scholarly journals Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Clinical Efficacy and Adverse Effects of Zhengqing Fengtongning Combined with Methotrexate in Rheumatoid Arthritis

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiu-min Chen ◽  
Run-yue Huang ◽  
Qing-chun Huang ◽  
Yong-liang Chu ◽  
Jing-yao Yan

Chinese medicines are gaining wider acceptance. They have been used for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for thousands of years, and the need to investigate the interaction between Chinese medicines and western medicines is widely recognized. In this study, a large number of RCTs and CCTs were analyzed to systematically assess the effects and adverse events of Zhengqing Fengtongning (ZQFTN) for RA. Eleven studies that contained 956 participants (508 in the treatment group; 448 in the control group) were included. The results showed that although ZQFTN combined with methotrexate MTX could not decrease the swollen joint count and tender joint count of RA patients better than MTX alone, the combination therapy might relieve the duration of morning stiffness (SMD: −16.06; 95% CI: −28.77 to −3.34), reduce laboratory indexes (RF: SMD: −10.84; 95% CI: −19.39 to −2.29; ESR: SMD: −7.26; 95% CI: −11.54 to −2.99; CRP: SMD: −3.66; 95% CI: −5.94 to −1.38), and improve the overall effect (RR: 1.08; CI: 1.01 to 1.16) better than monotherapy. The combination therapy was significantly better in controlling adverse drug reactions (RR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.79). Through this systematic review, we found that ZQFTN combined with MTX for the treatment of RA might have better clinical efficacy than MTX only and might be superior in terms of controlling adverse drug reactions.

Author(s):  
Amanjot Kaur ◽  
Shakti B. Dutta ◽  
Amandeep Singh ◽  
Amit Varma ◽  
Mirza A. Beg ◽  
...  

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease and Methotrexate being widely used as monotherapy and in combination for the treatment of RA. Combination therapy provides additional or even more potentiating effects, therefore have been widely used. This study is aimed at comparing the efficacy and safety of Methotrexate either alone or in combination.Methods: This study was conducted for one year from 1st January to 31st December 2015. 52 patients diagnosed with RA were included in this study and were divided in two groups, Group-1 (n=29) patients received methotrexate (MTX) 7.5-15mg/week and Group-2 (n=23) patients received methotrexate 7.5mg once a week + Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) 200mg twice daily. The patients were followed up for a period of 16 weeks. Statistical analysis was done by using graph pad insta and p value of <0.05 was considered significant.Results: A total of 52 patients were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 50.53±14.81 years. 43 (82.69%) patients were females and 9 (17.30%) were males. 23 (44.23%) patients had positive family history of the disease. The Rheumatoid factor was positive in 42 (80.70%) and anti-CCP was raised in 50 (96.15%) patients. The RAPID-3 and DAS-28 scores on intragroup comparison was highly significant (p <0.0001) and the intergroup comparison was significant (p <0.01) between baseline and 16 weeks in both the groups. The improvement in inflammatory marker CRP was highly significant on intragroup (p <0.0001) and intergroup (p<0.001) comparison between baseline and 16 weeks in both the groups. The mean changes in Vitamin-D3 between baseline and at 16 weeks were insignificant (p >0.05) in both the groups. Total of Adverse drug reactions reported were 42 (50.60%) in group-1 and 41 (49.40%) in group-2.Conclusions: The combination therapy was found to be more efficacious than MTX monotherapy in improving symptoms and quality of life. The adverse drug reactions were mild, more in combination therapy and none of the patients required withdrawal of treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Jingya Tan ◽  
Jiaqiang Dan ◽  
Yi Liu

Objective. This study was designed to explore the clinical efficacy of methotrexate combined with iguratimod on patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its influence on the expression levels of HOTAIR in serum. Methods. A total of 268 RA patients were selected as research objects, 145 patients received methotrexate alone were used as a control group (CG), 123 patients received methotrexate combined with iguratimod were taken as a research group (RG), and serum of 60 healthy people undergoing physical examination was selected as a healthy control group (HCG). The therapeutic value of two therapeutic methods for RA was compared, and the HOTAIR expression in serum was detected by qRT-PCR. Results. Compared with methotrexate used alone, the joint use of methotrexate and iguratimod could provide better clinical efficacy for RA patients and would not increase the incidence of adverse events. HOTAIR was highly expressed in the serum of RA patients, and its expression decreased after treatment. Conclusion. Combination therapy of methotrexate and iguratimod is a safe and effective way to treat RA patients, which can be popularized clinically.


Author(s):  
Jette A. van Lint ◽  
Tom Bakker ◽  
Peter M. ten Klooster ◽  
Eugene P. van Puijenbroek ◽  
Harald E. Vonkeman ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 80-84
Author(s):  
Nagaraja BS ◽  
Keerthana Sharma

Background: Polypharmacy is a becoming more prevalent in older adults and adverse risk increases with age-related change. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are common in older adults and worrisome aspect of treatment in elderly. Aims and Objective: The study aimed to identify the common clinical conditions leading to polypharmacy and to compare the adverse drug profiles of the 2 groups. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted in Hospitals attached to BMCRI, where 200 patients aged 65 or more were interviewed. 100 elderly patients using 5 or more drugs were identified as cases and assessed against a control group of 100 patients. Results: Our study found that ADRs were found to be three times higher in individuals on polypharmacy compared to the control group (OR 3.4675 95% CI 1.6241 to 7.4035). The most commonly occurring ADRs were dyspepsia (OR 1.9259), drowsiness (OR 3.5926) and fatigue (OR 1.5319) with increased incidence in the case group. The most common conditions associated with polypharmacy were found to be hypertension (53%), diabetes mellitus(46%), COPD(14%) and IHD(14%). 66% of the study group had two or more of the above diseases, whereas in the control group only 32% had multiple illnesses. The most commonly prescribed medications were antihypertensives (61%), hypolipidemics (44%), antiplatelets (41%) and antibiotics(40%). Conclusion: Polypharmacy in the elderly comes with a significant increase in adverse effects. The reduced pill burden will not only decrease ADRs and improve compliance, but will also result in greater patient satisfaction and mental health, thereby improving the quality of geriatric care.


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