Efficacy assessment of modern regimens of preventive antituberculosis therapy in patients basically treated with TNF-α inhibitors

Background. Biological agents, especially anti-tumor necrosis factor blocking agents, frequently are used to treat autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Due to their negative impact on immune system and high risk of reactivation of latent tuberculosis infection all the patients must be well examined before initiation of an anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy (ATNFT).
 Purposes and tasks. An estimation of efficiency of preventive anti-tuberculosis therapy (PATT) with patients undergoing ATNFT.
 Methods and materials. In the research took part 128 patients, suffering from different inflammatory rheumatic diseases, whom was planned anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy. In 62 cases were found the indications for prescription PATT for 4 weeks before initiation of biological therapy and from 8 to 20 weeks after.
 Results. An active tuberculosis has been developed in 8 cases, the process was similar to tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus. The factors of risk were the prescription adalimumab and infliximab, impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes type 2 and drunkenness abuse.
 Conclusion. The existing preventive anti-tuberculosis therapy is not able to preclude the development of tuberculosis in all cases and needs to be optimized.