Recurrent pneumothorax after etanercept therapy in a rheumatoid arthritis patient: a case report

The use of anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who are refractory to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs is gradually increasing. Etanercept is the first anti-TNF agent to be approved for RA treatment and is also the most widely used. However, aggravation of interstitial lung disease after etanercept treatment in RA patients has been reported recently. We report the first case of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax with progression of interstitial lung disease after initiating etanercept therapy. The withdrawal of etanercept and a change to adalimumab, a different class of TNF inhibitor, achieved clinical stabilization.