title: Autoantibody production in anti-TNF-alpha-treated patients.
abstract: Targeting tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) has offered an additional therapeutic strategy against several rheumatic inflammatory disorders. The current use of TNF-alpha inhibitors allows physicians who manage these diseases and patients themselves to testify to an extraordinary efficacy, even though caution for possible adverse events must be maintained. Among these, the occurrence of autoimmune phenomena, encompassing new autoantibody formation and triggering of clinical manifestations, continues to be noted in published reports. Here, we review the current knowledge regarding the autoimmune phenomena linked to anti-TNF-alpha therapy in patients with rheumatic inflammatory disorders.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Clinica e Terapia Medica, Sapienza Università di Roma, viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alessandri
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scrivo
authors.forename: Francesca Romana
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Spinelli
authors.forename: Fulvia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Magrini
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Priori
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valesini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha