Etanercept has recently been implicated in the induction of granulomatous reactions. We describe a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who developed granulomatous hepatitis after taking etanercept. Infectious and metabolic causes of liver disease had been excluded and the liver biopsy was not typical of sarcoidosis. Liver enzyme abnormalities improved after etanercept was discontinued. We suggest that etanercept was responsible for the development of granulomatous hepatitis. This has not been previously described and adds to the increasing reports of rare granulomatous reactions induced by etanercept therapy.


J Rheumatol. 2008 Feb;35(2):349-51.


Farah M, Al Rashidi A, Owen DA, Yoshida EM, Reid GD.

From the Departments of Medicine, Rheumatology, Pathology, and Gastroenterology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.