Worsening of obstructive sleep apnoeas in a patient with RA treated with Remicade

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Worsening of obstructive sleep apnoeas in a patient with rheumatoid

arthritis treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor

Respiratory Medicine Volume 98, Issue 2 , February 2004, Pages 123-125

http://www.sciencedirect.com/

Abstract

We report on a case of an adult patient treated for rheumatoid arthritis

with infliximab, a chimerical monoclonal antibody to TNF alpha. Apart

from this, the patient also showed clinical signs of obstructive sleep

apnea syndrome that was confirmed by polysomnographic study.

After infliximab treatment, additional sleep studies revealed an

increase in the number of apneic events and SaO2 dips suggesting that

TNF alpha plays an important role in the pathophysiology of sleep apnea.

Thus, clinical recognition of sleep disordered breathing should be taken

into account when rheumatoid arthritis patients are to be treated with

infliximab.

Zamarrón Corresponding Author, a, Francisco Maceirasb,

Gonzáleza and J. Gómez-Reinob

a Sleep Unit, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine

of the Hospital Clinico Universitario and Santiago Medical School,

Santiago, Spain

b Rheumatolology Service, Department of Medicine of the Hospital Clinico

Universitario and Santiago Medical School, Santiago, Spain

Servicio de Neumología, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago,

C/Choupana s/n, Santiago de Compostela 15706, Spain