Outpatient Use of Antimicrobials in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Before and After Treatment With Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study.

Patients with RA on TNFi are more commonly treated for infections in the outpatient settings than previously reported. Patients are prescribed more antimicrobials in the 2 years preceding TNFi initiation than the general population, and this use further increases after initiation of TNFi. In contrast to what is reported for infections requiring hospitalization, outpatient antimicrobial use remained elevated for at least 2 years.