Antinuclear antibodies associate with loss of response to antitumour necrosis factor-alpha therapy in psoriasis: a retrospective, observational study.
BACKGROUND
An increasing number of patients with severe psoriasis are failing to respond to antitumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha therapy (etanercept, infliximab and adalimumab).


OBJECTIVE
We observed that many of these patients developed antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and antidouble-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibodies while on treatment prompting us to investigate whether their development is associated with anti-TNF treatment failure.


METHODS
All patients with psoriasis who had received anti-TNF therapies were identified and their blood results and treatment histories were obtained from electronic patient records and case notes.


RESULTS
A total of 97 patients had been treated with anti-TNF agents (60 were on their first agent, 22 had been on and stopped one agent, nine had been on and stopped two agents and six had been on and stopped all three agents). ANA developed in 17% of patients on their first treatment, 54% of patients who had failed one treatment, 78% of patients who had failed two treatments and 83% of patients who had failed all three treatments. Anti-dsDNA antibodies developed in 2%, 27%, 33% and 83% of patients from the same respective groups. Significantly, the antibodies developed before treatment had failed with all three agents and their development was not related to the total time that patients had been on anti-TNF therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that the development of ANA and anti-dsDNA antibodies on anti-TNF treatment may act as a marker of forthcoming treatment failure. Large-scale prospective studies are required to assess the importance of this observation.
Pink
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St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, King's College London, 9th Floor Guy's Tower, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, U.K.
Fonia
A
A
Allen
M H
MH
Smith
C H
CH
Barker
J N W N
JN
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D000068800:Etanercept; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069285:Infliximab; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000276:immunology; D006113:United Kingdom
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000069285:Infliximab; D000068800:Etanercept