Bilateral Septic Arthritis of the Hip: Does Etanercept Play a Role?

This report presents the case of a young woman with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in whom bilateral septic arthritis of the hip developed after four months of therapy with etanercept alone. Staphylococcus aureus infection was found unexpectedly during exposure of the hips at the beginning of an elective total hip arthroplasty. This report highlights a possible association between tumor necrosis factor TNF-α blockade therapy and multifocal septic arthritis. Several studies have demonstrated that both etanercept and infliximab are highly effective in the treatment of patients who have inadequate responses to conventional diseasemodifying antirheumatic drugs such as methotrexate.