Latent tuberculosis infection in patients with rheumatic diseases

• Autor(a) principal: Anton,Camila
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Machado,Felipe Dominguez, Ramirez,Jorge Mario Ahumada, Bernardi,Rafaela Manzoni, Palominos,Penélope Esther, Brenol,Claiton Viegas, Mello,Fernanda Carvalho de Queiroz, Silva,Denise Rossato
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1806-37132019000200502
• topic: Tuberculosis; Latent tuberculosis; Tuberculin skin test; Anti-TNF therapy; Tumor necrosis factor-alpha; Rheumatoid arthritis

ABSTRACT Most people infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) do not have any signs or disease symptoms, a condition known as latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The introduction of biological agents, mainly tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and other rheumatic diseases, increased the risk of reactivation of LTBI, leading to development of active TB. Thus, this review will approach the aspects related to LTBI in patients with rheumatologic diseases, especially those using iTNF drugs. For this purpose it will be considered the definition and prevalence of LTBI, mechanisms associated with diseases and medications in use, criteria for screening, diagnosis and treatment. Considering that reactivation of LTBI accounts for a large proportion of the incidence of active TB, adequate diagnosis and treatment are crucial, especially in high-risk groups such as patients with rheumatologic diseases.