A controlled comparative study of the effects of methotrexate and pharmacogenetic factors on arterial blood pressure and arterial stiffness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Observational studies have shown that methotrexate, a conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARD), is associated with lower arterial blood pressure (BP) and may reduce cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, it remains unclear whether a cause-and-effect relationship exists between the use of methotrexate and blood pressure reduction.

Patients and methods

We conducted a controlled comparative study of treatment-naïve newly diagnosed RA patients commenced on subcutaneous methotrexate (Group 1, n = 31, age 57 ± 15 years, 65% females, Disease Activity Score-28 - C-reactive protein, DAS28-CRP = 4.7 ± 1.2) or the DMARD comparator sulfasalazine (Group 2, n = 31, 54 ± 17 years, 61% females, DAS28-CRP = 5.0 ± 0.8

SUBMITTER: Mangoni AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12315184 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature