Methotrexate has dose dependent beneficial effect on ILD in patients with RA

Methotrexate (MTX) had a dose-dependent beneficial effect on the risk of interstitial lung disease (ILD) In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study.

In this study, the chest CT scans of 109 patients with RA were used to determine if they had ILD.

Univariate analysis showed that the presence of ILD was associated positively with age; it was negatively associated with MTX treatment, mean MTX dose per year of treatment, and number of DMARDs used. Multivariate analysis showed that age and treatment with MTX were independently associated with the presence of ILD.

In patients treated with ≥15 mg of MTX per week, the global score was significantly lower than patients treated with lower doses or not treated with MTX.

In patients not treated with MTX, the prevalence of ILD was higher than in patients treated with lower doses of MTX and in patients treated with MTX dose of ≥15 mg/week.

Reference
Kur-Zalewska J, Kisiel B, Kania-Pudło M, et al. A dose-dependent beneficial effect of methotrexate on the risk of interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients. PLoS One. 2021;16(4):e0250339. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250339. PMID: 33861812.