Use of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) antagonists infliximab, etanercept, and adalimumab in patients with concurrent rheumatoid arthritis and hepatitis B or hepatitis C: a retrospective record review of 11 patients.

An understanding of the cytokine cascade in a rheumatoid joint has led to the development of new therapeutic options, including drugs targeting tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). The safety profile of these agents in patients with hepatitis-induced liver disease, however, remains a concern because of risks associated with immune suppression. To examine the effect of three different TNF-alpha antagonists, infliximab, etanercept, and adalimumab, on serum transaminases and hepatitis viral load in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and concurrent hepatitis B (HBV) or hepatitis C (HCV).

Effects of methotrexate use in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple sclerosis (MS) share similar pathophysiologic processes but coexistence of both diseases in the same patient has rarely been described. We describe the case of a 32 year old woman with rheumatoid arthritis treated with 12.5 mg of methotrexate once a week and 1 mg folic acid who developed paresthesias of her upper and lower extremities.

Histological evaluation of liver in two rheumatoid arthritis patients with chronic hepatitis B and C treated with TNF-alpha blockade: case reports.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha antagonists successfully modulate the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, little is known about the effect of TNF-alpha blockade on the histology of chronic viral hepatitis. We describe the cases of two patients with RA, one with concurrent chronic hepatitis B virus and the other with hepatitis C virus infection who, as part of their evaluation, underwent liver biopsies while undergoing treatment with a TNF-alpha antagonist.

Successful etanercept use in an HIV-positive patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Limited information exists on treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in a patient with coexisting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We report a case of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who then became HIV positive. His HIV viral load was controlled with antiretroviral therapy, but he continued to have active rheumatoid arthritis despite therapy with hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine, and corticosteroids.

Rosai-Dorfman disease in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD), also known as sinus histocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, is a clinically benign, frequently chronic, painless lymphadenopathy. It can also involve extranodal sites. We describe a 37-year-old man with a recent diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome who had lacrimal gland and orbital involvement and nodal and extranodal sites with RDD.

Septic arthritis caused by Actinobacillus ureae in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy.

Actinobacillus ureae, formerly known as Pasteurella ureae, is a rare human pathogen. We describe a case of septic arthritis and abscess formation caused by this unusual organism in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis, who was being treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors.