It has been widely used in Australia and globally since the early 1980s. Relief could be on the way for people with painful hand osteoarthritis after a Monash University and Alfred Health-led study found an affordable existing drug can help. Until now there has been no effective treatment., the paper investigated methotrexate, a low-cost, effective treatment for inflammatory joint conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
About half will have inflamed joints, which cause pain and are associated with significant joint damage. Despite the high prevalence and disease burden, there are no effective medications. "Based on these results, use of methotrexate can be considered in the management of hand osteoarthritis with an inflammatory pattern. This provides clinicians with a treatment option for this group, which tends to get more joint damage."
The NHMRC-funded randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 97 people assessed whether 20 mg of methotrexate weekly reduced pain and improved function compared to placebo in patients with symptomatic hand OA and synovitis over six months. "Further trials are needed to establish whether the effect of methotrexate extends beyond six months, for how long we need to treat patients, and whether methotrexate reduces joint damage in patients with hand osteoarthritis and associated inflammation," she said.
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