Broad range of adverse cutaneous eruptions in patients on TNF-alpha antagonists.

Biologic therapies targeting tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha have become a mainstay in the management of a number of autoimmune diseases. We report a series of adverse skin eruptions in six patients (four females, two males, age: 21-58 years, mean: 39) receiving 4 months to 10 years (mean 3.1 years) of anti-TNF-alpha therapies (infliximab, n = 4; adalimumab, n = 1 or etanercept, n = 1). The following drug-associated diagnoses were made in eight skin biopsies performed at Massachusetts General Hospital between 3/2007 and 10/2010: pustular folliculitis, psoriasis, interface dermatitis, neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis, Sweet's syndrome, lupus, vasculitis and palmoplantar pustulosis. The descriptions of neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis-like and Sweet's-like hypersensitivity eruptions induced by anti-TNF-alpha therapies are the first such cases described in the literature. Each cutaneous eruption improved or resolved with switching to a different TNF-alpha inhibitor, discontinuation of the anti-TNF-alpha agent, and/or topical or systemic steroids. There was a clear chronologic relationship with, and clinical remission upon withdrawal or steroid suppression of the anti-TNF-alpha agents. The mechanism for such diverse cutaneous eruptions among this class of medications remains poorly understood. The cutaneous adverse reaction profile of TNF-alpha inhibitors is broad and should be considered in the histopathologic differential in this clinical setting. Hawryluk EB, Linskey KR, Duncan LM, Nazarian RM. Broad range of adverse cutaneous eruptions in patients on TNF-alpha antagonists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]