Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2017 | Case report
Concomitant disseminated histoplasmosis and disseminated tuberculosis after tumor necrosis factor inhibitor treatment: a case report
Published in: BMC Infectious Diseases | Issue 1/2017
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Background
Tumor necrosis factor antagonist inhibitors have transformed the approach to patients with severe autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Although the therapy can be highly effective, TNF-α inhibitors are associated with an increased risk of opportunistic infections.
Case presentation
Here, we report a case of concomitant disseminated histoplasmosis and tuberculosis in a 65-year-old female with rheumatoid arthritis treated with TNF-α inhibitor. Both conditions can be found in disseminated form in immunosuppressed hosts, but co-infection is rare with only a few cases having been reported, to our knowledge, all in HIV patients.
Conclusions
This case posed a considerable challenge for diagnosis and treatment due to the unusual disseminated co-infection, the overlapping symptoms, and the interactions between medications.