Published in:
01-03-2010 | Case Report
Infliximab for reactive arthritis secondary to Chlamydia trachomatis infection
Author:
Marcelo Derbli Schafranski
Published in:
Rheumatology International
|
Issue 5/2010
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Abstract
Reactive arthritis is an autoimmune disease that develops 2–4 weeks after a triggering infection, resulting mainly in synovitis/enthesitis of the lower limbs, but with a wide array of possible extra-articular manifestations. Most of the cases are self-limited, lasting some weeks to months, and respond well to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but a considerable number of cases (about 20%) run a chronic disabling course, requiring immunosuppressants (methotrexate, sulphasalazine) to adequate control of the inflammatory symptoms. We describe, for the first time to our knowledge, a case of a Chlamydia trachomatis-related reactive arthritis refractory to methotrexate and sulphasalazine that was successfully treated with the monoclonal antibody anti-TNF-alpha and infliximab.