Folate Supplementation in Patients with Psoriasis Treated with Methotrexate: Effect on Safety and Efficacy
January 2014
in “
Dermatology Review
”
Studysummary This review discusses the potential benefits of folate supplementation to mitigate methotrexate side effects in psoriasis patients and reports no new clinical data, suggesting further randomized controlled trials are needed. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The document reviewed the effects of folate supplementation in patients with psoriasis treated with methotrexate (MTX), focusing on its potential to mitigate MTX's adverse effects like gastrointestinal issues and mucosal ulcers. While some studies, such as those by Duhra and Roenigka, indicated that folate could reduce side effects without affecting MTX's efficacy, others, like the study by Salim et al., suggested that folate might reduce MTX's effectiveness. Additionally, folate was shown to lower serum homocysteine levels, potentially impacting cardiovascular risk, though evidence was inconclusive. The review highlighted the lack of consistent guidelines for folate dosing and called for more randomized, double-blind studies to establish definitive recommendations.
