Characteristics, efficacy and influencing factors of RA patients treated with iguratimod in the real world / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

【Objective】 To conduct a retrospective study of the population characteristics, efficacy and influencing factors of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who received iguratimod (IGU) treatment for at least 6 months from July 2015 to October 2020 and had more than 3 follow-up records. 【Methods】 In this study, 105 patients with RA were enrolled, and all the patients received IGU treatment for at least 6 months and were followed up three times. We observed their clinical manifestations before and after treatment, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), disease activity index (DAS28), rheumatoid factor (RF), anticyclic citrullinated peptide (ACPA), immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, and IgM), lymphocyte subsets, and observed and recorded adverse reactions. 【Results】 The course of disease and the positive rate of ACPA were significantly lower in IGU group than in the group of IGU combined with (MTX) treatment (P<0.05). The DAS28-ESR of the patients in IGU group was significantly lower than that in the IGU+MTX treatment group and IGU+leflunomide (LEF) treatment group (P<0.05). After 6 months of continuous treatment, visual analogue scale/score (VAS), CRP and DAS28 (ESR/CRP) in IGU group were significantly reduced. As the treatment time was extended to one year, the above indicators further improved, and the number of joint swelling (SW) and the number of joint tenderness (TEN) also significantly improved. After one year’s continuous treatment, the incidence of adverse reactions in IGU group was 32.3%(10/31). 【Conclusion】 For RA patients with early onset, short-course, and antibody-negative, IGU is an effective therapeutic drug and a treatment option for RA patients with interstitial lung disease. IGU is well tolerated and is also an effective and a safe combination therapy option.