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Durability of treatment with methotrexate in Venezuelan patients with rheumatoid arthritis

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Abstract

A multicenter, national, retrospective, and cross-sectional study of 219 hospital-based Venezuelan patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was aimed to evaluate the probability of continuity of treatment with oral methotrexate (MTX). Treatment survival decreased from 92% at 12 months to 42% at 180 months, as assessed by life table analysis and the Kaplan–Meier method. Forty-seven patients stopped treatment and adverse effects (29.7%) and lack of continuous access to medication (19.1%) were the most common causes for withdrawal. MTX survival was decreased in the group with combined MTX plus leflunomide therapy, as shown by the log-rank test. Venezuelan patients with RA have a probability of continuing treatment with oral MTX comparable to non-Hispanic patient populations. However, concomitant use of leflunomide may increase the risk of interruption of MTX treatment in this RA population.

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Acknowledgments

We appreciate the critical review of manuscript by James S. Goodwin, M.D. and Sarah E. Toombs Smith, Ph.D., University of Texas, Galveston. We thank Mrs. Omaira Pérez, Mayra Mayora and Cruz Milano for efficient secretarial support. Supported by Grant No G-97000808, Fondo de Ciencia, Innovación y Tecnología (FONACIT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Nacional de Enfermedades Reumáticas, Ministerio de Salud, Servicio de Reumatología, Hospital Universitario de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela

    Gloris Sánchez, Luísa Pérez Blanco, María H. Esteva, Ernesto García MacGregor, Marielena González, Ysabel Granados, Francisco Marín, Alexis Rosas, Antonio Tristano, Esther Chirinos, Luís Mundaraín, Gilberto Sanoja, Guisela Zambrano-Marín & Martín A. Rodríguez

  2. Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado 2109, Caracas, Venezuela

    Julio S. Castro

  3. University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    Soham Al Snih

  4. Apartado 47365, Caracas, 1040, Venezuela

    Martín A. Rodríguez

Authors
  1. Gloris Sánchez
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  2. Julio S. Castro
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  3. Soham Al Snih
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  4. Luísa Pérez Blanco
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  5. María H. Esteva
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  6. Ernesto García MacGregor
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  7. Marielena González
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  8. Ysabel Granados
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  9. Francisco Marín
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  10. Alexis Rosas
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  11. Antonio Tristano
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  12. Esther Chirinos
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  13. Luís Mundaraín
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  14. Gilberto Sanoja
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  15. Guisela Zambrano-Marín
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  16. Martín A. Rodríguez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martín A. Rodríguez.

Appendix

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Sánchez, G., Castro, J.S., Snih, S.A. et al. Durability of treatment with methotrexate in Venezuelan patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol Int 27, 531–536 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-006-0261-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-006-0261-x

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