Brief Report: Attenuated Effectiveness of Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors for Anti-Human T Lymphotropic Virus Type I Antibody-Positive Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the effectiveness of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors for the treatment of human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-positive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in an area endemic for HTLV-I infection.

METHODS:

We conducted an observational study of 585 RA patients in whom TNF inhibitors were newly introduced as a first biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug in an area in southwestern Japan that is endemic for HTLV-I infection.

RESULTS:

Fifty patients (8.5%) were anti-HTLV-I antibody-positive. The ages of the patients in this group were significantly higher at entry compared with the ages of patients who were anti-HTLV-I antibody-negative (n = 535). The median Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) was 5.21. Among the total group of patients, 82% were anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-positive. The persistence rate of TNF inhibitors at 24 weeks was 89%. The median DAS28-ESR was significantly decreased at 24 weeks in each group. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response rate was significantly better in the anti-HTLV-I antibody-negative patients (P = 0.0277). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that anti-HTLV-I antibody status was significantly associated with the EULAR response rate and change in the DAS28-ESR and was prominent especially in the ACPA-negative subjects. No patients developed adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) or HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM) during the 24-week treatment period.

CONCLUSION:

The efficacy of TNF inhibitors may be attenuated in anti-HTLV-I antibody-positive patients with RA. ATL and HAM did not develop when TNF inhibitors were used for 24 weeks, but the long-term risk is not known.

• Authors: Takahisa Suzuki, Shoichi Fukui, Kunihiko Umekita, Junya Miyamoto, Masataka Umeda, Ayako Nishino, Akitomo Okada, Tomohiro Koga, Shin-Ya Kawashiri, Naoki Iwamoto, Kunihiro Ichinose, Mami Tamai, Keita Fujikawa, Toshiyuki Aramaki, Akinari Mizokami, Naoki Matsuoka, Yukitaka Ueki, Katsumi Eguchi, Shuntaro Sato, Toshihiko Hidaka, Tomoki Origuchi, Akihiko Okayama, Atsushi Kawakami, Hideki Nakamura
• Journal: Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) (Arthritis Rheumatol) Vol. 70 Issue 7 Pg. 1014-1021 (07 2018) ISSN: 2326-5205 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 29471588 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Observational Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2018, American College of Rheumatology.

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Viral
• Antirheumatic Agents
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Topics

• Aged
• Antibodies, Viral (blood)
• Antirheumatic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Arthritis, Rheumatoid (blood, drug therapy, virology)
• Blood Sedimentation
• Female
• Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (immunology)
• Humans
• Japan
• Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell (prevention & control, virology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic (prevention & control, virology)
• Regression Analysis
• Retrospective Studies
• Treatment Outcome
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (antagonists & inhibitors)