title: The safety of weekly low dose oral methotrexate in an Oriental population with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: A retrospective review of 50 oriental patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with weekly oral methotrexate showed adverse events in 15 (30%) patients with 19 occurrences (38%) of leucopaenia (4%), pancytopaenia (2%), gastrointestinal symptoms (18%), hepatic transaminase elevation (6%), rash (2%) and infections (6%). The median duration of treatment with methotrexate was 11 months (range 1 to 105 months). Pancytopaenia occurred in 1 patient with renal failure. All adverse events resolved with cessation of therapy and on several occasions, despite continued therapy. Methotrexate was discontinued permanently in 2 and temporarily in 7 patients as a result of adverse events. No recurrence of adverse events was noted on restarting methotrexate therapy in patients with non life-threatening adverse events. No increase in adverse events was noted in 14 patients treated with a combination of methotrexate and anti-malarial therapy. We conclude that methotrexate was well tolerated by the Oriental patients with rheumatoid arthritis in our study and could be safely restarted in those patients with non life-threatening adverse events.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thumboo
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Boey
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012449:Safety; D012846:Singapore
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D008727:Methotrexate