Risk of infections in patients with inflammatory bowel disease treated with biologic therapy

Abstract:

The development of biologic therapy, initially in the form of TNF-α blockers, has led to a revolution in the treatment of IBD patients. Nowadays, there is a trend of using these medicines as early as possible. Development of new therapeutic options of different mechanisms of action, combined with broad application of the biologic therapy, has made safety risks of the biologic therapy an important factor in deciding among different therapeutic modalities. The risk of infection is one of the key risks associated with the use of biological therapy.

Key words:
biologic therapy; infections; opportunistic infections; risk