ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has evolved over the past 20 years, aiming at remission with the use of disease modifying drugs (DMARDs) and recently with biologic agents. Treatment of Filipino patients with RA has so far, not been described in literature. The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Rheumatology Section established the rheumatoid arthritis database and registry (RADAR) to better understand RA as it affects the Filipino patient.OBJECTIVE: To describe the treatment received by a cohort of Filipino patients with RA seen in the UP-PGH and entered in the RADAR over three time periods from 1996 to 2000.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This is a review of data on treatment of all cases entered into the RADAR diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis by the 1987 ACR Criteria, between 1996 to 2010. Cases were grouped into three five-year periods: 1996-2000 (Period 1), 2001-2005 (Period 2), and 2006-2010 (Period3)based on initial prescription of the drugs. DMARDs given were listed and trend in the rate of use was extracted. These were then compared across the three time periods. Descriptive statistics using ratios and proportions was employed on the data.RESULTS: Two-hundred-twenty-four (224) cases were entered into the RADAR at the time of this study and all received DMARDs. Methotrexate (MTX) was the most common DMARD used (89%). Of these, 75% were on MTX monotherapy. Hydroxychloroquine was given in 25%, with 11% on HCQ monotherapy. Combination treatment with MTX and HCQ was used in 14% of cases. There was an increasing rate of MTX use across Periods 1-3 (87%, 89% and 90%, respectively). On the other hand, a decreasing rate in the use of HCQ was noted (43% in Period 1, 24% in Period 2, and 21% in Period 3). Only 9% of patients received biologic agents in combination with MTX.CONCLUSION: This study reports the use of DMARDS in a cohort of patients entered in the UP-PGH RADAR. Methotrexate monotherapy was the most common treatment used, and this increase continued over the three observation time periods. Hydroxychloroquin was used in one fourth of patients, and its use declined over the three time periods. Biologic DMARDS was rarely used, and when given, it was combined with MTX.