Infliximab in patients with psoriasis and other inflammatory diseases: evaluation of adverse events in the treatment of 168 patients

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is immune-mediated chronic inflammatory disease with preference for skin and joints. The skin involvement occurs by hyperproliferation and abnormal differentiation of keratinocytes. It is associated with comorbidities, mainly related to the clinical manifestations of the metabolic syndrome. Increased TNF-alpha expression (TNF-α) is related to its pathophysiology. Infliximab is an intravenous drug that acts neutralizing the biological activity of TNF-α and prevents the binding of the molecule to the target cell receptor, inhibiting cell proliferation of psoriasis and other diseases mediated by TNF-α. A lot of infusion reactions have been described in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adverse effects of intravenous treatment with infliximab, analyzing patients with psoriasis compared to those with other chronic inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis). METHOD: Analysis of medical records and adverse events of 168 patients undergoing infliximab infusion for psoriasis and chronic inflammatory diseases treatment. RESULTS: 168 patients who have used infliximab were evaluated, 24 had psoriasis and 144 had chronic inflammatory diseases. Only 2 (8.3%) patients with psoriasis showed adverse events requiring treatment discontinuation, and just 6 (4.2%) female patients with chronic inflammatory diseases experienced adverse events. CONCLUSION: Infliximab is a safe drug, with a low percentage of adverse events and there were more adverse events in women with chronic inflammatory diseases and in patients who received more infliximab infusions.