Re-employing Methotrexate in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Author Information
Author(s): Theresa Kapral, Tanja Stamm, Klaus P Machold, Karin Montag, Josef S Smolen, Daniel Aletaha
Primary Institution: Medical University of Vienna
Hypothesis
Is re-employing methotrexate effective in patients with a history of previous methotrexate failure?
Conclusion
Re-employing methotrexate can be an effective treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis, especially when the original dose was low.
Supporting Evidence
- Re-employment of methotrexate was associated with a reduced risk for treatment termination due to ineffectiveness.
- Higher doses of methotrexate during re-employment improved treatment retention rates.
- The study included a large observational dataset with 6,470 patient-years of observation.
Takeaway
If a medicine didn't work before, it might still help if you try it again, especially if you didn't take a lot of it the first time.
Methodology
The study followed 1,490 rheumatoid arthritis patients to compare the effectiveness of original and re-employed methotrexate courses.
Potential Biases
There is a risk of bias as clinicians may select patients for re-employment based on their treatment history.
Limitations
The study is observational and may be subject to bias by indication.
Participant Demographics
80% female, mean age 63 years, 59% rheumatoid factor positive.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.02
Confidence Interval
0.42–0.97
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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