Japan College of Rheumatology guideline for the use of methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis |
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| Authors: | Hideto Kameda Takao Fujii Ayako Nakajima Ryuji Koike Akira Sagawa Katsuaki Kanbe |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan;2. Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan;3. Department of Rheumatology, Center for Rheumatic Diseases, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan;4. Medical Innovation Promotion Center, Clinical Research Center of Medical Hospital, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan;5. Sagawa Akira Rheumatology Clinic, Hokkaido, Japan;6. Department of Kuranomachi Community Medicine, Regional Clinical Education Center, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan |
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| Abstract: | Methotrexate (MTX), the anchor drug in the current treatment strategy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), was first approved for treatment of RA in Japan in 1999 at the recommended dose of 6–8?mg/week; it was approved as first-line drug with the maximum dose of 16?mg/week in February 2011. However, more than half of Japanese patients with RA are unable to tolerate a dose of 16?mg/week of MTX. Moreover, some serious adverse events during the treatment with MTX, such as pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) and lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) have been observed much more frequently in Japan than in other countries. Therefore, this article, an abridged English translation summarizing the 2016 update of the Japan College of Rheumatology (JCR) guideline for the use of MTX in Japanese patients with RA, is not intended to be valid for global use; however, it is helpful for the Japanese community of rheumatology and its understanding might be useful to the global community of rheumatology. |
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| Keywords: | Guideline Japan College of Rheumatology methotrexate rheumatoid arthritis |
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