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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2013; 19(44): 7867-7873
Published online Nov 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i44.7867
Published online Nov 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i44.7867
Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors and chronic hepatitis C: A comprehensive literature review
Maurizio Pompili, Marco Biolato, Luca Miele, Antonio Grieco, Department of Internal Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 8-00168 Roma, Italy
Author contributions: Pompili M and Biolato M designed the study, wrote the manuscript, and revised the final version of the article; Miele L and Grieco A contributed to the literature search and writing the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Maurizio Pompili, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A Gemelli, 8-00168 Roma, Italy. mpompili@rm.unicatt.it
Telephone: +39-6-30154334 Fax: +39-6-35502775
Received: September 27, 2013
Revised: October 31, 2013
Accepted: November 12, 2013
Published online: November 28, 2013
Processing time: 74 Days and 19 Hours
Revised: October 31, 2013
Accepted: November 12, 2013
Published online: November 28, 2013
Processing time: 74 Days and 19 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Our review summarizes data on patients with hepatitis C exposed to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors, thus building a stronger safety profile than previously reported. A comprehensive paragraph on the pathway of TNF-α in hepatitis C virus (HCV) and an overview on immune-mediated damage induced by TNF-α inhibitors (cryoglobulins, autoimmune hepatitis) have been also included. Some controversies regarding the universal screening and monitoring of HCV-RNA were also addressed.