Tuberculosis following tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonists therapy: two cases report and fiteratnere review / 中华风湿病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To improve clinicians' understanding of tuberculosis as the adverse event of the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) antagonists therapy. Methods Two rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were reported to develop lymphoid tuberculosis and pulmonary tuberculoma after TNF-α antagonists therapy. The relevant literature were reviewed. Results The first ease was a 62 year-old female RA patient. Her skin PPD reaction was negative and chest X-ray was normal before the therapy. Following 4 doses of infliximab injection (each dose of 3 mg/kg) which were completed within 3 months, the patient developed fight supraclavicular lymphoids tuberculosis in the 5th month after the last treatment. The patient completely recovered after lymphoids excision and antituberculosis therapy with 4 anti-tuberculosis medications combination. The second case was a 44 year-old female RA patient. She did not take the skin PPD test and chest X-ray before the therapy. The patient developed fever and chest distress after etanercept therapy (25 mg hypodermic twice per week ) for 1.5 months. The chest X-ray showed a shadow in the median lobe of the right lung, which had gradually developed to a pulmonary tuberculoma. The patient's physical condition improved after the tubereuloma resection. It has been reported in recent years that ① TNF-α antagonists therapy could increase the incidence of tuberculosis, ② the incidence at which infliximab associated tuberculosis was higher than etanercept, ③ the majority of the patient having tuberculosis were old people, and ④ the incidence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and the disseminated tuberculosis were higher than regular tuberculosis. Conclusion TNF-α antagonists may decrease the host defense ability against mycobacterium tuberculosis and increase the incidence of tuberculosis. The pre-treatment tuberculosis screening, as well as tuberculosis monitoring during and after treatment is mandatory.