[Treatment of crohn's disease by infliximab. about 20 cases]

Infliximab has been an effective chimerical monoclonal antibody in Crohn's disease. Infliximab is available in Tunisia for a few years. Aims: To determine the results of the treatment of Crohn's disease by infliximab. We undertook a retrospective study relating to all the Crohn's disease patients and treated by infliximab. For all the patients, we specified the indication of the treatment, the result of the induction treatment, the recourse or not to a sequential treatment and the adverse effects of the treatment. Our study related to 20 patients. It was in the majority of the cases an anoperineal and fistulizing form [15 case]. Good response to the induction treatment was noted in 15 patients [75%]. A sequential treatment by infliximab was undertaken among seven patients, with good results in the short and medium term. A case of death related to the treatment was noted in our series, as mortal milliary tuberculosis appeared under treatment. Infliximab must be reserved for particular situations of the Crohn's disease. The pre-therapeutic assessment must be complete and the monitoring of the patients must be strict, while insisting on the possibility of reactivation of latent tuberculosis in Tunisia

Frequency and predictive factors of granulomatous hepatitis in patients with peritoneal tuberculosis

The aims of our study were to determine the frequency of granulomatous hepatitis in patients with peritoneal tuberculosis, to identify factors for high risk and whether it is associated with higher frequency of antituberculous treatment side effects. We carried out a prospective study on patients with histologically proven peritoneal tuberculosis between January 1996 and December 2005. We performed a liver biopsy in all the patients before starting the antituberculous treatment. Granulomatous hepatitis was systematically searched in all patients. The study was conducted in 52 patients, 9 men and 43 women of median age of 35,5 years. A granulomatous hepatitis was seen in 24 patients [46%]. In univariate analysis the factors associated with a high risk of liver involvement were a higher level of gamma-G1utamyl transpeptidase [44.5 + 36.8 lU/l vs 23.3 + 9.28 lU/I p=0.005], a higher level of phosphatases alkalines [233.9 + 96.6 lU/l vs 189.4 + 49.9 lU/l p=0.03] and a lower level of cholesterol [1.22 + 0.2 g/l vs 1.56 + 0.3 g/l p<0.0001]. In multivariate analysis, only a cholesterol level lower than 1,31 g/l was significantly associated with a granulomatous hepatitis [p=0.006 OR [IC95%]: 0.10 [0.02-0.52]]. We have found a frequent liver involvement in the case of peritoneal tuberculosis [46%]. Cholesterol level lower than 1,31 gr/l was an independent predictor of granulomatous hepatitis in patients with peritoneal tuberculosis. We suggest, in this case, that percutaneous liver biopsy can be considered as an alternative to laparoscopy