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Histological evaluation of liver in two rheumatoid arthritis patients with chronic hepatitis B and C treated with TNF-alpha blockade: case reports

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Abstract

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha antagonists successfully modulate the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, little is known about the effect of TNF-alpha blockade on the histology of chronic viral hepatitis. We describe the cases of two patients with RA, one with concurrent chronic hepatitis B virus and the other with hepatitis C virus infection who, as part of their evaluation, underwent liver biopsies while undergoing treatment with a TNF-alpha antagonist.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, 3401 N Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA

    Primal P. Kaur & Steven N. Berney

  2. Imperial/Orchard Medical Offices, Kaiser Permanente, 9449 E Imperial Hwy, Downey, CA, USA

    Virginia C. Chan

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  1. Primal P. Kaur
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  2. Virginia C. Chan
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  3. Steven N. Berney
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Correspondence to Primal P. Kaur.

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Kaur, P.P., Chan, V.C. & Berney, S.N. Histological evaluation of liver in two rheumatoid arthritis patients with chronic hepatitis B and C treated with TNF-alpha blockade: case reports. Clin Rheumatol 27, 1069–1071 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-008-0896-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-008-0896-y

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