Pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous arthritis of knee joint associated with rheumatoid arthritis treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha medication: a case report.

Tuberculosis infection (TB) is one of the most important problems for the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with anti-TNF agents. Pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common clinic form of the TB in these patients. However, tuberculosis arthritis is very rare. We present here a 72-year-old Caucasian woman with seropositive RA, treated with etanercept/adalimumab for the last 2 years, who presented with resistant knee pain and joint effusion. We believe that this treatment caused the tuberculosis in this patient, which is the most worried complication. Interestingly, tuberculosis was in the knee joint at this time.