Background: Adalimumab is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor-a used to treat various autoimmune disorders. Adalimumab poses a risk for tuberculosis (TB) infection, especially in countries where TB is endemic.
Objective: Determine the rate of TB infection after adalimumab therapy in Saudi Arabia.
Design: Medical record review.
Settings: Tertiary care center in Riyadh.
Patients and methods: Demographic and clinical data were retrieved from the electronic healthcare records of all patients who received adalimumab treatment from 2015 to 2019.
Main outcome measures: Occurrence of TB after adalimumab therapy.
Sample size: 410 patients (median ([QR] age, 37 [28], range 4-81 years), 40% males RESULTS: Rheumatoid arthritis was the most frequent indication (n=153, 37%). The patients were followed for a mean of 36 (8.9) months. No case of TB infection or reactivation was observed. An inter-feron-gamma release assay (IGRA) was requested in 353/391 (90.3%) patients, prior to initiating therapy. The IGRA was positive in 26 cases (6.6%). The IGRA-positive patients received isoniazid prophylactically. Bacterial infectious complications of adalimumab therapy occurred in 12 (2.9%) patients. Urinary tract infection was the most frequent complication (culture requested in 48 patients, positive in 8).
Conclusion: Adalimumab treatment was not associated with a risk of TB disease or TB reactivation in our cohort over the follow-up observation period. No TB reactivation occurred with adalimumab therapy when TB prophylaxis was used. The positive IGRA rate in patients on adalimumab treatment was low (7%).
Limitations: Single center and one geographical area in Saudi Arabia.
Conflict of interest: None.