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A case of paradoxical response during anti-tuberculosis treatment in a patient with ulcerative colitis

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Abstract

Emerging anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antibodies therapy changed treatment strategy to inflammatory bowel diseases because of the efficacy. However, TNF-α inhibitor can be associated with an increased risk of infectious complications, especially tuberculosis. A 71-year-old female with steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis (UC) was admitted due to relapse of UC with endoscopically severe active. Golimumab and adjunctive prednisolone started with 30 mg daily resulted in clinical remission. However, she had general fatigue and fever at the time of seventh injection of golimumab without abdominal symptoms. Based on positive interferon-gamma release assay, polymerase chain reaction positive for tuberculosis (TB) in pleural fluid, and chest computed tomography, she was diagnosed as tuberculous pleuritis. Standard anti-TB treatment (isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide) was started without cessation of golimumab, because cessation of TNF-α inhibitors during anti-TB treatment could cause the paradoxical response by skewing from regulatory to inflammatory immune responses. However, four weeks after initiation of anti-TB treatment, she got fever-up and pleural effusion increased. We then started prednisolone 30 mg daily as diagnosis of paradoxical response, resulting in improving the symptoms. This is a suggestive case of paradoxical response during anti-TB treatment despite continuous TNF-α inhibitors.

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Acknowledgements

This study received no specific funding and grants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahi-machi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan

    Shuhei Hosomi, Naoko Sugita, Atsushi Kanamori, Masaki Ominami, Koji Otani, Noriko Kamata, Fumio Tanaka, Yasuaki Nagami, Koichi Taira & Yasuhiro Fujiwara

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  1. Shuhei Hosomi
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  2. Naoko Sugita
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  3. Atsushi Kanamori
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  4. Masaki Ominami
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  5. Koji Otani
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  6. Noriko Kamata
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  7. Fumio Tanaka
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  8. Yasuaki Nagami
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  9. Koichi Taira
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  10. Yasuhiro Fujiwara
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Correspondence to Shuhei Hosomi.

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Hosomi, S., Sugita, N., Kanamori, A. et al. A case of paradoxical response during anti-tuberculosis treatment in a patient with ulcerative colitis. Clin J Gastroenterol 15, 592–597 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-022-01616-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-022-01616-6

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