login
Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication Linked to Increased Risk for Shingles
Appearing in the journal JAMA, a research article says that there has been evidence from some studies that patients treated with anti-TNF-a agents are at an increased risk of bacterial infections, but little is known about the risk of viral infections, such as herpes zoster, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving these types of medications.
According to background information in the article, Herpes zoster is one of the most common adverse events reported in clinical trials of anti-TNF-a agents.
Dr. Anja Strangfeld, of the German Rheumatism Research Center in Berlin, says that patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk of herpes zoster as compared with the general population.
During the study, Strangfeld's team investigated the association of various rheumatoid arthritis treatments, including anti-TNF-a therapy, with the risk of herpes zoster.
The researchers analysed data from patients who began treatment with adalimumab or infliximab (monoclonal anti-TNF-a antibodies), etanercept (a fusion protein), the monotherapeutic agent anakinra, or when patients changed conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD).
Rheumatologists assessed treatment, clinical status and adverse events at fixed points during follow-up (of up to three years). A total of 5,040 patients were included in the analysis.
|
|
|
More News on: Chicken Pox, Drug Toxicity, Osteoarthritis, Shingles, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Oligoarthritis, Physiotherapy Utilities, Spondylolisthesis, Chemotherapy, Chemotherapy Drugs
 Comment & Contribute
|
Medwonders Health Network
- Health News Index
 | Quiz on Arthritis Arthritis, the inflammation of joints, can affect anyone irrespective of their age, gender, or genes. However, a healthy lifestyle can prevent the development of arthritis. 
|
- News Quick Links
 |
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Complete Medindia Resources
|
| News Categories: |
| » | Schizophrenia Drug Differentiates Cancer Stem Cells into Less Threatening Cells |
| » | Docs Who Seldom Meet Drug Reps Continue to Prescribe Drugs With FDA “Black Box” Warnings |
| » | Revision in Quality Standards for Heparin |
| » | Acne Drug Users At High Risk of Developing Eye Infections |
| » | Patients Who Take Antidepressants When in ICU More Likely to Die |
| More Drug News | |
|
