Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: Comparative Efficacy of Four Treatment Regimens
March 2017
Studysummary This study, involving patients with early rheumatoid arthritis, found that treatment regimens combining methotrexate and glucocorticoids, with or without initial high-dose methylprednisolone, showed higher remission rates over one year compared to methotrexate or leflunomide alone, and all regimens were generally well-tolerated.
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The study compared the efficacy and safety of four treatment regimens for early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 118 patients over one year. The regimens included methotrexate (MTX), MTX with glucocorticoids (GC), MTX with GC and a single infusion of methylprednisolone (MP), and leflunomide (LEF). Clinical remission rates were highest in the MTX+GC (46%) and MTX+GC+MP (47%) groups, compared to MTX alone (19%) and LEF (28%). Side effects varied, with hair loss noted in several groups. Overall, the combination of MTX and GC showed the most promising results, and the total remission rate across all groups was 34%, indicating satisfactory efficacy and good tolerability.
