Renal sarcoidosis associated with certolizumab pegol treatment for psoriatic arthritis

Abstract

We present a case of certolizumab-associated renal sarcoidosis, the first reported case in a patient with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) that was effectively treated with corticosteroids. A 55-year-old Caucasian man with PsA diagnosed at age 47 and plaque psoriasis since his early twenties was on certolizumab pegol (CZP) for 7 months before presenting to the emergency department with seizures and renal failure. A renal biopsy confirmed renal sarcoidosis. His CZP therapy was stopped, and after several months taking prednisolone at a reducing regime, his renal function improved, and his PsA remained under control. When considering further treatment options for his PsA keeping in mind that other drugs, especially tumour necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors, have been reported to be associated with sarcoidosis, tofacitinib was considered to be a future treatment option acceptable to the patient, given current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines approving its use in PsA and the lack of reports of tofacitinib-associated sarcoidosis in the literature.