Efficacy of Infliximab and Methotrexate in the Treatment of Active Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of infliximab and methotrexate(MTX) in the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis(RA).Methods 39 cases of active RA admitted to our hospital from January 2009 to April 2012 were randomly divided into two groups,with 19 cases in treatment group and the other 20 in control group.The treatment group was treated with MTX 10 mg/week per os and intravenous drip of infliximab.Intravenous drip of infliximab was given at weeks of 0,2,6,14 and 22 at a dose of 5 mg/kg.All patients were followed up for 24 weeks.The control group was given MTX 10 mg/week per os for 24 weeks.Therapeutic evaluation:tender and swollen joint counts,erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),C-reactive protein(CRP),Health Assessment Questionnaire scores(HAQ) and ACR20,50 and 70 were recorded at baseline after the treatment of infliximabt and MTX at 6,14 and 24 weeks.Results(1) At 6,14 and 24 weeks,7(36.8%),12(64.2%) and 14 cases(73.0%) in the treatment group reached ACR20,while 2(10.0%),6(30.0%) and 7 cases(35.0%) in the control group reached ACR20,the difference was statistically significant(P0.05).(2) At 14 and 24 weeks,9(42.8%) and 12 cases(57.8%) in the treatment group reached ACR50,while in the control group,the number was 4(20.0%) and 6 cases(30.0%),the difference was statistically significant(P0.05).At 24 week,10 cases(57.1%) in the treatment group and 3 cases(15.0%) in the control group reached ACR70,and the difference was statistically significant(P0.05).During treatment,no severe adverse reactions were found.Conclusion It is safe and effective to combine infliximab with MTX in the treatment of active RA.