Multiple sclerosis associated with adalimumab: a case report and systematic review

Yakutsk 58, Belinskogo St., Yakutsk 677000, Russia; 4, Sergelyakhskoye Sh., Yakutsk 677010, Russia The role of medications as risk factors for the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) remains controversial, although there is a limited number of studies addressing the influence of immunomodulatory drugs, contraceptives, and antibiotics on the onset of this disease. One group of medications associated with the development of demyelinating disorders (including MS) is tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors. The limited number of reported cases of demyelination associated with this group of drugs (specifically, adalimumab), both in domestic and international medical practice, prompted the writing of this article. It presents a clinical case of a female patient who was prescribed adalimumab for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis and developed MS in the fourth year of the disease (second year of therapy). In addition, a systematic review is presented including 13 patients described in the literature as well as our own case report.