Pay attention to the risk of infection and tumor progression during application of TNF-α inhibitors in uveitis / 中华实验眼科杂志

ABSTRACT

Adalimumab, one of the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors, has been approved as a therapeutic drug for non-infectious intermediate, posterior and pan-uveitis by FDA.Due to the good efficacy, TNF-α inhibitors are being applied widely in ophthalmology.However, some researches based on the application of TNF-α inhibitor in treating inflammatory bowel diseases and rheumatoid arthritis, etc.have showed that it can bring out some adverse effects such as infection and tumor occurrence and/or progression.The main safety problems in the application of TNF-α inhibitors lie in its increased risk of serious infection, postoperative infection, the occurrence or progression of tuberculosis and hepatitis, as well as the tumorigenesis and tumor progression.With the wider application of adalimumab in refractory uveitis, ophthalmologists should not only focus on its therapeutic effect, but also get to know the adverse effects of the drug, so as to standardize the examination, prevention and control of primary diseases before and after the administration of adalimumab and observe closely clinical manifestations of patients with administration of adalimumab, select the treating method and timing reasonably to reduce and avoid the adverse drug reactions, and improve the therapeutic outcome.