Drug Prevents Rheumatoid Arthritis

Category: Conditions of the Endocrine System

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by inflammation in the joints, leading to chronic pain and disability. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 2.1 million U.S. adults have RA. Now research reports that RA may be delayed or prevented with a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) called methotrexate.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the European Congress of Rheumatology, examined whether patients with probable RA would benefit from methotrexate treatment. Researchers from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands administered 15 mg methotrexate or a placebo (no treatment) weekly to 110 patients with undifferentiated arthritis (type of arthritis not yet diagnosed) participating in the PROMPT (Probable rheumatoid arthritis: Methotrexate versus Placebo Treatment) study. Cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (CCP) tests for RA were obtained from the participants.

The researchers found that the methotrexate group had fewer participants developing RA and more participants reaching remission than the placebo group. Furthermore, the placebo group had a significantly higher progression of erosive disease than the methotrexate group.

"Anti-CCP-positive patients seem to benefit most from treatment with methotrexate, which indicates the existence of a window of opportunity in anti-CCP-positive arthritic patients to influence the disease progression into full-blown RA," the study authors write. "This is the first RCT that demonstrates the existence of such a window of opportunity."

REFERENCES:
1. Van Dongen H et al. Probable Rheumatoid Arthritis Methotrexate Versus Placebo Therapy (PROMPT)-Study: Indications For A Window Of Opportunity In The Treatment of Patients With Undifferentiated Arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 2006;65(Suppl II):54

Posted by Elaine Gavalas on May 14, 2014 11:00 AM