BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic immune-mediated diseases that present a relapsing and remitting course and requires long-term treatment. Anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy has changed the management of the disease by reducing the need for hospitalizations, surgeries and improving patient´s quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to discuss the role of anti-TNF agents in IBD, highlighting the situations where its use as first-line therapy would be appropriate. METHODS: Narrative review summarizing the best available evidence on the topic based on searches in databases such as MedLine and PubMed up to April 2020 using the following keywords: “inflammatory bowel disease’’, “anti-TNF agents” and ‘’biologic therapy’’. CONCLUSION: Biological therapy remains the cornerstone in the treatment of IBD. In the absence of head-to-head comparisons, the choice of the biological agent may be challenging and should take into account several variables. Anti-TNF agents should be considered as first line therapy in specific scenarios such as acute severe ulcerative colitis, fistulizing Crohn’s disease and extra-intestinal manifestations of IBD, given the strong body of evidence supporting its efficacy and safety in these situations.
LINKED CONTENT This article is linked to Rønnow et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17119
Background Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have a greater risk of developing opportunistic infections, especially if they are under immunosuppressants and biological agents. Anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF) has considerably increased the risk of tuberculosis (TB) in IBD patients. Brazil is considered an endemic area for TB and the safety of anti-TNF agents in IBD patients previous diagnosed with TB infection remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of anti-TNFs in patients with previous TB infection at a tertiary center in São Paulo, Brazil. Methods We retrospectively reviewed IBD patients with active TB followed in our center between January 2010 and December 2020. Data regarding disease phenotype, TB clinical presentation, IBD treatment at TB diagnosis and following TB treatment were collected from electronic medical records. TB diagnosis was based on symptoms, identification of the bacillus in body secretions, sample cultures, radiologic, endoscopic and histopathologic exams. Results Among 1040 IBD patients, we identified 37 patients with active TB (mean age at TB diagnosis 41.2 [25–69]; 59.4% male). Overall, 33 patients (89.2%) were under immunosuppressive medications. Of them, 27 (72.9%) were under anti-TNF drugs, 8 (29.6%) in monotherapy and 19 (70.3%) in combination with thiopurines or methotrexate. Pulmonary TB was the most common clinical presentation (40.5%) followed by disseminated TB (37.8%). Only 4 patients (10.8%) were not under immunosuppressant drugs and all of them were smokers. Sixteen (43.2%) patients received anti-TNF therapy after TB treatment, 4 of them had not been previously exposed to biologics. Median interval from TB diagnosis and anti-TNF initiation was 8 months (interquartile range [IQR] 4–24) and patients have been followed for a median of 34 months (IQR 7–108). Only one patient developed “de novo” tuberculosis, ten years after the first infection and after 48 months of treatment with infliximab and azathioprine. Conclusion Our findings suggest that treatment with anti-TNF following antituberculosis treatment is probably safe, even in endemic areas. TB occurred infrequently and after long-term follow-up, suggesting “de novo” infection rather than TB reactivation. This data emphasize the importance of periodic TB screening in IBD patients living in endemic areas.
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