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QUICK STUDY : A weekly digest of new research on major health topics
rheumatoid arthritis
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A common drug may be more helpful the second time around.
· THE QUESTION Shuffling from one medication to another has become common for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Not only do they seek a drug that relieves the pain and slows the joint damage caused by the disorder, but they want one without intolerable side effects. Might it be effective to return to a drug they tried earlier without success?
· THIS STUDY analyzed medical data on 79 people who had stopped taking the common rheumatoid arthritis drug methotrexate, either because it was not working for them or they encountered side effects. About two years later, and after trying at least one other drug, everyone resumed treatment with methotrexate and continued taking it for at least a year, generally at a higher dose. Overall, the drug was deemed effective in 53 percent of those trying it a second time; this included 45 percent of those who had had no success the first time and 67 percent of people who had quit taking it initially because of side effects. People who had taken lower doses of the drug initially were more likely to register success with a repeat regimen.
· WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? People with rheumatoid arthritis, which affects an estimated 1 percent of the U.S. population.
· CAVEATS The authors suggest that higher doses of the drug proved tolerable because more people probably were taking folate supplements, which have been shown to reduce gastrointestinal and other side effects of methotrexate. About 90 percent of those analyzed took the drug orally, and the others took it via injection; the study did not determine whether the way the drug was administered affected the outcome.
· FIND THIS STUDY Feb. 24 issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy; article available online at http:/
· LEARN MORE ABOUT rheumatoid arthritis at http:/
--Linda Searing
The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment of any kind should consult with a physician.
