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Clinical Rheumatology
Published in: Clinical Rheumatology 3/2013

01-03-2013 | Review Article

Safety of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors use for rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia: focus on severe infections and tuberculosis

Authors: Mohammed Hammoudeh, Abdurhman Alarfaj, Der-Yuan Chen, Hachemi Djoudi, Ehab Youseif, Jian Zhu

Published in: Clinical Rheumatology | Issue 3/2013

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Abstract

Multiple studies of patients in Western countries with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have indicated increased risk for active tuberculosis (TB) and other infections among these individuals. It has also been consistently reported that patients receiving tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors for these conditions have higher rates of active TB and other infections than RA or AS patients not receiving these medications. These issues have been studied less extensively in the Asia and Africa–Middle East regions, and information from these regions is important because of higher rates of TB in the general population. This paper reviews studies of RA and AS patients from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East who received TNF inhibitors. A literature search was conducted using http://​www.​ncbi.​nlm.​nih.​gov/​pubmed to collect and report these data. The years included in the PubMed literature search ranged from January 2000 to October 2011. Additionally, information from the China Hospital Knowledge Database was used to report data from Chinese patients with RA and AS treated with TNF inhibitors. Results from these studies indicate that the risk for active TB and other infections in AS and RA patients from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East are increased in patients receiving TNF inhibitors and that the risk is higher among those treated with monoclonal antibodies versus soluble TNF receptor.
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Metadata
Title
Safety of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors use for rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia: focus on severe infections and tuberculosis
Authors
Mohammed Hammoudeh
Abdurhman Alarfaj
Der-Yuan Chen
Hachemi Djoudi
Ehab Youseif
Jian Zhu
Publication date
01-03-2013
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Clinical Rheumatology / Issue 3/2013
Print ISSN: 0770-3198
Electronic ISSN: 1434-9949
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-012-2137-7

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