Severe Infections Are Infrequent in Children Treated with TNF-α Inhibitors

Use of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α inhibitors and other immunomodulators for treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) has been increasing in pediatric populations. In adult patients, these biologics have been associated with increased risk for serious opportunistic infections (particularly mycobacterial and fungal infections). What's the risk in pediatric patients? To find out, investigators conducted a systematic literature review of original studies of the three most common immunomodulating agents used for pediatric IBD (39 studies) and JIA (33 studies): infliximab (Remicade), etanercept (Enbrel), and adalimumab (Humira).

In both JIA and IBD pat…