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Long-term safety of anti-TNF-α in PsA patients with concomitant HCV infection: a retrospective observational multicenter study on 15 patients

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Abstract

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthropathy associated with skin and/or nail psoriasis. TNF-α, in addition to its pro-inflammatory role, is an essential cytokine for the host's defense, and its depletion by treatment may facilitate the risk of viral infections or their reactivation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TNF-α blockers in PsA patients with concurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This is a multicenter study carried out in four Italian centers specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of PsA. At baseline and after 6 (T6) and 12 months (T12) of therapy, data concerning PsA activity and liver tests were registered. A total of 15 PsA patients with concomitant HCV infection were included in the study. At baseline, 13 patients had low viral load, and liver enzyme tests were within the normal range. During the observation period, these values remained stable. On the other hand, at baseline, a high viral load with slightly increased values of AST and ALT was detected in one patient. At T6 and T12, these values decreased. The remaining patient, at baseline, had low viral load, but with slightly increased AST and ALT values that normalized during the observation period. This is the greatest sample size available in the literature on this topic. The data suggests that anti-TNF-α agents are effective and safe in PsA patients with concomitant HCV. We suggest that the use of anti-TNF-α agents, accompanied by close monitoring, could be a therapeutic option.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Federico II, via S. Pansini 5, 80131, Naples, Italy

    Luisa Costa, Mariangela Atteno, Antonio Del Puente & Raffaele Scarpa

  2. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine DIMED, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

    Luisa Costa, Francesco Caso, Roberta Ramonda, Maristella Vezzù, Ugo Fiocco & Leonardo Punzi

  3. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Immunological Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Chiara Giannitti & Mauro Galeazzi

  4. UOC di Reumatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy

    Antonio Spadaro

  5. Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Filomena Morisco

Authors
  1. Luisa Costa
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  2. Francesco Caso
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  3. Mariangela Atteno
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  4. Chiara Giannitti
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  5. Antonio Spadaro
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  6. Roberta Ramonda
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  7. Maristella Vezzù
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  8. Antonio Del Puente
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  9. Filomena Morisco
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  10. Ugo Fiocco
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  11. Mauro Galeazzi
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  12. Leonardo Punzi
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  13. Raffaele Scarpa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luisa Costa.

Additional information

Luisa Costa and Francesco Caso equally contributed to this study.

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Costa, L., Caso, F., Atteno, M. et al. Long-term safety of anti-TNF-α in PsA patients with concomitant HCV infection: a retrospective observational multicenter study on 15 patients. Clin Rheumatol 33, 273–276 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-013-2378-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-013-2378-0

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