Rheumatology meets hepatology in 2012: a clinician's guideline for TNF inhibitors in hepatitis B/C virus carriers

Author: Jansen Tim L   Mulder CJJ  

Publisher: Informa Healthcare

ISSN: 1471-2598

Source: Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, Vol.12, Iss.4, 2012-04, pp. : 391-393

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

Effective and less toxic biologics have revolutionized rheumatology as well as hepatology over the last decennia resulting in higher therapeutic goals. Traditional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (tDMARDs) failing to achieve a quiescent chronic rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondylarthropathic arthritis (SA) inflammatory disease, nowadays are to be switched into a more potent strategy with ultimately a combination of tDMARD plus TNF inhibitors (TNFi) early in disease. Patients with previous microbiological infections however present a challenge for a modern rheumatologist aiming at complete remission, particularly in carriers of viral infections. Hepatologists nowadays, can treat chronic hepatitis B and C virus infections effectively with potent antivirals. In the current issue an overview is given regarding patients in whom TNFi may be indicated, but also have been infected with viral hepatitis.

Related content