RESEARCH - TNF-alpha blockers safe for RA patients with HCV infection

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TNF-Alpha Blockers Safe for RA Patients With HCV Infection

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Oct 23 - Anti-tumor necrosis factor

(TNF)-alpha therapy does not seem to exacerbate hepatitis C virus

(HCV) infection in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA),

with the benefits of treatment outweighing the risks, Italian

researchers say.

In the October issue of The Journal of Rheumatology, Dr. Clodoveo

Ferri, of University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and colleagues with

the GISEA Group describe their study in 31 patients, all of whom had

active RA and Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) greater than 3.2 and

were unresponsive to conventional RA therapies. In addition, all

patients had HCV infection with a mean duration of 13 years.

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Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/582472

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