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Tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists in patients with complicated spinal tuberculosis: A case series and
Aayesha J Soni1, Yashvir Rugbeer2, Julius Rozmiarek3
1Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa; Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
Introduction:
Spinal tuberculosis is often associated with poor outcomes; host-directed inflammation involving the spine contributes to this disability.
Methods:
A retrospective review of patients with complicated spinal tuberculosis having received tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) antagonists at a referral hospital in South Africa. A literature review was performed to identify all published cases of complicated spinal tuberculosis that received a TNF-α antagonist as part of their treatment.
Results:
We describe 23 cases, of which 19 were previously reported in the literature. All patients were treated with either thalidomide (n=6) or infliximab (n=16), except for one who received both. All in all, 21 (91%) cases improved neurologically and, at the end of follow-up, 18 could walk.
Conclusion:
There is accumulating experience to confer the efficacy and safety of TNF-α antagonists in treating complicated spinal tuberculosis cases. Evidence from randomized controlled trials is urgently required to substantiate these findings.
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