title: Rheumatology meets hepatology in 2012: a clinician's guideline for TNF inhibitors in hepatitis B/C virus carriers.
abstract: Effective and less toxic biologics have revolutionized rheumatology as well as hepatology over the last decennia resulting in higher therapeutic goals. Traditional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (tDMARDs) failing to achieve a quiescent chronic rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondylarthropathic arthritis (SA) inflammatory disease, nowadays are to be switched into a more potent strategy with ultimately a combination of tDMARD plus TNF inhibitors (TNFi) early in disease. Patients with previous microbiological infections however present a challenge for a modern rheumatologist aiming at complete remission, particularly in carriers of viral infections. Hepatologists nowadays, can treat chronic hepatitis B and C virus infections effectively with potent antivirals. In the current issue an overview is given regarding patients in whom TNFi may be indicated, but also have been infected with viral hepatitis.
authors.forename: Tim L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: C J J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Mulder
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D002353:Carrier State; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha