Side effects of TNF-α blockers in patients with psoriatic arthritis: evidences from literature studies

Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory rheumatic disorder, which occurs in patients with skin and/or nail psoriasis. In psoriatic arthritis, the importance of biologic mediators modulating inflammatory reaction, such as tumor necrosis factor, and the knowledge on their role in the pathogenesis of psoriatic arthritis influence the therapeutic choices. In the last years, the introduction of biologic drugs has greatly changed the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. In fact, tumor necrosis factor-α blockers demonstrated an effective action in the treatment of both skin and joint manifestations of psoriatic arthritis, but they have some adverse effects. The aim of this review is to revisit the literature data on adverse effects of tumor necrosis factor-α blockers in patients with psoriatic arthritis.