Recomendaciones del Grupo Español de Trabajo en Enfermedad de Crohn y Colitis Ulcerosa (GETECCU) sobre el cribado y tratamiento de la tuberculosis latente en pacientes con enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal

The use of antibodies against tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF) increases the risk of tuberculosis (TB) in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The Spanish Working Group in IBD (GETECCU) developed the first guidelines for TB screening in IBD in 2003, and they were further reviewed in 2006. However, the widespread use in clinical practice of new diagnostic tools such as interferon-gamma release assays, the better knowledge of epidemiological and clinical features of TB in the setting of anti-TNF therapy, and the evidence that TB has decreased but still occurs despite the implementation of guidelines for the screening of latent TB infection, prompted a new revision of the GETECCU recommendations.