EULAR updates guidance on arthritis

摘要

FIRST-LINE therapy for rheumatoid arthritis should be with methotrexate, given either on its own or in combination with other conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, say updated guidelines on use of DMARDs from the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) (Annals of Rheumatic Disease, online 25 October 2013). Previous guidelines favoured DMARD monotherapy for initial therapy but EULAR says that several studies have now suggested that combination treatment may be superior to methotrexate alone. So both options are included, with choice depending on patient preference and expectation of adverse effects.