A Case of Adalimumab-Induced Granulomatous Interstitial Nephritis

New onset sarcoidosis following biologic treatment in patients with seronegative inflammatory arthritis: A case series and systematic literature review

OBJECTIVE

To report cases of new onset sarcoidosis upon biologic (bDMARDs) treatment administration in patients with seronegative inflammatory arthritis in a real-life cohort, alongside a systematic literature review (SLR) on this topic.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis on clinical records of patients with seronegative arthritis followed up in a monocentric cohort who underwent bDMARDs treatment due to the underlying rheumatic disease and described any newly diagnosed sarcoidosis in this cohort. Only ascertained cases with available radiological and/or histological documentation were considered. A SLR on new-onset sarcoidosis in seronegative arthritis receiving bDMARDs was performed across MEDLINE (through PubMed), Scopus and Ovid (Cochrane, Embase) electronic databases using appropriate strings.

RESULTS

In our cohort, 4 new-onset cases of sarcoidosis were reported among patients with seronegative inflammatory arthritis receiving biologics. Three out of 4 patients were receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) while 1 patient was on secukinumab (anti-IL17A) prior to sarcoidosis onset. The SLR disclosed 46 new-onset sarcoidosis cases upon biological treatment for seronegative arthritis, of whom 43 occurred during treatment with anti-TNFα, while 3 during anti-IL-17A therapy. In our cohort as well as in the majority of cases reported in the SLR, sarcoidosis presented with lymph nodal and lung involvement and displayed a benign course with spontaneous resolution in about 1 fourth of the cases.

CONCLUSION

The use of biologics may relate to the onset of sarcoidosis; hence, clinicians must remain aware of the potential occurrence or reactivation of sarcoidosis when starting biologic treatment in patients with inflammatory arthritis, performing adequate patient assessment and surveillance. Since TNFα inhibitors may represent a therapeutic option for sarcoidosis, further evaluation on larger cohorts is needed to investigate any causal link with the development of sarcoidosis.

Pharmacological Treatment Options for Coronavirus Disease-19 in Renal Patients

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), including dialysis and transplant patients, are at greater risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 due to kidney dysfunction and preexisting comorbidities. To date, a specific guideline on managing these high-risk patients infected with COVID-19 has not been established. As the current management of COVID-19 comprises mainly experimental drugs, the authors aim to provide information on dosing adjustments at different stages of kidney dysfunction and notable renal side effects. We performed a nonsystematical review of currently available COVID-19 drugs exploring several different clinical trial databases and search browsers. Several antivirals and monoclonal antibodies used in COVID-19 treatment require dosage adjustments in kidney dysfunction. In a global pandemic setting, nephrologists need to consider the appropriate dosage according to the renal function and closely monitor the side effects of different drug combinations to obtain the optimum therapeutic effect while avoiding further renal damage. Further studies are required to determine the safety and efficacy of these drugs in renal patients.