Italian consensus Guidelines for the management of hepatitis B virus infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Joint, Bone, Spine : Revue Du Rhumatisme
Marco SebastianiM Galli

Abstract

Hepatitis B (HBV) infection, which is prevalent worldwide, is also frequently seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The Italian Society of Rheumatology (SIR) and the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (SIMIT) endorsed a national consensus process to review the available evidence on HBV management in RA patients and to produce practical, hospital-wide recommendations. The consensus panel consisted of infectious disease consultants, rheumatologists and epidemiologists and used the criteria of the Oxford Center for Evidence-based Medicine to assess the quality of the evidence and the strength of their recommendations. A core-set of statements has been developed to help clinicians in the management of patients with RA and HBV infection. Vaccination and prophylaxis of RA patients treated with biological drugs have been also discussed. HBV infection is not rare in clinical practice; a screening for HBV in all patients with early arthritis is not universally accepted, while it is considered mandatory before starting any immunosuppressive or hepatotoxic treatment. In fact, a specific risk, associated with the use of biologic treatments, exists for patients with HBV infection, although longitudinal studies of...Continue Reading

Citations

Dec 5, 2017·Current Treatment Options in Rheumatology·Catherine King, Lorraine Harper
Jul 31, 2018·Expert Review of Clinical Immunology·Fabiola AtzeniPiercarlo Sarzi-Puttini
Feb 5, 2021·Journal of Clinical Medicine·Peter C TaylorJanet Pope

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Antivirals (ASM)

Antivirals are medications that are used specifically for treating viral infections. Discover the latest research on antivirals here.

Antivirals

Antivirals are medications that are used specifically for treating viral infections. Discover the latest research on antivirals here.