report, a 74-year-old woman treated with a JAK inhibitor (tofacitinib) for rheumatoid arthritis was admitted because of fever and thrombocytopenia.DiagnosesOn laboratory examination, marked thrombocytopenia and elevated creatinine and C-reactive protein levels were present. A computed tomography scan revealed lymphadenopathy, hepato-splenomegaly, and anasarca. A left axillary lymph node biopsy revealed Castleman's disease-like features. These clinical features satisfied the proposed diagnostic criteria for TAFRO syndrome. Since autoimmune disorders should be excluded when diagnosing TAFRO syndrome, it is not strictly correct to diagnose her as TAFRO syndrome. Therefore, we diagnosed her as rheumatoid arthritis complicated by TAFRO syndrome-like features.InterventionsThe patient was treated with high-dose glucocorticoid, tacrolimus, eltrombopag, intravenous immunoglobulin, and rituximab.OutcomesHer condition was refractory to the above-mentioned treatment, and she eventually died because of multi-organ failure 6 months after the first admission.LessonsTAFRO syndrome-like features can develop during treatment with a JAK inhibitor for rheumatoid arthritis. Patients with autoimmune diseases complicated by TAFRO syndrome-like features can follow a fatal clinical course, and thus, an intensive combined treatment is warranted for such patients, especially in cases refractory to glucocorticoid.

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