Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, cilt.10, sa.7, ss.190-202, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Abstract
Background: This study aims to reveal the demographic and clinical data of patients receiving
TNF-α blockers, to compare the characteristics of those who received latent tuberculosis
infection (LTBI) treatment and those who did not, and to evaluate and determine potential
risk factors for developing active TB disease. Methods: A systematic retrospective study
was conducted in a tertiary university hospital examining all patients receiving at least
one TNF-α blocker between January 2019 and October 2024. The incidence of tuberculosis
(TB) was analyzed across various TNF-α blocker medications in patients, both with and
without LTBI treatment. Results: A total of 519 patients had TNF-α blockers: 452 (87.09%)
underwent TST, 193 (37.1%) underwent booster TST, and 33 (6.3%) underwent IGRA/TST;
362 (69.7%) were treated for LTBI, and 7 (1.3%) developed TB. Comparing all TNF-α blockers,
adalimumab showed a higher risk of TB. Patients with and without LTBI treatment
did not significantly differ in TB incidence after biologic therapy. Conclusions: The incidence
of TB in people taking TNF-α blockers was higher compared to the incidence in the
general population. LTBI screening, including both TST and IGRA, should be performed
with TST and IGRA tests, and LTBI-positive individuals should be started on preventive
treatment. However, it should not be forgotten that active TB disease may also develop in
LTBI-negative individuals.