Increased serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha in hidradenitis suppurativa patients: is there a basis for treatment with anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha agents?

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a systemic disease with substantial comorbidity burden: a chart-verified case-control analysis

BACKGROUND

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease involving intertriginous skin. Previous epidemiologic studies have been limited by small sample size.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to describe the prevalence and comorbidities of HS in a large patient care database.

METHODS

In this retrospective case-control study, we chart-validated all patients within a hospital database who received at least 1 billing code for HS between 1980 and 2013. Verified cases were matched with controls based on age, gender, and race. Prevalences of a priori selected comorbidities were compared between HS and control groups.

RESULTS

A total of 2292 patients at Massachusetts General Hospital received at least 1 code for HS. A total of 1776 cases had a validated diagnosis of HS, yielding a prevalence of 0.08%. In unadjusted analysis, all comorbidities were diagnosed significantly more in HS compared with control including (in rank order of likelihood): smoking, arthropathies, dyslipidemia, polycystic ovarian syndrome, psychiatric disorders, obesity, drug dependence, hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disease, alcohol dependence, and lymphoma (all P < .01).

LIMITATIONS

Control subjects were not validated for absence of HS and comorbidity validation was not performed for either group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results highlights the high comorbidity burden of patients with HS compared with matched control subjects.

Hidradenitis suppurativa: the role of immune dysregulation

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease of follicular occlusion characterized by boils, sinus tracts, fistulae, and scarring. It has a significant underestimated morbidity. Antimicrobial, immunosuppressive, anti-androgenic, and surgical approaches have been used with varying results. Knowledge of the pathogenesis of HS is fragmented, and treatment choices have hitherto been empiric without an exact understanding of the scientific basis for their use. Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors have shown promise in the treatment of HS in recent years, and the concept of HS as an immunological condition has come to the fore. The focus of this review is to discuss the immunological abnormalities underpinning HS as elucidated to date.

Acne inversa (Hidradenitis suppurativa): A review with a focus on pathogenesis and treatment

Acne inversa (AI) is a disabilitating chronic inflammatory disease with major negative impact on quality of life and significant co-morbidities. This is an important link to insights into immune dysfunction, which stimulated therapeutic approaches like tumor necrosis-α inhibitor therapy. This new off-label drug treatment is particularly beneficial when used in combination with wide excision of inflamed skin and subcutaneous tissue. Retinoids have been reported to be helpful in secondary prevention. The standard of therapy in advanced cases is surgery with wide excisions and healing by secondary intention. This treatment results in significant reduction of complaints and achieves satisfactory body contouring.

Long-term efficacy of infliximab in hidradenitis suppurativa

INTRODUCTION

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic disease with painful, inflamed lesions in the apocrine gland-bearing areas of the body and unsatisfactory treatment. TNFα blockers have been proposed as promising treatments, but only few randomized, short-term, small controlled trials have been conducted. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term response of HS patients treated with infliximab (IFX).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A long-term, prospective study of 10 patients with moderate-severe refractory HS treated with IFX was performed, including assessment of therapy safety, disease severity, and activity. Previous reports on IFX treatment for HS were reviewed.

RESULTS

Lack of response was observed in 20% and relapse in 50% of patients, after a median period of 37 weeks. The median number of doses administered was 7.5 during 49 weeks. No life-threatening adverse events were detected. Systematic review of 61 previously published cases showed lack of response was associated with previous surgery, young age at diagnosis, and long time of evolution of the disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term IFX therapy might be an efficient, well-tolerated, safe option for patients with short-time evolution, severe HS. Relapse is common after 8 months of continuous treatment, especially in patients with more severe disease and in those treated with IFX in monotherapy.

Adalimumab (antitumour necrosis factor-α) treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa ameliorates skin inflammation: an in situ and ex vivo study

BACKGROUND

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a difficult-to-manage disease. Randomized controlled trials with antitumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α biologics have been conducted and in most studies disease activity was reduced. However, the mechanism of action in HS skin is so far unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To assess whether anti-TNF-α treatment affects in situ cytokine production and frequency of inflammatory cell populations in HS lesional skin.

METHODS

Nine patients with HS, participating in a larger placebo-controlled, double-blind phase IIb clinical trial on the efficacy and safety of adalimumab in patients with moderate to severe HS (M10-467), were randomized and treated for 16weeks. In a mechanism-of-action substudy, biopsies were obtained at fixed time points pre- and post-treatment. One part of the biopsy was cultured for 24h for cytokine release in the culture medium, while another part was used for in situ analysis.

RESULTS

Secretion of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, CXCL9 [monokine induced by interferon-γ (MIG)], IL-10, IL-11, B-lymphocyte chemoattractant (BLC) and IL-17A, was significantly elevated in HS. Adalimumab treatment was associated with decreased production of cytokines in HS skin, especially IL-1β, CXCL9 (MIG) and BLC. Treatment significantly reduced the number of CD11c+,CD14+ and CD68+ cells in HS lesional skin. The numbers of CD3+ and CD4+ T cells, and CD20+ and CD138+ B cells were also reduced by adalimumab treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Adalimumab treatment inhibits important cytokines and inflammatory cell numbers in lesional HS skin, especially levels of IL-1β and numbers of inflammatory CD11c+ dendritic cells.

A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial of adalimumab in the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa

BACKGROUND

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) has an impact on patients' quality of life. Treatment of HS is generally unsatisfactory, thus new treatments are needed.

OBJECTIVES

To test the efficacy of adalimumab in HS.

METHODS

This was a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, two-centre clinical trial conducted in Denmark. Inclusion criteria were age above 18 years and a clinical diagnosis of moderate to severe HS defined as Hurley stage II or III for at least 6 months. The patients were randomized 1:2 (placebo/active). Actively treated patients received adalimumab 80 mg subcutaneously (s.c.) at baseline followed by 40 mg s.c. every other week for 12 weeks. Placebo-treated patients received identical-looking injections with no active ingredient. The medicine was dispensed in sequentially numbered computer-randomized containers. Participants, care givers and those assessing the outcomes were blinded to group assignment. The primary efficacy endpoints were changes in the HS scores (Sartorius and Hurley scoring systems). Secondary efficacy endpoints included changes in pain (visual analogue scale), days with lesions and Dermatology Life Quality Index, and evaluation of scarring. Recruitment was terminated early due to expiry date of trial medication.

RESULTS

Twenty-one patients were included, of whom 15 received adalimumab and six received placebo. All participants were analysed according to the intention to treat principle. A significant reduction was seen in Sartorius score after 6 weeks and an almost significant reduction was seen after 12 weeks of active treatment (-10·7 vs. 7·5, P = 0·024 and -11·3 vs. 5·8, P = 0·07) when compared with the placebo group.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant reduction in HS severity was gained after 6 weeks. No long-term curative effect was uniformly seen.

Tumor necrosis factor biologics beyond psoriasis in dermatology

INTRODUCTION

TNF-α is a cytokine essential for immune response and its receptors has been shown to be dysregulated in a variety of diseases including psoriasis vulgaris. There are a number of TNF-α inhibitors approved for psoriasis, however there is a growing body of literature supporting their use in a wide variety of dermatological conditions.

AREAS COVERED

The use of biologic TNF-α antagonists in conditions for which they have not yet been approved by the FDA ('off-label' uses) and the literature that supports the most appropriate agents and conditions for use. A PubMed/MEDLINE search was performed with the keywords 'TNFα antagonist', 'biologic therapy', 'off-label' and 'unapproved'. The list of references and citing articles of the articles retrieved were also used as sources. This complete list was evaluated for inclusion, based on relevance to the proposed goal of this review.

EXPERT OPINION

There are a large number of conditions for which biologic antagonists of TNFα are effective, beyond those already approved by the FDA. The various agents vary in their efficacy in treatment, with infliximab consistently the most effective, particularly in granulomatous diseases. Although effectiveness varies among these conditions, biologic antagonists of TNF-α are promising for the treatment of these diseases.

Elevated levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-10 in hidradenitis suppurativa skin: a rationale for targeting TNF-α and IL-1β

BACKGROUND

The pathogenesis of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is largely unknown and the disease is difficult to treat. Patients are in high need of an effective treatment. Although it is not known whether the levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α are aberrant in HS skin, anti-TNF-α biologics are used, with variable clinical efficacy.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the cytokine profile in lesional and perilesional HS skin.

METHODS

We cultured 20 lesional and 10 normal-appearing perilesional HS skin samples, seven psoriasis and six healthy control skin samples in a transwell culture system. Two distinct cytokine bead arrays were used to measure the spectrum of inflammatory cytokines in the culture supernatant. Results from HS skin samples were compared with those of healthy and psoriasis skin.

RESULTS

The proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and TNF-α as well as the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 were significantly elevated in HS skin. Elevated levels of these cytokines were also found in perilesional HS skin. Fold increases relative to control skin of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10 in HS were 31, 5 and 34, compared with psoriasis: 4, 1 and 2, respectively. Levels of all three cytokines showed a trend towards a positive correlation with disease severity. IL-2, IL-4, IL-5 and interferon-γ were hardly detectable in HS or healthy control skin.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows for the first time that IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10 levels are elevated in HS skin. These data provide a rationale for therapies with biologics targeting cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-1.