Clinical experience of QuantiFERON(®) -TB Gold testing in patients with psoriasis treated with tumour necrosis factor blockers in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND

In Taiwan, an intermediate tuberculosis burden country, around 9·3% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with adalimumab develop tuberculosis despite prescreening with the tuberculin skin test. Within the Asia-Pacific region, the tuberculosis risk in patients with psoriasis who use tumour necrosis factor (TNF) blockers is unknown.

OBJECTIVES

This study reports the use of QuantiFERON(®) -TB Gold (QFT-G) (Cellestis, Melbourne, Vic., Australia) as a screening method for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in patients with psoriasis.

METHODS

This retrospective review evaluated 216 patients with psoriasis in whom TNF blockers were considered between 2004 and 2009 in a tertiary referral hospital in Taiwan. Beginning in 2007, QFT-G was performed on all patients who were candidates for TNF blockers.

RESULTS

Seventeen patients who used TNF blockers for less than 4 weeks were excluded. Of the 147 assessed patients receiving TNF blockers, 110 (75%) underwent QFT-G tests. A total of 126 (86%) patients used etanercept and 40 (27%) patients used adalimumab. Nineteen patients switched between both. Overall, patients had a median of 24 weeks (range 4-307) exposure to TNF blockers. Twelve patients (11%) who were treated with TNF blockers and eight (15%) without TNF blockers had positive QFT-G results. Of all TNF blocker users, only one patient (0·68%) developed tuberculosis.

CONCLUSIONS

QFT-G can be used to screen for LTBI in a tuberculosis endemic area where bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccination coverage is high. Isoniazid prophylaxis is recommended for those who have positive QFT-G test results.