Key clinical point: Adverse events (AE), most being nonserious, are common within the first year of treatment with methotrexate in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with gastrointestinal AEs being most common and women more likely to report AEs compared with men.
Major finding: At least 1 AE within the first year of methotrexate initiation was reported by 77.5% of patients, with gastrointestinal AEs being the most common (42%) and n ausea being the most reported single event (31.2%). Women vs. men were more likely to report gastrointestinal AEs (odds ratio 2.03; 95% CI 1.49-2.75).
Study details: The findings come from a prospective cohort of 1,069 patients with RA who initiated methotrexate therapy.
Disclosures: This work was supported by the Versus Arthritis and NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. All the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Sherbini AA et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2022 (Jan 25). Doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab917