Tuberculosis screening in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa on tumour necrosis factor inhibitors: a retrospective chart review.

Abstract

Patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) treated with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors are at an increased risk for tuberculosis (TB) reactivation, necessitating baseline latent TB infection (LTBI) screening. However, evidence regarding the value of periodic LTBI screening in this population is limited. In this single-centre retrospective chart review, we investigated the LTBI rate in patients with HS treated with the TNF inhibitors adalimumab or infliximab. The cohort included 92 patients with a median treatment duration of 30 months (range 3-175) and a median interferon-gamma release assay number of 3 (range 1-8). The cumulative observation time was 286 person-years. Our investigation found no positive LTBI results in patients with HS on TNF inhibitors, challenging clinicians to reconsider the utility of serial screening for such patients who are otherwise at low risk for TB. Further research is essential for the development of evidence-based guidelines to optimize patient care and healthcare resource allocation.