title: Deterioration of the liver biochemistry due to reactivation of chronic hepatitis B during etanercept treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: To report a hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation during the treatment of etanercept for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).The chronological course of a patient with RA who developed HBV reactivation associated with etanercept treatment was recorded.A Taiwanese woman with RA was treated by etanercept. A severe deterioration of liver biochemistry occurred soon after the start of the biologicals because of the previously unrecognised HBV carrier status. The condition was successfully alleviated by oral lamivudine administration.In the prevalent area of HBV, viral titre monitoring and pre-emptive antiviral treatment may be fundamentally important to avoid serious complications of HBV reactivation whenever a new treatment modality such as biologicals is started for patients with RA.
authors.affiliation: Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Division of Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, 201 Shih-Pai Road Section 2, Taipei, 112, Taiwan, Province of China.
authors.forename: Shu-Chen
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Hui-Ting
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wei-Sheng
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chung-Tei
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Chang-Youh
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Tsai