Current topics on therapeutic apheresis.

Remarkable advances have been made in the area of pharmacotherapy such as immunosuppressants and biologics in recent years. However, there is always the possibility that adequate pharmacotherapy cannot be carried out due to resistance, organ damage, allergies, and adverse drug reactions. The idea of aiming for treatment that is safer and more effective by using concomitant therapeutic apheresis to mitigate drug therapies that cause severe tissue injury has surfaced. In the present report, I would like to discuss new findings related to disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and chronic hepatitis C that are already covered by insurance and the indications, methods, and clinical efficacy of therapeutic apheresis for disorders such as dilatative cardiomyopathy, pyoderma gangrenosum, and pulmonary fibrosis that are currently being evaluated and investigated in the hope that they will be covered in the future.