58% RA Patients Report Pain After Methotrexate Treatment

Over half of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are treated with methotrexate still have persistent pain after 3 months, and many of those with good clinical response also reported consistent pain, according to a recent study.

Researchers analyzed data from a population-based cohort of 1241 RA patients with follow-up data from the Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register. Response to treatment was evaluated as either good (40%), moderate (38%), or no response (23%). The primary endpoint was “remaining pain” after 3 months of follow-up.
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Overall, 58% of patients continued to experience significant pain after 3 months, and 29% of those who had a “good” response to treatment also had persistent pain.

Factors associated with persistent pain included age, greater disability at baseline, and joint tenderness.

“These results are in line with the hypothesis that a subgroup of early RA patients exhibits pain that is not inflammatory mediated where alternative treatment strategies to traditional anti-inflammatory medications need to be considered.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Altawil R, Saevarsdottir S, Wedren S, Alfredsson L, et al. Remaining pain is common in early rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with methotrexate. Arthritis Care and Research. January 19, 2016 [epub ahead of print]. DOI: 10.1002/acr.22790.