Safety of TNF-blocking agents in rheumatic patients with serology suggesting past hepatitis B state: results from a cohort of 21 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients with past infection has been described in 5% to 10% of individuals undergoing immunosuppressive therapies. No data are available to date on the outcome of patients treated by tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) inhibitors for chronic arthritis with a serological pattern of past HBV infection. The aim of our study was to monitor HBV markers in HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative/anti-HBcAb-positive patients treated with a TNFalpha inhibitor for inflammatory arthritides. METHODS: Twenty-one HBsAg-negative/anti-HBcAb-positive patients were included. HBV serological patterns were compared with those determined before starting TNFalpha inhibitors. Serum HBV DNA testing by polymerase chain reaction was additionally performed. Spearman correlation analysis was used and P < 0.05 was chosen as the significance threshold. RESULTS: Before starting therapy, mean anti-HBsAb titre was 725 IU/L, no patient had an anti-HBsAb titre <10 IU/L, and 18 patients had an anti-HBsAb >100 IU/L. At a mean time of 27.2 months following therapy introduction, mean anti-HBsAb titre was 675 IU/L and anti-HBsAb titre remained >100 IU/L in 17 patients. There was a strong correlation between the first and second anti-HBsAb titres (r = 0.98, P = 0.013). Moreover, no patient had an anti-HBsAb titre below 10 IU/L or HBV reactivation (HBsAg seroreversion or positive HBV DNA detection). However, the anti-HBsAb titre decreased by more than 30% in 6 patients. The mean anti-HBsAb titre at baseline was significantly lower (P = 0.006) and the mean duration of anti-TNFalpha therapy, although non-significant (P = 0.09), was longer in these six patients as compared to patients without a decrease in anti-HBsAb titre. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-TNFalpha treatments are likely to be safe in patients with past hepatitis B serological pattern. However, the significant decrease of anti-HBsAb titre observed in a proportion of patients deserves HBV virological follow-up in these patients, especially in those with a low anti-HBsAb titre at baseline.

Calcaneal osteomyelitis due to fistulization of an ulcerated rheumatoid nodule.

UNLABELLED: Calcaneal osteomyelitis is uncommon and difficult to treat. Cases due to fistulization of an infected rheumatoid nodule are exceedingly rare. PATIENT: A 65-year-old patient with nodular rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experienced osteomyelitis of the left calcaneus due to inoculation from a fistula draining an ulcerated rheumatoid nodule. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter cloacae were recovered. The conventional treatment of calcaneal osteomyelitis relies on antibiotics and calcanectomy or foot amputation. We used two appropriate antibiotics and monthly intravenous injections of 90 mg of pamidronate. RESULT: One year into treatment, the patient was free of pain and the skin wound was fully healed. On a follow-up computed tomography (CT) scan, the fistulous tract was seen to be closed and the large calcaneal defect almost completely filled with new bone. CONCLUSION: Combining two antibiotics and pamidronate may be a viable alternative to excision surgery or amputation in some patients with bone infection carrying a risk of fracture.