[Systematic review: safety and efficacy of anti-TNF in elderly patients].

Objective: To evaluate whether the safety and efficacy of anti-TNF treatments in elderly patients with rheumatic diseases is similar than the safety and efficacy of the same drugs in younger patients.

Methods: Systematic review. We performed a systematic search in MEDLINE (Pubmed), EMBASE (Ovid), and the Cochrane Library Plus. Abstracts published in the American and European rheumatology congresses and articles in Reumatología Clínica were also reviewed.

Results: Ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Studies show a similar efficacy in elderly and younger patients. The differences between the young and the elderly regarding DAS28 reductions before and after are very small: 0.04 in the Geneway et al study and 0.0 in the Mariette et al study, as well as in the before and after HAQ: 0.04 (Geneway et al), 0.18 (Schiff et al) and 0.06 (Mariette et al).Adverse events reported in elderly and younger patients are 83.3% and 77.1% respectively with etanercept, as reported by Fleischmann; 27.2% vs 12.5%, p=0.19, as reported by Chevillotte, and the rate of withdrawal due to an adverse event was 57,8% vs 29,2% with infliximab, p=0.03, 36% vs 15% p=0.06 with adalimumab and 10,3% and 9,5%, with no significant p value, as reported by Massara.

Conclusions: The information to assess the efficacy and safety of anti-TNF therapy in elderly patients was obtained in all cases from sub analyses and therefore bias is possible. We can say, with a low to moderate level of evidence, that elderly patients undergoing anti-TNF treatments have a higher number of adverse events, and similar efficacy, when compared with younger patients.