title: Case report: Infliximab treatment in two Chinese patients with psoriatic arthritis.
abstract: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a rheumatoid factor (RF)-seronegative systemic inflammatory disorder associated with psoriasis. Current treatment for PsA in China is still focused on disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). In this paper, we report two Chinese patients with active longstanding PsA treated with infliximab, a human-mouse chimeric monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). The results show that infliximab acted quickly and effectively in relieving peripheral and axial symptoms and refractory skin lesions, even in recombinant human TNF-α receptor (rhTNFR)-resistant case. The take-home message from our cases is that infliximab is a useful therapeutic option for refractory PsA, especially when a patient has a combination of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Further local evidence and experience must be accumulated in order to make anti-TNF-α therapy more accessible to PsA patients in China.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Jin-wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Fen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Jie-sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000069285:Infliximab; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000069285:Infliximab