ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meetings
    • ACR Convergence 2024
    • ACR Convergence 2023
    • 2023 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • ACR Convergence 2022
    • ACR Convergence 2021
    • ACR Convergence 2020
    • 2020 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting
    • 2018-2009 Meetings
    • Download Abstracts
  • Keyword Index
  • Advanced Search
  • Your Favorites
    • Favorites
    • Login
    • View and print all favorites
    • Clear all your favorites
  • ACR Meetings

Abstract Number: 1627

New Insights Into the Presentation and the Management of Hepatitis B Reactivation in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases and Inflammatory Arthritis

Nina Droz1, Laurent Gilardin2, Patrice Cacoub Sr.3, Francis Berenbaum4, Daniel Wendling5, Bertrand Godeau6, Anne-Marie Piette7, Emmanuelle Dernis8, Mikael Ebbo9, Bruno Fautrel10, Arsène Meikinian11, Aude Rigolet12, Sophie Rivière13, Stanislas Pol14, Loic Guillevin15, Luc Mouthon16 and Benjamin Terrier17, 1Internal Medicine, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France, 2Internal Medicine, Saint Antoine Hospital, Paris, France, 3Department of Internal Medicine 2., CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France, 4Rheumatology, AP-HP, St Antoine Hospital, Paris, France, 5Service de Rhumatologie, Minjoz University Hospital, Besancon, France, 6Internal Medicine, University of Paris, AP-HP, Hôpital Mondor Créteil, Creteil, France, 7Internal Medicine, Foch Hospital, Suresnes, France, 8Centre Hospitalier, Le Mans, France, 9Internal Medicine, Conception Hospital, Marseille, France, 10Rheumatology / GRC08-EEMOIS, APHP-Pitie Salpetriere Hospital / UPMC, Paris, France, 11Internal Medicine, Jean Verdier Hospital, Bondy, France, 12Internal Medicine I & II, Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital, APHP, UPMC Paris VI, Paris, France, 13Internal Medicine, Lapeyronie, Montpellier, France, 14Hepatology, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France, 15Department of Internal Medicine, Referral Center for Rare Autoimmune and Systemic Diseases, Hôpital Cochin, AP–HP, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France, Paris, France, 16Internal Medicine, Hopital Cochin, Paris, France, 17Internal Medicine, Cochin University Hospital, Paris, France

Meeting: 2012 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Keywords: autoimmune diseases, Hepatitis, infection and inflammatory arthritis

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
Session Information

Title: Infection-related Rheumatic Disease

Session Type: Abstract Submissions (ACR)

Background/Purpose: In patients with autoimmune diseases and inflammatory arthritis, immunosuppressive therapy may trigger Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation, leading to significant morbidity and mortality.

Objective. To describe presentation, management and outcome of HBV reactivation occurring in patients treated for autoimmune diseases and inflammatory arthritis, and to evaluate predefined algorithm for its prevention.

Methods: French centers of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology and Hepatology have included 35 patients with HBV reactivation diagnosed between January, 2002 and March, 2012. HBV reactivation was defined as an increase >1 log IU/mL of HBV DNA levels or DNA reappearance in negative patients. Hepatitis was defined as an increase >3-fold the baseline value of alanine transaminase (ALT). We further performed an extensive literature review and provided a global analysis of 138 cases of HBV reactivations.

Results: Personal cases were treated for rheumatoid arthritis (RA, n=14), connective tissue disease (n=7), vasculitis (n=5), ankylosing spondylitis (n=4) or other diseases (n=5). At baseline, 23 (66%) patients were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers, 11 had previous history of HBV infection (including 7 with HBs antibodies), and 1 patient had occult HBV infection. Reactivation occurred after a median time of 39 wk after initiation of corticosteroid (CS) and/or immunosuppressive (IS) therapy. At the time of reactivation, 30 (86%) patients were receiving CS, 11 (31%) methotrexate, 7 (20%) TNF-a blockers, 6 (17%) cyclophosphamide, 4 (11%) rituximab, 4 (11%) azathioprine, and tocilizumab and abatacept in 1 case each (3%). Median HBV DNA and ALT levels were 4.2 log IU/mL and 2-fold the baseline value, respectively, and were correlated (r=+0.49, P=0.004). Patients were clinically asymptomatic in 31 (89%) cases, while hepatitis occurred in 17 (49%), including severe hepatitis (>10-fold the baseline value) in 9 (26%). Management consisted in antiviral therapy in 32 (91%) patients, associated with discontinuation or decrease of CS/IS in 16 (46%). Neither fulminant hepatitis was noted, but one patient died of hepatocellular carcinoma.

After global analysis of HBV reactivations, reported patients were clinically asymptomatic in 102 (74%) cases, with severe hepatitis in 46 (33%) and death and/or fulminant hepatitis in 17 (12%). Reactivation kinetics differed according to the treatments used and baseline HBV status, with earlier reactivation occurring under rituximab or cyclophosphamide and in HBsAg+/HBV DNA+ patients. The use of predefined algorithm could have prevented 108 (78%) reactivations. Two reactivations occurred despite appropriate preemptive antiviral therapy. Finally, according to the algorithm, 28 patients would not have received preemptive therapy, including 2 HBcAb+/HBsAb+ Asian patients with RA receiving methotrexate or adalimumab who died of fulminant hepatitis.

Conclusion: This study provides new insights into HBV reactivations in patients with autoimmune diseases and inflammatory arthritis. Predefined algorithm seems to be effective to reduce the risk of HBV reactivation, but caution is warranted using monitoring of HBV markers.


Disclosure:

N. Droz,
None;

L. Gilardin,
None;

P. Cacoub Sr.,
None;

F. Berenbaum,
None;

D. Wendling,
None;

B. Godeau,
None;

A. M. Piette,
None;

E. Dernis,
None;

M. Ebbo,
None;

B. Fautrel,
None;

A. Meikinian,
None;

A. Rigolet,
None;

S. Rivière,
None;

S. Pol,
None;

L. Guillevin,
None;

L. Mouthon,
None;

B. Terrier,
None.

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

« Back to 2012 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/new-insights-into-the-presentation-and-the-management-of-hepatitis-b-reactivation-in-patients-with-autoimmune-diseases-and-inflammatory-arthritis/

Advanced Search

Your Favorites

You can save and print a list of your favorite abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract. View your favorites »

All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

Accepted abstracts are made available to the public online in advance of the meeting and are published in a special online supplement of our scientific journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Information contained in those abstracts may not be released until the abstracts appear online. In an exception to the media embargo, academic institutions, private organizations, and companies with products whose value may be influenced by information contained in an abstract may issue a press release to coincide with the availability of an ACR abstract on the ACR website. However, the ACR continues to require that information that goes beyond that contained in the abstract (e.g., discussion of the abstract done as part of editorial news coverage) is under media embargo until 10:00 AM ET on November 14, 2024. Journalists with access to embargoed information cannot release articles or editorial news coverage before this time. Editorial news coverage is considered original articles/videos developed by employed journalists to report facts, commentary, and subject matter expert quotes in a narrative form using a variety of sources (e.g., research, announcements, press releases, events, etc.).

Violation of this policy may result in the abstract being withdrawn from the meeting and other measures deemed appropriate. Authors are responsible for notifying colleagues, institutions, communications firms, and all other stakeholders related to the development or promotion of the abstract about this policy. If you have questions about the ACR abstract embargo policy, please contact ACR abstracts staff at [email protected].

Wiley

  • Online Journal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2025 American College of Rheumatology