Indonesian Journal of Rheumatology
Vol. 15 No. 2 (2023): IJR VOL 15 No 2

Use of Methotrexate for More Than 4 Years Is Not Associated with Liver Fibrosisin Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Muliani , Tati (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
12 Dec 2023

Abstract

v Background. Methotrexate is an anchor drug in the management ofrheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the association between methotrexateand development of liver fibrosis remains a subject of controversy. Non invasivemethodstoassessliverfibrosis, such as the FIB-4 score, have beendeveloped. RA patients on methotrexate therapy should be monitored for anysigns of liver fibrosis. This study aims to investigate the correlation betweenmethotrexate cumulative dose and the FIB-4 score in rheumatoid arthritispatients who received methotrexate therapy to assess the hepatotoxic effectsof methotrexate. Methods. This cross-sectional study involved rheumatoidarthritis patients who received methotrexate therapy at Dr. Hasan SadikinGeneral Hospital Bandung from September 2022 to November 2022. Clinicaldata, laboratory tests (including platelet values and liver function test), andcumulative methotrexate doses were extracted from medical records. Datawere analyzed using the Spearman correlation test. Results. This studyinvolved 100 subjects aged between 22-82 years, comprising 93% women and7% men. The median FIB-4 score was 0.73 (0.24-6.80), while the medianmethotrexate cumulative dose was 2477.5 mg, with a range of 1005-10400mg. The results showed that correlation coefficient between the FIB-4 scoreand methotrexate cumulative dose in rheumatoid arthritis patients was 0.089 (p=0.378).Conclusion.There is no significant correlation between FIB 4score and cumulative dose of methotrexate inrheumatoid, arthritis, patients. The use of methotrexate in RA patientsover 4 years is relativelysafe as it does notĀ  increase the risk of liverĀ fibrosis.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ijr

Publisher

Subject

Medicine & Pharmacology

Description

Indonesian Journal of Rheumatology is a peer-reviewed open access journal on rheumatic diseases and connective tissue disorders. This is an official journal of Indonesian Rheumatology Associantion (IRA) and published twice a year since 2009. Our mission is to encourage the development of scientific ...