Brightsurf Science News and Current Science News Events
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Survival Benefit For Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated With Methotrexate (p 1173)

Survival Benefit For Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated With Methotrexate (p 1173)

April 04, 2002

The anticancer drug methotrexate could have a substantial survival benefit among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, conclude authors of a prospective US study in this week's issue of THE LANCET.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease which results in reduced life-expectancy and is associated with cardiovascular disease, infection, and cancer. Low-dose methotrexate is the main choice of antirheumatic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, although its effect on mortality for patients with the disease is not known.

Hyon Choi from Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, Frederick Wolfe from University of Kansas School of Medicine, USA, and colleagues prospectively studied 1240 patients with rheumatoid arthritis over the past two decades. 191 individuals died during follow-up. Patients who began treatment with methotrexate (around half of the study population) had more severe rheumatoid arthritis. After adjustment for this confounding factor, methotrexate was found to have a 60% survival benefit for all-cause mortality compared with those who did not use methotrexate, and a 70% survival benefit for cardiovascular death.

Hyon Choi comments: "Our data indicate that methotrexate may provide a substantial survival benefit, largely by reducing cardiovascular mortality. This gain in life expectancy could be considered in selecting a cost-effective, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug on a long-term basis. Additionally, the survival benefit of methotrexate would set a standard against which new disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs should be compared."

Lancet




Related Arthritis News Articles Arthritis News and Current Arthritis Events RSS Arthritis News and Current Arthritis Events RSS
Study shows pine bark naturally reduces knee osteoarthritis
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, is on the rise. A new study published in the August journal of Phytotherapy Research, reveals Pycnogenol, bark extract from the French maritime pine tree, reduced overall knee osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms by 20.9 percent and lowered pain by 40.3 percent.

Loss of sleep, even for a single night, increases inflammation in the body
Loss of sleep, even for a few short hours during the night, can prompt one's immune system to turn against healthy tissue and organs.

Nearly half of U.S. adults will develop painful knee osteoarthritis by age 85: study
Almost half of all U.S. adults and nearly two-thirds of obese adults will develop painful osteoarthritis of the knee by age 85, a study based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests.

Cell removal technique could lead to cheaper drugs
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have pioneered a simple way to remove dead cells from cell cultures used to make protein-based drugs, which are increasingly prescribed to treat a range of illnesses.

New study shows health benefits of probiotic could extend to the entire body
Data from a recent study demonstrate the anti-inflammatory and pathogen protection benefits of Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 a probiotic bacterial strain of human origin.

Bone marrow stem cells may help control inflammatory bowel disease
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have found that infusions of a particular bone marrow stem cell appeared to protect gastrointestinal tissue from autoimmune attack in a mouse model.

Researchers discover how rheumatoid arthritis causes bone loss
Researchers have discovered key details of how rheumatoid arthritis (RA) destroys bone, according to a study published in the Aug. 22 edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

New test to diagnose osteoarthritis early
A newly developed medical imaging technology may provide doctors with a long-awaited test for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA), scientists from New York reported today at the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

NIH scientists find a novel mechanism that controls the development of autoimmunity
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found a mechanism in the immune systems of mice that can lead to the development of autoimmune disease when turned off.

Protein complementarity may offer new insights into autoimmune diseases
The discovery of "complementary" antibodies against plasminogen in patients with blood vessel inflammation caused by anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCAs) may lead to new approaches to research, testing, and treatment of ANCA vasculitis and other autoimmune diseases, suggests a paper in the December Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
More Arthritis News Articles


The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book: Protect Yourself and Your Family from Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Allergies - and More
by Jessica K. Black

The connection between inflammation and heart disease, arthritis, and other chronic ailments has become increasingly clear. Many food allergies and poor dietary choices over stimulate the immune system and cause inflammatory responses that erode the body’s wellness and pave the path for ill health. Based on her naturopathic practice, Jessica Black has devised a complete program for how to...



Flax Oil As a True Aid Against Arthritis Heart Infarction Cancer and Other Diseases (3rd Edition)
by Johanna Budwig



The Coconut Oil Miracle (Previously published as The Healing Miracle of Coconut Oil)
by Bruce Fife, Jon J. Kabara

Use nature's elixir to lose weight, prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and beautify skin and hair. Can saturated fat be good for you? Natural coconut oil-not the hydrogenated version often found in processed foods-is a saturated fat, but not the kind your doctor has warned you about. Studies have shown that this uniquely curative oil actually has innumerable health benefits ranging...



How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live: Learning the Alexander Technique to Explore Your Mind-Body Connection and Achieve Self-Mastery
by Missy Vineyard

The Alexander Technique (AT) is a remarkably simple but powerful method for learning to skillfully control how your brain and body interact, allowing you to better coordinate your movements while increasing the accuracy of your mind's thoughts and perceptions. Now, in How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live, leading Alexander Technique master teacher Missy Vineyard sheds a completely fresh...



Yoga for Arthritis: The Complete Guide
by Loren Fishman, Ellen Saltonstall

A comprehensive, user-friendly medical yoga program designed for management and prevention of arthritis, with over 400 illustrations.Arthritis restricts movement; yoga increases range of motion: these two were made for each other. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in this country, limiting everyday activities for more than seven million Americans. Drugs, surgeries, and steroids can...



Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff
by Jim Johnson

Based entirely on research from peer-reviewed journals and randomized controlled trials, Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff is a complete program to prevent and rehabilitate rotator cuff injuries for athletes and non-athletes alike. In less than 100 pages, readers will learn precisely how the rotator cuff works, what can go wrong with it, and then are guided step-by-step through an evidence-based...



The Inflammation Syndrome: The Complete Nutritional Program to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Allergies, and Asthma
by Jack Challem

Early Acclaim for The Inflammation Syndrome "Challem's new book hits a home run-with the latest research on what to eat and take to defeat our real number-one cause of health problems-inflammation. It's a message of the utmost importance." -Jean Carper, New York Times bestselling author of Stop Aging Now! and Your Miracle Brain, and columnist, USA Weekend magazine "Treating and...



Pain Free 1-2-3
by Jacob Teitelbaum

The bestselling author of From Fatigued to Fantastic shows chronic pain sufferers how to treat the underlying causes of pain and regain health and vitality Pain Free 1-2-3 demonstrates the four critical components for healing tissue: getting optimum nutrition and sleep, correcting hormonal levels, and eliminating the factors that put stress on the body. Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum provides more than...



The New Arthritis Breakthrough: The Only Medical Therapy Clinically Proven to Produce Long-term Improvement and Remission of RA, Lupus, Juvenile RS, Fibromyalgia, ... & Other Inflammatory Forms of Arthritis
by Henry Scammell

...can be miraculous for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.-- Health & Healing, Tomorrow's Medicine...



Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases (Primer on Rheumatic Diseases (Klippel))

One of the most prestigious, comprehensive texts on arthritis and related diseases, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, lupus and more than one hundred...

© 2008 BrightSurf.com