Frequency and Causes of Methotrexate Intolerance and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Qena Governorate

Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is a conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug that has been used as first-line therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the frequency of MTX side effects and its discontinuation has been documented earlier, although it hasn't been fully investigated yet....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sondos Mohammed Sayed, Mohamed Ismail Abdelkareem, Eman Ragab Abdelradi, Wael Abd El-Mohsen Abady
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: South Valley University, Faculty of Medicine 2024-07-01
Series:SVU - International Journal of Medical Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://svuijm.journals.ekb.eg/article_382296.html
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832086674461425664
author Sondos Mohammed Sayed
Mohamed Ismail Abdelkareem
Eman Ragab Abdelradi
Wael Abd El-Mohsen Abady
author_facet Sondos Mohammed Sayed
Mohamed Ismail Abdelkareem
Eman Ragab Abdelradi
Wael Abd El-Mohsen Abady
author_sort Sondos Mohammed Sayed
collection DOAJ
description Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is a conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug that has been used as first-line therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the frequency of MTX side effects and its discontinuation has been documented earlier, although it hasn't been fully investigated yet. Objectives: To evaluate the causes and frequency of methotrexate therapy discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis patients in Qena governorate and to determine risk factors that may increase the incidence of MTX intolerance. Patients and methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was done on 200 patients with RA at the outpatient clinic of physical medicine, Rheumatology, and Rehabilitation Department of Qena University Hospital. All patients underwent a comprehensive history taking that included the reason for stopping methotrexate, a comprehensive clinical examination, a laboratory evaluation, and scoring of their disease activity. The patients were categorized into two groups based on their current MTX administration status. Results: A total number of 90 (45%) patients stopped using MTX within 3months to 26 years duration for various reasons; the most frequent reasons for stopping were gastrointestinal and hepatic adverse effects, representing together 55.5% of causes of discontinuation. The two groups had a significant statistical difference regarding corticosteroid intake and the current steroid dose. Conclusion: MTX appears to be a safe medication for RA patients to utilize for an extended period. To achieve the most benefit from an essential component of RA treatment, additional initiatives should be carried out to reduce the negative consequences and stoppage rate of methotrexate.
format Article
id doaj-art-aa1cbb028d8b4492a4ce1a294e1d1307
institution Kabale University
issn 2735-427X
2636-3402
language English
publishDate 2024-07-01
publisher South Valley University, Faculty of Medicine
record_format Article
series SVU - International Journal of Medical Sciences
spelling doaj-art-aa1cbb028d8b4492a4ce1a294e1d13072025-02-06T09:53:48ZengSouth Valley University, Faculty of MedicineSVU - International Journal of Medical Sciences2735-427X2636-34022024-07-0172569578https://doi.org/10.21608/svuijm.2024.301115.1910Frequency and Causes of Methotrexate Intolerance and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Qena Governorate Sondos Mohammed Sayed Mohamed Ismail Abdelkareem Eman Ragab Abdelradi Wael Abd El-Mohsen Abady Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is a conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug that has been used as first-line therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the frequency of MTX side effects and its discontinuation has been documented earlier, although it hasn't been fully investigated yet. Objectives: To evaluate the causes and frequency of methotrexate therapy discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis patients in Qena governorate and to determine risk factors that may increase the incidence of MTX intolerance. Patients and methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was done on 200 patients with RA at the outpatient clinic of physical medicine, Rheumatology, and Rehabilitation Department of Qena University Hospital. All patients underwent a comprehensive history taking that included the reason for stopping methotrexate, a comprehensive clinical examination, a laboratory evaluation, and scoring of their disease activity. The patients were categorized into two groups based on their current MTX administration status. Results: A total number of 90 (45%) patients stopped using MTX within 3months to 26 years duration for various reasons; the most frequent reasons for stopping were gastrointestinal and hepatic adverse effects, representing together 55.5% of causes of discontinuation. The two groups had a significant statistical difference regarding corticosteroid intake and the current steroid dose. Conclusion: MTX appears to be a safe medication for RA patients to utilize for an extended period. To achieve the most benefit from an essential component of RA treatment, additional initiatives should be carried out to reduce the negative consequences and stoppage rate of methotrexate.https://svuijm.journals.ekb.eg/article_382296.htmlmethotrexate gastritisside effects pancytopenia
spellingShingle Sondos Mohammed Sayed
Mohamed Ismail Abdelkareem
Eman Ragab Abdelradi
Wael Abd El-Mohsen Abady
Frequency and Causes of Methotrexate Intolerance and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Qena Governorate
SVU - International Journal of Medical Sciences
methotrexate gastritis
side effects pancytopenia
title Frequency and Causes of Methotrexate Intolerance and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Qena Governorate
title_full Frequency and Causes of Methotrexate Intolerance and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Qena Governorate
title_fullStr Frequency and Causes of Methotrexate Intolerance and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Qena Governorate
title_full_unstemmed Frequency and Causes of Methotrexate Intolerance and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Qena Governorate
title_short Frequency and Causes of Methotrexate Intolerance and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Qena Governorate
title_sort frequency and causes of methotrexate intolerance and discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis patients in qena governorate
topic methotrexate gastritis
side effects pancytopenia
url https://svuijm.journals.ekb.eg/article_382296.html
work_keys_str_mv AT sondosmohammedsayed frequencyandcausesofmethotrexateintoleranceanddiscontinuationinrheumatoidarthritispatientsinqenagovernorate
AT mohamedismailabdelkareem frequencyandcausesofmethotrexateintoleranceanddiscontinuationinrheumatoidarthritispatientsinqenagovernorate
AT emanragababdelradi frequencyandcausesofmethotrexateintoleranceanddiscontinuationinrheumatoidarthritispatientsinqenagovernorate
AT waelabdelmohsenabady frequencyandcausesofmethotrexateintoleranceanddiscontinuationinrheumatoidarthritispatientsinqenagovernorate