According to a study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, combination treatment for early rheumatoid arthritis is better than methotrexate alone.
Dr Choy of King's College London and colleagues studied 467 patients treated for nine months with methotrexate alone, or with methotrexate plus ciclosporin, prednisolone or both. Assessing 379 patients over two years, the researchers found new joint erosions in:
- 29% of patients on methotrexate alone;
- 17% of patients who also took ciclosporin;
- 16% of patients who also took prednisolone;
- 13% of patients on triple therapy.
"Nine months of methotrexate combined with corticosteroids or ciclosporin halves joint damage compared with methotrexate alone," says Dr Choy. Triple therapy also reduced disability and improved quality of life, but many patients complained of its side effects.
0
Like
0
Love
0
Angry
0
Dislike
0
