Methotrexate

Biologics were more likely to improve psoriasis than methotrexate in pediatric patients, as assessed by both the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index and Physician Global Assessment, according to a study.

Low-dose methotrexate — the most commonly used drug for systemic rheumatic diseases — was associated with small to moderate increased risks for skin cancer along with gastrointestinal, infectious, pulmonary and hematologic adverse events, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The use of doxycycline to treat patients with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis showed promise as a first-line therapy, according to a descriptive case series published in JAMA Dermatology.

ATLANTA — Patients with Down syndrome arthropathy experience a year-long delay from symptom onset to diagnosis, according to a presentation at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting.

ATLANTA — Data from a 2-year, randomized controlled trial presented here demonstrate that using ultrasound findings to guide early rheumatoid arthritis treatment strategy did not reduce MRI inflammation or result in less structural damage.

ATLANTA — Fatigue and gastrointestinal complaints were the most common patient-reported adverse events associated with methotrexate among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, according to a speaker at ACR/ARP 2019.

ATLANTA — Methotrexate significantly reduced the progression of joint damage among patients with erosive hand osteoarthritis, but demonstrated no significant improvement in pain or function over placebo, according to a presentation at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting.

Learning Objectives:

Patients with psoriasis prescribed biologic agents are less likely to develop psychiatric illnesses compared with patients not prescribed biologic agents, which researchers concluded is due to treatment selection bias.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who achieve low disease activity with tofacitinib plus methotrexate can safely withdraw methotrexate without fear of worsening disease activity, according to findings published in The Lancet Rheumatology.