Key clinical point: Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) increased the risk for septic arthritis in patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with higher incidences within 1 year of initiating TNFi.
Major finding: Patients with seropositive RA treated with infliximab (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.37), etanercept (aHR 1.82), or adalimumab/golimumab (aHR 1.82; all P < .01) were prone to develop septic arthritis, with the incidence being higher within 1 year of initiating TNFi (incidence rate/1000 person-year 25.51).
Study details: This retrospective study included 145,129 patients with new-onset seropositive RA or ankylosing spondylitis, of which 1170 patients developed septic arthritis.
Disclosures: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Kim HW et al. Incidence of septic arthritis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis following TNF-inhibitor therapy. Rheumatology (Oxford) . 2022 (Dec 23). Doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac721