Korean Journal of Medicine  2015;89(5):593-597

doi:10.3904/kjm.2015.89.5.593

A Case of Tuberculous Peritonitis in a Patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis during Infliximab Therapy.

Jin Young KANG 1 ; Sung Hwan PARK ; Seung Ki KWOK

Affiliations

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Keywords

Spondylitis, Ankylosing; Infliximab; Peritonitis; Tuberculosis

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

Infliximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) that is used to treat chronic inflammatory diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Side effects include greater susceptibility to severe infections, such as tuberculosis. Positive diagnosis of tuberculous infections, such as tuberculous peritonitis, are often difficult due to the nonspecific nature of symptoms and the rarity of the infection, with definitive diagnoses requiring either a positive culture or histological biopsy. Here, we describe a case of tuberculous peritonitis during infliximab therapy in a 71-year-old man with AS; the disease was confirmed via histopathological examination.