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A prospective observational cohort study of the efficacy of tofacitinib plus iguratimod on rheumatoid arthritis with usual interstitial pneumonia

Shuhua Wang, Yao Li, Yanchun Tang, Weilin Xie, Yue Zhang, Qingyan Liu

Frontiers in Immunology, 2023

78 participants · 9 citations

Abstract

Objectives This study aims to assess the efficacy of tofacitinib (TOF) plus iguratimod (IGU) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) (RA-UIP). Methods This was a prospective observational cohort, single-center study. Data from 78 RA-UIP patients treated with TOF plus IGU, IGU plus conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs), and csDMARDs were analyzed. Clinically relevant responses in RA activity assessment, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) assessment at baseline and follow-up were compared between groups to evaluate the efficacy of TOF plus IGU. Results A total of 78 patients were followed up for at least 6 months after treatment. There were significant changes in sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), and disease activity score (DAS) 28-CRP during the follow-up within each treatment group, but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. After 6 months of TOF plus IGU treatment, forced vital capacity (FVC)% (84.7 ± 14.7 vs. 90.7 ± 15.4) and HRCT fibrosis score (7.3 ± 3.4 vs. 7.0 ± 5.6) showed a significant improvement compared to the csDMARDs group (P = 0.031, P = 0.015). The TOF plus IGU-treated patients had a significantly higher regression and lower deterioration than the csDMARDs-treated patients (P = 0.026, P = 0.026) and had a significantly higher response (regression + stability), with overall response rates of 66.7%…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 78 participants or records.

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